soccer | matching tracksuits

Summer Saturday

Saturday 16 June 2018

The day started with a frenzy of activity for the Boy and me. First, there was soccer clinic, which is an addition to the spring soccer season that he just finished. The coach suggested that E has a certain awareness of what's going on during a game that might benefit from additional practice and coaching. For the Boy's part, he always explained it thus: "I just run around the outside until I see my moment, then I go!"

Taken and edited in-phone, hence the lack of quality

Afterward, we headed to our favorite local park for a summer scouting event. A bit of kickball kicked everything off and showed me that the Boy has little to no understanding of kickball/baseball. He didn't know when to run to the next base when he was on (every kid got to kick every inning, no matter the outs), and he had no idea what to do while in the field.

How did I learn baseball? I don't know that, at age six, I would have done much better. So many sports just seem absorbed with one's culture.

After lunch, we went on a short hike, and this was where the Boy was in his element. We've hiked and ridden all the trails at Conestee Park seemingly countless times.

The Boy explained this, the Boy explained that. He told about walking Clover here. He explained which portions were particularly challenging on a bike.

When we got home, it was time for a rest. A summer thunderstorm landed on us, and we all marveled at the amount of water that can fall in such a short time -- so much that our overflow for our rain barrel become completely overwhelmed.

After dinner? A return to Conestee with the Boy for a bike ride.

Sports and Ice Cream

Saturday 19 May 2018

The Girl had her first volleyball game today. It was as one might expect when the majority of the girls playing haven't had much experience on the court. Most volleys were one of three types:

A serve that doesn't make it over the net or lands outside.
A serve that plops in front of a player who, through a lack of experience and a bit of accompanying fear, made a slight effort to go for it.
A serve that is returned and then plops in front of a player on the serving team, through a lack of experience and a bit of accompanying fear, made a slight effort to go for it.

Not a lot of action. But a lot of excitement: the girls were all thrilled when they managed to make a serve (which actually happened quite frequently); they were shouting encouragement and joy when they managed to return a serve; they encouraged each other when someone messed up.

It was a beautiful thing to watch.

While the Girl was playing, the Boy was having soccer practice on the other half of the court due to the unpredictability of the weather this week. He finished his hour-long practice drench in sweat and as eager as ever to play more soccer.

It was a beautiful thing to see.

The afternoon brought the Boy's birthday party. We had an old-school, kids playing in the yard party. There were water balloons, brownies, sprinker antics, chips, volleyball over the sprinker, soda, soccer in the sprinker's mist, ice cream cake, trampoline flights, pizza, and endless laughs.

It was a beautiful day to experience.

End of Spring 2018 Soccer

Saturday 05 May 2018

The Boy finished his second season of soccer. It was a successful season, no doubt. Talking to the coach during Monday's practice, I heard the kind of praise about one's child that parents dream of. "He's really got something," he said. "He plays thoughtfully. He watches. He thinks. He doesn't just barge in. He waits for a moment." This jives with E's own description of his strategy: "I just run around the edge [of the pack of children all trying to gain access to the ball] and wait for a good moment."

(Click on the images for a larger view.)

After the game, spring planting. The Girl decided she wanted to help. Wanted to drive the stakes that will hold our simple borders in place. Wanted to rake the soil one last time. Wanted to put the young plants in the ground.

(Click on the images for a larger view.)

The Boy, just having woken up from a nap, had to fight for his right to drive a few stakes in...

Soccer and the New Garden

Saturday 28 April 2018

Every kid needs a break-out game, a moment when he shines like a professional player who hits the grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to overcome a three-run deficit or scores the winning goal in overtime. E had his today. The first half was relatively calm. No score, no real threats. The big scorer from a couple of weeks ago couldn't work his magic, and although E's team kept the ball in the opponent's half of the field most of the time, they'd been unable to convert anything to a goal.

In the beginning of the third quarter (little kids' soccer is divided into quarters, not halves), E broke out of the pack of kids that always hovers around the ball, drove down half the field, and scored. All the parents were cheering for him as he broke through, and I sat thinking, "Please, let him make this. It could change everything." It wasn't that I was thinking about winning the game. I just knew that such a spectacular play could really boost his confidence. Shortly after that, he did it again. High fives from everyone. A big smile from the Boy.

During the fourth quarter, the Boy initially sat. He was not at all upset about it: he was panting, sweaty, and positively glowing. A few minutes into the quarter, though, one of the boys on E's team wandered off the field and decided he didn't want to play anymore.

"E!" the coach called out. We found him practicing in the area by the field and sent him back in. "Come on, superstar," said our tough-love coach.

The fourth quarter saw a turnaround. Twice a player from the other team broke through; twice the Boy chased the opponent down and got in front of him/her to try to stop the goal; twice the opponent scored on the Boy. He'd been trying each time to get far enough ahead of the attacker to turn and defend like a goalie (we don't play with goalies at this level), and there was just not enough time for him to make the transition.

So instead of winning 2-0 it was a 2-2 tie. Perhaps that's better. The Boy was still the star and everyone went home happy.

No pictures, though, because I left the camera at home. "Ah, we have tons of pictures from this year," I mumbled as we walked out.

The rest of the day we spent at home. Tilling, raking, spreading manure, peat moss, and compost, tilling again. It was an exhausting but rewarding day.

Birthday Party

Saturday 21 April 2018

It started with that warm sunlight that is a sure harbinger of warmer weather. The young leaves diffuse the light, making everything glow. It's something I've tried to capture several times but have never really managed.

Perhaps I just haven't tried hard enough -- maybe I do that purposely to leave the mystery in place.

Soccer today was camera-less. I've taken probably a thousand pictures this season -- what could happen today that hasn't already happened this year? I cheered like a normal parent, sitting at the sidelines, not so worried about getting the shot as simply living in the moment. It made me think that I should leave it at home more often.

Today's game was a loss -- number two for the year. It wasn't a horrible score: 3-1. Last week we were on the other end of a complete overwhelming of the other team. It was something like eight or nine to zero. For the entire second half, I was hoping the other team would score something. So perhaps it was a sort of mild karma today. Over-winning is not a good thing, and I was actually pleased to see them lose.

While E was learning how to lose, K was cooking and baking, preparing for Papa's birthday party. On the way to Nana's and Papa's, K related an amusing story about E. He's been struggling with tying his shoes. When it came time for new shoes, he'd insisted on Under Armor shoes because Nikes are no longer fashionable. However, this meant laces. He's been trying to master the art of tying his shoes, but it's been slow going. The other day in car line, though, a little girl asked him to tie her shoes, and since then, he's been tying his own.

At Nana's and Papa's, we knew the aunties were waiting -- a surprise for Papa.

Back home after the celebration, we planted more, weeded more, pruned more -- squeezed a bit of a typical spring Saturday.

Soccer and the Yard

Saturday 14 April 2018

Soccer Spring 2018 Game 4

Saturday 24 March 2018

Last week was tough for the Boy: a loss after winning the first two games is tough, but a 4-0 loss stings just a little more. It feels like you didn't just lose but got crushed. The Boy took it in stride, but he was obviously thinking about it all week for as we got his shin guards and shoes on this morning, he confided that it angered him and that he was determined to do better this week.

We arrived for the half-hour practice that precedes every game, and everything was going as it always does: the Boy did everything the coach said, and I chatted with another parent. I still hadn't gotten the camera out when the game started and the opposing team began. A quick kick into our half of the field, and in a flash, the Boy had possession of the ball, charged through the defense, found himself completely unopposed, and streaked down the field to score.