Thoughts and Prayers for FunDad

So, something not so funny happened to one of the funniest, caring dads on our team.

I have known FunDad for years and years. We went to church together and he had two step-sisters that were around my age. He has a fairly uncommon last name, so when I saw his daughter's name on the first contact sheet that was sent out a few years ago, I knew they had to be someway related. As it turns out, FunDad's oldest daughter is the same age as MyGirl.

As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, you get to know the players and their families pretty well. I have truly enjoyed getting to know him again over the past few years.


FunDad passing out healthy snacks to the girls at the Clarksville Tournament.

One of the first stories that comes to mind is when we went on our first official road trip to Knoxville. Some of the parents had arrived in the early afternoon to get check in, have some dinner and relax. After getting the kids to bed, the parents circled their coolers in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn and settled in. When FunDad came to check in, I spied the dry cleaning bag hanging on his luggage cart. I said to his wife, "What's with the hanging bag? You know we're here for a soccer touranment, not a wedding!" His wife explained that those were FunDad's lightly-starched, button down shirts that he would be wearing out to the fields.

The next day, that is exactly what he wore. His hair was perfect, he smelled good and during half time and in between games, he threw footballs with the siblings and kicked around the soccer ball without getting one dab of dirt on his perfectly pressed shirt.

Love that guy.

I also remember that at one set of friendlies, our team needed to provide a linesman. He was of course up to the task. He was wearing cut-off cargos, a white button down shirt with a black fleece on top, and a black and orange fleece jester's hat with jingley bells to keep warm. I was wearing boots because it was little cold and wet, but FunDad was rocking out a pair of flip flops! Flip flops that he blew out during the game so he had to finish reffing barefooted.

I love when he's on the sideline cheering for us, with one of his many, many cowbells and his special FunDad sayings!

It wouldn't be right, if I didn't mention how much MyBoy and MyGirl love him too. MyBoy and FunDad are both practical jokers and tend to have so much fun together, that I normally have to threaten to separate them.

Well, FunDad is not having so much fun right now. He's in the hospital and he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.

I know that if I needed anything at all that he could help me with, he would. I just wish there was something more I could do for him right now.

Unfortunately, blogging is the only thing I can think of... if you have a story about FunDad you would like to share, please comment here or on my Facebook page, so that when he gets better, he will all know we were thinking of him.

Get Better Aaron! We all miss you!

Pictures

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let me just start with this one.



I don’t know why I think it is so funny, but I do. Photomom and her daughter were new to this team and this picture was number 48 out of the 158 pictures she sent to the team after our second weekend of soccer. In less than 50 pictures, she captured so many things about MyGirl’s team.
1. See the girl in the forefront. Notice how much sympathy she is getting from our team (and hers!). I can almost guarantee you that the girls in blue are hovering around this girl stretching their hamstrings and lunging back and forth to stay limber for the next takedown, um, I mean next play.
2. See the coaches. They are not even remotely interested in whether this girl needs help. It’s not their player, right? This is the perfect opportunity to explain what could have happened differently.
3. See the kids tumbling in the background. You can’t go to anything soccer without seeing younger siblings running around playing with each other. The younger siblings are even allowed to play with the younger siblings from the other team….but it isn’t usually encouraged.

Picture #2




Love this picture too – mainly because it’s not our team grabbing onto another player hanging on for dear life. This is the move of a desperate defender. Rarely gets called a foul. It’s a contact sport, so we deal with it. Also, notice that our player’s arm is up too. The refs might have considered this an “even tackle.” Or the refs might have been standing in the center of the field paying attention to the little kids practicing their tumbling on the next fields. Who knows?

Picture #3




I had to include this picture of SpeedOfLightGirl. I think it’s a great picture of her. Wouldn’t you be scared of her? The great thing about this girl is that there is no need to be afraid. You just need to be aware. Be aware that she is about to zip in front of you and take possession of the ball. She is not only always where she is supposed to be, but most importantly, always where the team needs her to be.

Special Thanks to Photomom for all of the pictures you have sent out. I freakin' love it and they are GREAT pictures.

And So It Begins - In the Rain!

One sure-fire way to clear up a summer drought is for our team to start a soccer season. (Actually, we can make it snow in the Spring as well – who needs a Farmer’s Almanac when you have a soccer schedule?)

When I woke up on Saturday morning, it was a beautiful day outside – sunny with big marshmallow clouds. Not too hot, which was good because it was has been scorching around here. We had to be at the fields at 8:30 am – which in our world is 8:15. So, we head to the fields and the skies are getting grayer the closer we get. As soon as my front tires crossed into drive of our soccer complex – SPLAT! The first rain drop hit my windshield.

I dropped MyGirl off and headed to get some coffee. By the time I returned, the girls were on the field and there was a nice, summer sprinkle in effect. The parents were setting up their chairs and pop-up tents.

It’s funny how things change. When MyGirl was eight years old, the parents would have been cautious about sending their girls out in the rain and asking, “Will we still play in the rain?” After five years, we know the answer.

About 10 minutes into the first half, it was pouring – POUR-ING. From my perspective, through the wall of rain, the girls looked good. Aside from a slippery ball every now and then, it really looked like it didn’t bother them at all.

Half time came and went and the score was 0-0, but about 2 minutes into the second half, AllStarGirl zips down the middle and makes a pass to StrikerGirl, AllStarGirl keeps running toward the goal, pointing in the direction she’s running. StrikerGirl touches it once and passes it right back to AllStarGirl. She takes one touch and then smack…. Back of the net.

I’m not going to say we dominated this game, but we definitely, kept it on their side of the field.

With about 7 minutes to go in the half, they foul one of our players. MyGirl takes the penalty shot. She looks at Coach #3, who tells her to go back post. She kicks the ball over the wall of people, to the near post. Their goalie tries to punch it over the goal, but instead she deflects it into the net. Coach #3 told MyGirl, he wanted back post, but he’ll take it – this time.

Secretly (as secret as this blog is), I think she meant to go back post, but since we play on a bigger field now, it was just hard for her to judge exactly where she was on the field.

Anyway, Game 1, Win 2-0.

It was still raining a bit and the girls had come over to the parents’ side of the field. When I walked to my car to get a bottle of water, the girls had been in small groups chatting, when I walked back five minutes later, they were all gathered under one tent and I just had to snap this picture. (Except one… which I didn’t realize until I posted on facebook – GracefulGirl – Where were you?)




That is one thing I love about this team. This is a really good group of girls. And we just added four more to the mix. And they are good girls too.

We went to a bigger field this year with more players on the field and more players on the team. Our team from last year stayed intact, we added two from another club and two from another team in our club. And from what I saw this weekend, they are going to help this team – PLENTY.


I won’t bore you with the details of Game #2… we lost 0-1. But, only by one point, in the last three minutes of the game, to a team that beat us 0-3 in the State Tournament in May.

I should also note, that after the rain stopped between the games, it got humid and terribly hot. And after the second game was over, the weather was perfect. Figures.

So here’s to a new beginning! Cheers!

State Championship Tournament

Where to begin?

Game 1 – Bad News for Azul
Let me start by saying that we made it to the State Tournament and we played Azul and by goodness it was Bad News for Azul. But by goodness, for a while it looked like it was going to be bad news for us. Never, ever can that team do anything the easy way. The girls played on Friday night and they came out looking pretty strong. About 6 minutes in, one of the our girls fouls one of theirs. They get a penalty kick and score. The girls faces were… blank, shocked. The other parents cheered and I heard SisterMarySoccer’s Dad yelled out, “It’s okay White, nobody’s hurt.” I felt like I had been punched in the gut.
The girls played for 23 more minutes. They worked hard to get some breaks but couldn’t finish. With 50 seconds to go in the half, LeftyLucy overlaps an outside midfielder and takes a shot from about 25 yards out. Top Shelf! Tie Game going into half.
Half time speech puts some pep in their step. They worked hard and luckily, one of their players side-swiped MyGirl just outside the 18. LeftyLucy takes the penalty shot and again puts it Top Shelf! For the next 13 minutes, the girls played tough.
With one minute left to go in the game, one of our players fouls one of theirs at the half line. They take a shot from there. It bounces off our player and they get a corner kick. The time runs out before they even get to kick the ball, but they get to take the kick anyway. All the girls have to do is clear is the ball. They kick towards a sea of blue and white jerseys. They sea parts and out comes KeeperGirl with a UT Orange keeper jersey on. She catches the ball an holds it. (In general, I’m not a UT fan, but I was never so happy to see that orange jersey come from the crowd!) Game 1 – GAME OVER – WE WIN!!

Game 2 – They Earned It and Then Some!
Saturday’s game was an oddity - for some teams... for our girls, it just how they do it. We were playing a team that used to thump MyGirl’s team continually – when we played 6v6. The girls have always had a mental issue with playing them. It was almost like the girls were beat before even stepping onto the field. Until this past March, the girls won their state league game against them.
Well during this tournament, our girls controlled the first half – took shot after shot after shot. Just high. Just wide. Just wide again. Just high again. Holy cow! Luck was not with the girls. First half ends. Zeros. The second half begins and less than 2 minutes in, AllStarGirl takes a solid hit from just behind the 18. Score! Less than a minute later, they score. UGGH! Tie Game.
The game goes on and on and on. They score again. Then, SisterMarySoccer gets a cross from the left side and scores. Tie Game Again!! BlueEyedBlondeHairedLefty follows in her shot and fought her way to another goal. StrikerGirl scored too - even though they called it back.
It was a rough game. The other team only had one sub, so they were tired and that usually makes the game rougher. With about seven minutes left to play, MyGirl barreled down “TheGiant” from the other team. (It was legal. Pinky swear.) With about three minutes left, Coach #3 puts MyGirl in defense (!!!), she overlaps to take the ball to flags and TheGiant takes her out. (Not legal. Giant has a yellow card to prove it!) So the game ends with a win. 3-2. But that score does not at all reflect how well the girls played in the first half.

Game 3 – Championship Game of the Championship Tournament
Well, it was a bit reminiscent of the early days. The girls’ opponents were good. They are good. Some of them drive more than two hours twice a week to play for that team and they travel all over God’s green earth for games. Good for them.
MyGirl and her teammates lost. But, they never gave up. They tried until the very end.
I’ll tell you what else they didn’t do, they didn’t flop. They didn’t fall down on the ground and pretend to be hurt to get a foul called. At one point in the game (or maybe FOUR!), one of their players hits the ground, she stays down, covers her face and starts to “cry.” When she realizes that the game isn’t going to stop – she pops right up and starts to play. Their coach was called out to the field at least four times to check on her players. And they only had to use a sub once for an actual injury – but that girl came back into the game 2 minutes later - LAME. Now, is that the reason why they beat us? No – not even close. I’ve seen them and other teams do it for years. I’ve told my daughter she might get a foul or called in her favor if she stayed down on the ground a little longer, but I’ll never say it again. It’s beneath her. I want her to play the game – not the refs and not the parents. I’d rather have a SpeedOfLightGirl that plays injured to finish the game than a FlopSchoolFloozy any day of week. And maybe that’s part of the game – but it’s definitely not part of “the Beautiful Game.” (Pele)

Let me step down from my soapbox so that I can say, “The girls came in second place in the State!” In the early days, when we couldn’t score a goal, defend the goal or connect a pass, I never thought it would happen. I’m so happy for the girls. And don’t think, I don’t know who to thank! AllStarGirl’s mom and Coach #1 for getting it all started. Coach #2 for taking the girls to the next level and showing them they could win with hard work and dedication. (You led by example.) Coach #3 for demanding the girls have best skills, attitude and teamwork they can have. Coach #4 (AKA ParentCoach #1You were always there making sure the girls were working their hardest. I am putting this in writing – I take back everything I said about parent coaches as it pertains to YOU. You have walked the fine line between parent and coach with poise and professionalism.

And most of all thanks to girls. It’s been so much fun watching you work so hard to get so much better and make it so far. Always remember what hard work and dedication can get you…. A place in the Championship game!

P.S. Special thanks to the “Fun Committee” and the parents for making the girls a team off the field too! It’s a been a fun ride and it’s only going to get better! And I'm afraid, more elaborate!

No Mojo!

This weekend I laid in bed on Saturday morning and watched the 1976 version of “The Bad News Bears” with Walter Matthau. Although it’s not “The Sandlot,” it is a cute baseball movie. I forgot how cute.

I generally think that baseball is one of the worst sports ever. It’s so slow to watch. There is no action and it lasts forever (Sandlot fans are saying, “FOR…EV…ER!”)

There are a couple of great scenes, but I think the best line in the movie is when Buttermaker (AKA BoilerMaker, AKA ButterCrud) says, “All I know is when we win a game, it's a team win. When we lose a game, it's a team loss.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

If you would have seen MyGirl’s team Mother’s Day weekend, you would have thought that they were the Bad News Bears! They only needed the yellow uniforms with Chico’s Bail Bonds as the team sponsor.

Ninety percent of the touches on the ball were bad. They couldn’t catch a break. And it wasn’t just one of them, or two of them, or even most of them it was ALL of them. Holy Moly. I am picturing that first game in my head right now and the theme song is straight from the Bad News Bears Soundtrack… in slow motion.

There wasn’t a half-time speech in the world that could have helped. They had lost their “mojo.” It was gone – long gone. Seriously, I know for sure that I saw at least two whiffs at the ball. The girls lost 0-2 … to a team that they beat 6-0 two weeks ago.

After the game was over, SpeedofLightGirl broke into tears because she had been knocked down, ankle twisted and stepped on during the game. She ended up injured and is out for six weeks – starting right then. SisterMarySoccer had to rush out of the complex because she was headed out of town for a family commitment.

(Props to SisterMarySoccer and her dad though – they went to their ceremony and rushed back (3 hours) when they found out SpeedofLightGirl was out of the game. They didn’t make it in time to get checked in, BUT they did try awfully hard!)

So there the girls were, down two players with no mojo. They didn’t give up though… they kept playing until the end, but man, it was painful to watch. We knew they could do better. They knew they could do better. Another loss – 0-2. I actually videotaped the second game, but MyGirl won’t watch it. It “disgusts” her.

Game #3 was a bit better on Sunday morning. They didn’t quite have their “mojo” but they at least had their touch back – some of the time. At half time, they were down 0-2. About two minutes in to the second half, SisterMarySoccer picks a ball off one of their players, passes to MyGirl. She takes a few touches and dishes to StrikerGirl. StrikerGirl shoots. 1-2. A bit later, SisterMarySoccer feeds StrikerGirl. StrikerGirl scores again. Tie Game.

I’ll say this, MyGirl took a huge hit to the face. She sucked it up and stayed composed. No Crazy Eyes. She did also have an AWESOME slide tackle and by George, it happened right in front of me AND the video camera.

Overall though, it was a bad, bad weekend at the fields. Bad. But this weekend, we head north to play in the State League Tournament. It’s a tournament we had to qualify for and not only did we qualify, we came in first in Eastern division.

In closing, I just have to say - We gotta game with Azul this Friday and that means only one thing, Bad News for Azul!

Say a prayer for the girls. This is weekend is what they have worked so hard for!

State League - Game #3!!

After we returned home from Louisville (slightly) victorious, it was time for our 3rd State League Match. (If you’ll remember, MyGirl was overcome with Crazy Eyes during the first State League match and had to sit out the second.

So she was psyched for this one. The last thing I said to her was, “Don’t eat too much, you don’t play well on a full stomach. AND – don’t punch anyone today! Okay???” I have a bit of a commute to work and the fields we played on for State League were a bit of a commute too, in the other direction. So, All-StarGirl’s mom picked up MyGirl from school and took her to the game.

Hubs and I were going to meet at an Outlet Mall just off the interstate and head north an hour more to the game. Perfect plan – until you factor in traffic. It ended up that Hubs and MyBoy were at the mall waiting for me, when I came upon a car wreck – six miles from where I was to get off the interstate to meet him. It took me 45 minutes to get that six miles. At least Hubs and MyBoy were at a mall and could get some shopping done, I guess.

Anyway, when we finally hooked up, we started driving as fast as our little Nissan could take us. I realized when we were about 30 minutes away and the games was about to start, that we weren’t going to make it there until half time. I text messaged MPIC, SM3, AllStar Girl’s Mom and SisterMarySoccer’s dad: “I’m not going to make it on time. Keep me posted. Should be there by half.” The rest of the conversation went like this.

SisterMarySoccer’s Dad responded instantly, “Is MyGirl with you????”

Me: “No. She caught a ride from AllStarGirl.”

Sister MarySoccer’s Dad: “I have a visual on her. She’s here.” (I did not receive another message from SisterMarySoccer’s dad. I will remember that when he isn’t at a game!)

AllStarGirl’s Mom: “Ok”

SM3, MPIC: “Game on”

2 minutes into the game
AllStarGirl’s Mom: “We look at little slow. The grass is giving them trouble.”

UGGH!!!

AllStarGirl’s Mom: (I don’t remember exactly, but it was a longer, more-detailed version of ‘Cross in, we score.’

1 minute later
SM3: “We score.” 30 seconds later – MPIC sends the same message.

1-0. You would not believe how intense the car ride was… We were trying so hard to get there and you never knew if anytime my phone buzzed it was going to be bad for us, or good for us.

A few minutes later, something crazy looking must have happened because I got these messages:

AllStarGirl’s Mom: “The grass is really thick.”

30 seconds later:
SM3: “Us 1, them 0, Grass 3”

I texted AllStarGirl’s Mom: “How’s MyGirl playing?” She replied, “Good. Very Focused. Intense.”

A bit later, my phone alarms three times. We scored again.

Hubs, MyBoy and I FINALLY pull into the parking lot and I can see the game. We got there in time for me to see about 5 minutes of the first half. As I walked up, I see one of their girls push one of our girl straight off the ball. I yelled, “Hey! That’s a foul!” from about 20 feet away from the sidelines. One of the parents turned around and said, “It’ll get worse, he hasn’t called anything all game.”

We ended up winning 3-0. The second half was a good one. The refs didn’t call much of anything. MyGirl was intense and focused. (No crazy eyes!)

The girls looked like a well-oiled machine. They made some really great passes. And Coach #3 was...satisfied.

State League Record: 3-0! One more win and we are going into the State Tournament as #1 in the East!

What Were We Thinking???

In mid-April we traveled to Louisville, KY for a soccer tournament. There were five teams in our bracket which in tournament terms has pros and cons. It means you have to play each team in your bracket one time and the team with the most points after playing everyone is the champion. There is no advancement to the semi-finals and no championship game.

The only good thing about it is that you are guaranteed four games no matter how well you do in a tournament.

So, our first game – unbeknownst to us or anyone else - ended up being the championship game.

Game #1 - Unlucky

Oh yeah – the other things about the tournament…It was raining. And muddy. By the time we got to play our first game, four other games had taken place on the field. Needless to say, the center of the fields were one big mud pit. At certain points in the field, the ball would hit a puddle and stop. The ball was wet and muddy too. The girls would run their cleat over the top of the floating ball trying to pull it back, but half the time, their cleats would just scrape a layer of mud off the top of the ball.

The girls worked hard. Just walking through mud baths was hard work and our girls were doing everything they could to lift the ball into the air to get a good cross. And once they did get it in the air, the wind took it. The opponents got a shot off a corner and shot off a penalty kick. Our girls just couldn’t seem to finish. The mud really seem to hurt us. Not an excuse… I know they played in the same conditions. But our girls over ran a lot of balls.

I don’t know what everyone else thinks, but I can’t wait to see the girls play them again. On our fields. On a sunny day. I’m sure the game won’t end 0-2.

Game #2 – Win

The second game of the day, the fields were worse, but the rain and stopped and some of the puddles had soaked in. The mud affected how we played for sure, but the other team really had trouble. I know we would have beat them anyway, but I don’t know if we would have beat them 7-1.

Game #3 – Win

The first game of Sunday was fun – at first. We scored in the first couple of minutes… then the girls scored a lot more… and then some more. The only thing super exciting about it was the Lefty Lucy – our left-footed defender – got a hat trick. It comes with the territory when the coach makes you drop the ball to the defenders every time you gain possession. So good for you Lefty! A hat trick is hard to do during any game!

Game #4 Tie

Well, our opponents were rough. (We like that.) The ground was dried out enough, but because of all the mud the day before we were playing on a big patch of dried up, cratered dirt. It was reminiscent of a soccer field that you would see in a documentary about an African orphanage. Anyway – the fields weren’t the best. The balls were bouncing kind of crazy. It wasn’t’ ideal. The parents on the other team weren’t ideal either. They were RIDICULOUS. One of our girls, I don’t remember which one, collided into another girl. The girl from the other team cried a little – very little. The parents started squawking that our player had “hurt their player on purpose.” On purpose? Are you kidding me?? (See previous posts – if it had been on purpose…. Well…. You know.) Anyway, we tied. We probably should have lost, but we didn’t, we tied and we were finalists… (Ask Lefty Lucy’s about her best defensive play ever during a penalty kick. Way to go again Lefty!)

Game #2.5 – BEST GAME OF THE WEEKEND!!!

If you keep up with the blog, you know that SM3 and I always create a game for the girls to play in the hotel. This time, with the help of MPIC and GoalieGirl’s mom… we topped ourselves – BIG TIME. We watched several episodes of Minute to Win It and we modified the games so that the girls could do it.

We started with stacking cups. It was pretty easy for most of them.



Then we went on to having solo cups that they have to blow off the table with a balloon. It was funny watching the girls blow up the balloons and then using that air to push ten cups off the front of the table.


Some girls had trouble!


Others didn't!

Next up was canned money. We had cans set up with pennies and they had one minute to arrange the eight cans from least to highest amount of pennies. (It was hard!)

Then M&M blow – They had to pick up an M&M with a straw, carry it to another table and drop it in a cup. (Amazingly, some girls really had trouble!)

Then in teams had to move a soda can from one table to another after threading a piece of pasta through the tab with their mouths and having their partner catch the other side of the pasta. HILARIOUS!!






Siblings played against siblings too!!

And for the last game, the girls had to put an Oreo on their foreheads and without using their hands move it down their face into their mouth.


You've got a Minute to Win It - Let's Go!


Winner!!!


WOO HOO!!!



Some people had better luck eating the cookies!


Siblings Compete Again!!


These two chocolate lovers got the cookie EVERY TIME!


It was so fun! Another soccer team was staying in the hotel and they became our studio audience - oohing and ahhing - basically marveling at our complete and utter awesomeness! We even got one of them to “guest play” for us!

The good news: Everyone loved the game! But what on earth were we thinking? How on earth are we going to top that???

Crazy Eyes Comes Back

After MyGirl played so well in the tournament and took a beat down and some pretty hard hits, we traveled to a far-away, thick-cut, extra-long, extra-wide field with small goals so the girls could play in their first State League match.

They started out pretty strong, getting a goal in the first 5-6 minutes. Beautiful cross on a penalty kick from one my favorite left-footed defenders - LeftyLucy. AllStar Girl one touches to the back of the net.

Two minutes later, MyGirl plays to space, AllStarGirl crosses in, StrikerGirl takes a touch and UNSELFISHLY passes to SisterMarySoccer for goal #2.

With two minutes to go in the half, I saw MyGirl play to space, then I saw her give a girl “the hard shoulder” as she ran past her. (Never, ever a good sign.) But that was it. She played the rest of the two minutes – no problems.

After half time – one of their girls gets a breakaway and KeeperGirl made a phenomenal stop. Unfortunately, it happened again and they score one.

In the mean time, MyGirl got nailed a few times from that one particular girl from the other team. MyGirl did nothing -- for most of the half. With two minutes to go, in the second half the same girl takes MyGirl down. Apparently, she pulled her down by her hair. Apparently, that’s a huge “no-no” from MyGirl’s perspective – something that MyBoy doesn’t even get away with. MyGirl hit the ground and like a cat that didn't land on all four popped back up, flipped that girl over by her hair and punched her three times – three good times. Speed-O-LightGirl claims that she saw a clump on hair on the field.

She took her red card and jogged off the field. They had returned – the dreaded “crazy eyes.” Crazy eyes is a term that MPIC and I coined several years ago for our girls... but I'll be honest, I've seen a glint of crazy eyes in a few other faces. It's a look that takes over the girls' faces when they simply have had enough - when they have reached their breaking point. In all fairness to everyone who has born the brunt of what happens after someone gets crazy eyes - breaking points vary. There is no telling when it is going to happen. Usually, it's a close game. Usually, it's out of desperation. Usually, they have been pushed around plenty. Although sometimes, it could be one comment from an opponent. You just never know when you will get to see "crazy eyes." But, nine times out of ten...it's not a fun thing to watch from the sidelines.

This time was a little different. She didn’t take it out on that girl because she felt desperate. MyGirl had been pushed around plenty, but they were winning. She did it because she was P*$$ED. In the car on the drive home, she was still mad. A little sad, because she let her team down and she had to sit out a in the next state league match - but mostly - she was really, REALLY mad.

BTW - Coach #3 talked to her for a long while after the game and she was really upset about that too. (And boy, Coach #3 can put a guilt trip on someone better than any Catholic mother I have ever met - I like it!)

And now, she’s a little embarrassed by the whole thing. And she should be. It was completely uncalled for.

As for the rest of the game – well, we had to play a man down for two minutes. For all you hockey fans out there….Their team was On. The. Power. Play. But to no avail, KeeperGirl made SEVERAL unbelievable saves. And we won – 2-1.

MyGirl sat out at the next state league game. The girls beat a team they have NEVER, EVER beat before. A team that used to dominate the league. MyGirl was a little tense on the sidelines. But, it was a good day!


SIDEBAR: UTDad’s dad happened to be at the "crazy eyes" game. His take on it was that the girl had it coming to her. He’s a preacher, so I know it’s the truth!

Winning at Home

Soccer this season has been a true whirlwind. With all of the rain, our practices got canceled so many times I can’t count. I swear, I blinked my eyes and we are half-way finished!

Looking back though, I am smiling at one pick-up game day in particular. A tweet went out about a pick-up game later that afternoon. A few hours later, Hubs and I rolled up to the “other” fields with MyGirl (the ones we play at when our beautiful fields are closed). We had planned to grocery shop, but as soon as MyGirl’s cleat touched the grass, it started to rain. So, we stayed thinking that it would be dispersing very soon.

Not the case – in fact, more people started showing up. And they played for an hour and a half. And they had fun. It’s days like that, that I know MyGirl loves soccer.

The girls have played two tournaments so far this season. The first one was our home tournament. Our team seems to be cursed at our home tournament. When they girls were 9, we made it to the semi-finals and the game ended in a tie. Then overtime, then Penalty Kicks. Freakin’ Penalty Kicks… we lost. Heartbreaking.

The girls at age 10 while the other team takes a PK. (Don't they look little??)

Last year, MyGirl's team eeked by with a couple of wins and two losses and got second in the tournament because a team didn’t want to stay and play in the rain so they forfeited! They would have come in second place – QUITTERS!!

Game #1 – Comeback Kids!
Anyway, this year I was a little ambivalent about the whole tournament. MyGirl's team had to play a game on Friday night which is never fun. The girls played a navy team from about an hour north of us. The girls looked like they had eaten concrete for dinner. They looked slow and their reaction time was delayed. Uggh. We were down 0-2 at half time. When the whistle blew, I looked around at some fellow parents and said, “You think Coach #3 is mad?” Resounding response, “Yes!”

Lawd – I hope that Coach #3 is able to remember that half-time talk, because they came out like a completely different team. (I hope he gives it before we start a game!) The girls had tied it up at five minutes in to the second half. GoalieGirl got a couple of really nice goals quickly and ended the game with a hat trick…. That’s right – a goalie with a hat trick. Take that!!! The girls won 4-2. It was a rough game. MyGirl got plowed over a few times. She got cleated and it was ugly. But she played through – not even a glimpse of “crazy eyes.” StrikerGirl was getting pushed around a bit too. And our center ref – well – he was just getting in the way. It’s hard to dodge balls with both hands in your pocket.

MyGirl's leg after being cleated. The bruising got worse and it ended up looking much uglier. No tears though...

Game #2 – You Say You Want a Revolution?
Saturday morning’s first game was against a team that we have repeatedly played and repeatedly controlled the ball on the field and were repeatedly unable to beat – with the exception of the Mother’s Day tournament last year, when they creamed us.

Well everyone – It’s a brand new day. The girls rocked it out of the park. MyGirl and her team fought for every ball. They dominated. That win was so awesome. It was the perfect ending to a coming-of-age novel – but the day wasn’t over.

Game #3 – They Regress
Uggh. Tie game, 1-1 against the “B” team of the club we lost to in PK’s two years before – I don’t have anything else to say about that. I think I put it out of my mind before my camping chair was folded up.

Game #4 – DOMINATION
I mean seriously, the girls had this game from the whistle blow. They played against the girl who cries at every game. (She cried – and MyGirl had nothing to do with it. Pinky Swear.) They were in it to win it and they did. No PK’s needed.

Champions

My goal is to get caught up on the blogging soon. I can’t wait to tell you about the hotel game from Louisville.

























Last year, we eeked by with a couple of wins and got second in the tournament was because a team didn’t want to stay and play in the rain so they forfeited! They would have come in second place – QUITTERS!!

Game #1 – Comeback Kids!
Anyway, this year I was a little ambivalent about the whole tournament. We had to play a game on Friday night which is never fun. We played a navy team from about an hour north of us. The girls looked like they had eaten concrete for dinner. They looked slow and their reaction time was delayed. Uggh. We were down 0-2 at half time. When the whistle blew, I looked around at some fellow parents and said, “You think Coach #3 is mad?” Resounding response, “Yes!”

Lawd – I hope that Coach #3 is able to remember that half-time talk, because they came out like a completely different team. The girls had tied it up at five minutes in to the second half. GoalieGirl got a couple of really nice goals quickly and ended the game with a hat trick…. That’s right – a goalie with a hat trick. Take that. The girls won 4-2. It was a rough game. MyGirl got plowed over a few times. She got cleated straight and it ugly. But she played through – not even a glimpse of “crazy eye.” StrikerGirl was getting pushed around a bit too. And our center ref – well – he was just getting in the way. It’s hard to dodge balls with both hands in your pocket.

Game #2 – You Say You Want a Revolution?
Saturday morning’s first game was against a team that we have repeatedly played and repeatedly controlled the ball on the field but were unable to beat them – with the exception of the Mother’s Day tournament last year, when they creamed us. Well everyone – It’s a brand new day. The girls rocked it out of the park. MyGirl and her team fought for every ball. They dominated. That win was so awesome. It was the perfect ending to a coming-of-age novel – but the day wasn’t over.

Game #3 – They Regress
Uggh. Tie game, 1-1 against the “B” team of the team team we lost to in PK’s two years before – I don’t have anything else to say about that. I think I put it out of my mind before my camping chair was folded up.

Game #4 – DOMINATION
I mean seriously, the girls had this game from the whistle blow. They played against the girl who cries at every game. (She cried – and MyGirl had nothing to do with it. Pinky Swear.) They were in it to win it and they did. No PK’s needed.

Champions

My goal is to get caught up on the blogging soon. I can’t wait to tell you about the hotel game from Louisville.

I am “We” and “We” Are All Together

So, our club is hosting a MAJOR soccer tournament this summer. It’s a HUGE tournament – four thousand kids are coming to our town to play at our fields. We have tournaments all the time. But, I would say the tournaments are local, with a team or two from each age group showing up from another state.

The tournament scene is old hat. Each team does the same job every Fall and every Spring. And the people that run the tournaments are the same people every time. They are the “they” that people commonly refer to when discussing the upcoming changes in our small-town, soccer lives that generally are not discussed, presented or even emailed out to the group.

You know how it goes, “They” said that we were not going to be able to do that this year. “They” said that “they” were picking the coaches for our team and that “they” would tell us how much we are going to pay them.”

“They” have generally become my enemies – well, not enemies – more like antagonists. Everything “they” do pretty much ticks me off. Why? Because generally, “they” are the decision makers – who don’t take “us” (MyGirl, her teammates and their parents) into consideration – AT ALL – EVER.

In my opinion, “they” don’t handle things well. “They” decide, but don’t communicate. Or listen. Or respond.

A couple of years ago, when “they” were making some changes, I wasn’t real happy. I sent emails asking questions that no one responded to. I left messages and no one called me back. So, since our club is a non-profit organization, I decided to request the one thing that according to the IRS “they” have to give me – their financials. (Still don’t have them.) I requested a copy of their by-laws. (Don’t have those either.)

So, in general, I became a big, fat Pain in Their Arses. I feel sure that collectively, “they” hate me. But finally, “their” dream came true and I gave up. I threw in the towel and realized that "they" will eventually get "theirs" - or "they" won't.

Just in case you don’t know it, I tend to be a bit of organizer. I am a Type “A-minus” personality. So, when planning something, like say - a BIG tournament, I am a good person to have on your team. And somehow – I am on this tournament committee. (I know exactly how I ended up on the committee – I like to punish myself and I volunteered. But, in my defense, part of me thought "they" would say, “No thanks, we’re covered. And by the way, we hate you.”)

So last night, I went to the first meeting about the BIG tournament. Talk about awkward greetings and salutations. It was almost comical. "They" do hate me. But, they like that one of the committee slots is filled. (Just wait until "they"see what I can do with an Excel spreadsheet.)

So for the next six months, “they” will try to be nice to me and I will try to believe that “they” are not complete YAHOOs. (Try is the keyword in that sentence.)