Soccer

So every time I say this out loud to the people that know me the best, I get one of two responses:
(A) surprised pause and then "oh" or,
(B) the nicer ones just....BUST out laughing in my face.

I was Luke's soccer coach this year.

Which one were you? Oh? Or have you recovered from your fit of laughter?

I didn't start out as Luke's soccer coach. You see, to make a long story short, the original soccer coach was having some trouble. He knew the game of soccer, but wrangling 5 and 6 years old is a different kind of sport.

I know my child. My wild, loving, affectionate, maniac does not do 'unstructured' well. This was second go at organized sports, and I really really really wanted it to be a good experience for him since the first time we didn't even finish the season. I knew if we continued down this unstructured path, the season would be painful for both me as a parent and him as a child.

So what did I do....I volunteered to help. I don't know a LICK about soccer, but I have almost twenty years experience of kid wrangling. I decided that instead of complaining to the organization, I would offer a solution...even if it wasn't a great one.

That's how I became Luke's soccer coach.

And let me tell you, I learned a lot. Not only did I learn what 3v3 and 5v5 meant (thanks WW for that quick lesson) and that really you can kick the ball with ANY part of your foot, but I learned 5 and 6-year-old kids just want to have fun.

I soon found out the best way to 'coach' a 5-year-old is convincing them they are having fun. Practice is fun. The game is fun. Scoring is fun. Watching someone else score (even if they are on the other team) is fun. I even made our team cheer "HAVE FUN"!

You see, they are 5 and 6. They have most of their life to be competitive. They will spend most of their kid and teenage years running drills for whichever sport they choose. They will spend hours getting advice from parents, coaches, sideline coaches, friends' parents.

But at 5 and 6...they need more fun in their life. So fun was what I tried to give them. That and a whole lot of love. I don't need my kids burned out of a sport by 10. I need my kid to LOVE playing on a team. LOVE being coached. LOVE being active.

 

Will I coach again...NO no no no and no. But I will make sure I find a team for my kids that emphasizes fun? Absolutely. Let's make sports fun again for our littlest loves.