Soccer Mom Saturdays

Finding the missing uniform sock, making sure the white shirts stay white, soccer balls rolling out of my van and under the car next to us in the parking lot. Now I TRULY know what it means to be a soccer mom!

I have to give credit where credit is due. Travis truly knows what it means to be a soccer dad! He has single-handedly gotten all four kids up, dressed, fed and to the soccer fields a couple of times when I have had ministry team meetings Saturday at 7:30. You go, soccer dad!

This is Madalynn and Justis's first year of soccer. They are both on the White Wolves team together with kids between 6-8 years of age. Their team is part of the STYSA league. They practice Thurdsay afternoons and play one game per Saturday against another local STYSA team.

Madalynn is the team's tallest player. Justis is the team's shortest player. Justis told me after the first practice, "Mom, it's so hard to run as fast as the rest of them because my legs are so short!"

I told both kids they had to make a commitment for one season and stick it out to the end, then they can choose whether it's something they want to do again next year.

Madalynn is the team's unofficial (but indispensable) social chair. She cares more about making sure the bench-sitters are entertained and have a Gatorade to sip on than scoring. Madalynn likes to talk to her new girlfriends on the team, Laney and Paula. She has her back turned away from the ball most of the time it's in play trying to finish a conversation with one of them as they jog off to kick the ball. Paula is probably the team's most aggressive, but she's still all girl. She makes sure to kick Madalynn the ball. Coach had all three girls playing the field and his son guarding the goal this Saturday. Watching the girls work together to do what needed to be done was very entertaining!

Justis has some serious speed for those little legs of his. He's always at the ball hovering, he just doesn't kick it. "KICK IT, JUSTIS, KICK IT!" The coach and everyone else yells. "Number 4" is Justis's good friend on the team. Can you tell he's not as focused on chatting with his friends? He also practices at home sometimes between school subjects. He announces to me, "I'm going to practice my kickbacks, Mom!"

Then there's Travis and Jae, whom have the least clue of all about what's going on on the field. I thought I was safe yelling, "Kick the ball!" to my kids, but I finally put a lid on it. The coach was wanting them to play their positions on the field, but when I would yell at them, they would go across, messing up the whole formation. Neither of us EVER played soccer or have the slightest clue about the rules. Thank goodness for Coach John.

The kids both love Mr. John, their coach. He is so very patient with all of the kids and especially Madalynn and Justis, as it is their first year playing ever.

I think I probably have more fun than the kids. I LOVE watching the practices and games. I don't just enjoy watching my kids, I enjoy watching all of them. There are the jocks, the dreamers, the followers, the leaders, the talkers, the trash-talkers (!? how do they know about this so young), and the happy-go-luckies like Justis. Justis just laughs and laughs as he chases the ball around trying to get his kick at it. Madalynn is mainly there providing verbal encouragement to her teammates at this time, which she is very good at!

Go, soccer kids and soccer moms and dads everywhere!