Beware of the Ides of March

This blog is likely going to change tones. I'm almost positive that my readership of 10 will decrease to three-which is fine. Because as we all know, I write this for myself. MyGirl, my sweet, snarky, 13-year-old girl, endured a knee injury Saturday. Turns out it was an ACL and Meniscus tear. We don't know exactly what that means yet, but we know it ain't good. It's heart wrenching. As soon as she fell, she yelled, "Oh no! Oh my god, No!" I dropped my stuff and started running towards her because I know her and I have never heard her yell like that before.... Ever. Well, except for that one time that she broke her leg. I pulled up to practice just in time to hear her cry out, be carried to my car and make it to the urgent care before it closed -broken leg. As a baby, she cried incessantly-for two and a half years. But after that, the crying stopped. She rarely cried when she fell down, smashed fingers or even the time she got a black eye from running into the service counter at the primary school. I was not the kind of mom that would give my baby Benadryl to calm her own, but I was definitely the kind that would drop her off at Grandma's to get a break from the crying. Mamu always had the patience when I did not. She would always do things for Mamu that she wouldn't do for me- namely, stop crying. Anyway, she hurt herself, the Coach #4 called for us to come and get her, and there we were. She heard a pop. (Dang!) I knew we had to get her off the field, I knew I couldn't carry her more than five feet, I knew she was going to the ER. There are two things I will never forget about that day. One: one of the dads and his friend came down to help carry her to the car. The gate was locked and the had to lift her over a five-foot chain linked fence. Liz reminded me today that I said, "Someone should take a picture of this." I don't remember that... But it does sound like me. Second: the overwhelming support her teammates have given her and their parents have given me. I'm not very big on feelings. I'm getting better at it.... I figured out over the past year with all of the bad luck we have had, people love my kid (both of them actually) and that means that I have done two things right in my life. Today, MPIC called to check on me. I tried to hold back but I cried. (I was due.) She shed a few tears with me and said, "She is strong and she will be fine and she has you behind her." Choking back tears, I said, "And you." (Water works) When MyGirl thinks for a second that she can't do something, I will push her. All of our friends will tell her that she can. And when she really thinks she can't do something, we will call in the last resort - Mamu. Today, we cry and sulk and lay around and watch movies. Tomorrow- the road to recovery begins. P.S. Dear God, thank you for the friends and family I have. Thank you for the friends that MyGirl has. Thank you for giving her a team. Thank you for my husband who has tolerated my anxiety and helped me remain somewhat composed. Thank you for giving me a daughter that will make the best of this situation and a son that will help her and keep us laughing as we Forrest Gump our way through it.

Chapter 4 - The Next Generation

Okay – I’m back. It’s been such a long time that I feel like I should start fresh and delete all the old posts. But, I won’t, because I read through some of the old ones and I am kind of funny - and modest... definitely modest.

Well, I don’t even know where to begin.

If I were to write a blog to catch you up on how the girls did last year, it would be titled, “The Ties the Bind.” Last spring, they tied so many games in state league they almost missed an opportunity to play in the state tournament. But they eeked in and finished third in the state.

And although it was disheartening and sad on that Saturday, the girls played some FANTASTIC soccer during the state tournament. They were ballers. It was an intense game and we were ahead for a little while but alas, it ended in a tie. They tied the team that won the tournament.

The fall season came and went. They missed their high school friends for part of the fall season and were so happy to be reunited in November. Three tournaments entered - two championships and one finalist. Not a bad way to end an “era.”

Coach #3 has moved on. The girls miss him but still see him around. There will always be a place in their heart for Coach Bill. (And for Coach Chris.) They are good people. And good coaches. And another team will enjoy the fruits of their labors as they make another team of champions for our club.

We now have Coach #4. I don’t think I’ll ever forget our first parent meeting with him. (If I remembered it the next morning, I’m sure I can remember it forever.)

We were in Atlanta and the soccer tournament directors hooked our team up with two early games and we were done playing soccer and back to the hotel by 2 pm.

The SEC Football championship between Alabama (Roll Tide) and Georgia (Go Dawgs) was being played that evening. The game started at 4 pm (I think) and we had scheduled our parent meeting at 7ish. Plenty of time to have a cocktail or two (or six).

Well the football game was awesome. And Coach #4 was a little late. Even though most of us were rooting for Georgia and they lost, (Sorry Merry), we were all in a pretty good mood. So we headed down to the pool deck (with coolers in tow) and found our seats. And that’s when Coach #4 put the big trick on us.

I had envisioned him standing in front of us, telling us about his family and how he got interested in soccer. But instead, he turned it around on us. We all had to go around and tell him about our family and how our daughters got interested in soccer, their strengths, their weaknesses and our hopes for the team.

There were some funny moments, some serious moments and some complete ridiculousness. (Two-and-a-half hours of it.)

If loose lips sink ships, there is an armada of ships somewhere twenty-thousand leagues under the sea right now.

Coach #4 - Welcome aboard!

The girls worked hard for him over the winter and they had their first outdoor games this past weekend. I’m just going to glaze over the play-by-play for those games and start fresh again later.

Coach K says, "It's a process." And so did Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball. I love me Coach K, but Brad Pitt is much easier on the eyes.

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!