Soccer stuff
Aug. 19th, 2004 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anigoSo, I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm coaching The Kid's soccer team again this year. Or I was - tonight was our last "regular" game with only a "tournament" on Saturday (basically controlled chaos where there are balls kicked around and jerseys turned in)
I, along with another woman, coach The Crystals. A team of about 13 six and seven year olds.
The other woman is a "real coach". I, on the other hand, am a mom who has played soccer. (My motto - you can't complain if you're not willing to take somebody's place. However, if you take somebody's place before the need to complain starts you're laughin'!)
The girls on our team range from some really good soccer players to some really not so good soccer players. The good soccer players range from two girls who are hot shots and don't listen (coincidentially who also happen to be the other coach's daughters) to a really sweet kid who is really good and doesn't pout when she has to rotate to a crappy position. The not so good kids range from one sweetiepie who has no business being on a soccer field as all she really wants to do is sit in the middle of the field and pick clover (god love her) to one girl who all she does is whine that her tummy hurts or her leg hurts or she's hot or whatever, to one girl who's overweight and can't run to the other side of the field without being winded, but who tries harder than any of the other kids there.
And I love each and every one of them.
And it shows.
Today the other coach accused me of being "the fun one". She said (in that joking tone that you *know* really means that a person's ticked) that her girls like me better because I do fun things.
Yasee, my theory is this: These kids are six and seven years old. And most of them don't have a CLUE what soccer's all about. These kids need to enjoy getting out on a field, beating a ball around and working with other kids. They need to play games. They need to look forward to Tuesday and Thursday nights because it's fun. If they learn how to dribble a ball in the meantime, all the better. I joke with these kids. I make the keeper of the night show me their "monster face" to strike fear into the hearts of the other team. (Honestly, their monster faces all tend to be more silly than scary, so it's not really all that intimidating) I tease them and praise them. And they work for me. The overweight girl has gone from not being able to run half the lenght of the field to running the whole length because I told her that I knew she could. I wonder if anybody did that before. I wonder if anybody took the time to give that kid some confidence in herself.
The other coach can't stand that kid. Tonight, in disgust, she said that she was glad it was over. She'd worked as hard as she could with her, but she just couldn't even get her to even bend her knees. Yanno, it's my thought that an adult in a position of authority should NEVER dis a kid like that. It just isn't right.
On the other hand, don't get me wrong, I get frustrated with some of these kids too. There is the one kid that whines as soon as she hits the field until it's time to go home. Her tuuuuuuuummy hurts to run... she hasn't been the keeeeeeeeper yet... she's too scaaaaaaared to be the keeper and she doesn't waaaaaaant to... Yanno what? That kid drives me NUTS. But that's between you and me. Ain't nobody else, except perhaps Dick in the privacy of our own house, out of the hearing of any little ears, gonna hear that from me. I will grit my teeth and this little one will get all the same encouragement from me as the kid who plays really well or the kid who can't run the length of the field.
The other coach is a type A personality. She comes to the field in soccer cleats, soccer shorts and a soccer jersey with a big ol whistle around her neck and a clipboard in her hands. I come to the field in sneakers and my favorite nike shirt - the one with a hole in it. I usually have forgotten to bring the whistle she gave me.
She's trying to teach these kids passing drills and shooting drills and breakaway drills. It bores them to total distraction to have to line up, dribble down to the other end of the field and wait until the rest of the line has done the same. Her coaching during a game isn't much better. Saying things like "this is our best line (when her girls are on the field) we're going to finally score" or rolling her eyes when an easy ball gets past the keeper.
My coaching consists of games like Gina's Island, where I make a circle out of pylons, and the kids, while kicking a ball around, explore the island. Then I say it gets hot and they have to run to "the beach". Then there are sharks so they have to run back onto the island again. (All, I might add, done in a very bad Mr. Rorke/Tattoo voice.)
My coaching during a game consists of clapping when the other team's keeper makes a good save. Hooting and hollering like heck when one of our girls gets a breakaway, and occasionally picking one child or another up physically, throwing her over my shoulder and moving her to another spot on the field. I am constantly (purposely) forgetting names, and the kids just lap it up. As soon as I get on the field I am pummled by little bodies. At the end of the game I have more children hanging off me than a dog has fleas. (Hmm... I wonder if any of the parents would consider that grounds for a lawsuit...)
I dunno what the whole purpose of this post was. Tooting my own horn maybe? Really, it's irrelevant as The Kid will be in the under 11 group next year and I suspect that most of those kids will have WAY more soccer skills than I do, and I'll just go back to being a soccer mom. Too bad, though. I really like it. And I think it likes me too.
I, along with another woman, coach The Crystals. A team of about 13 six and seven year olds.
The other woman is a "real coach". I, on the other hand, am a mom who has played soccer. (My motto - you can't complain if you're not willing to take somebody's place. However, if you take somebody's place before the need to complain starts you're laughin'!)
The girls on our team range from some really good soccer players to some really not so good soccer players. The good soccer players range from two girls who are hot shots and don't listen (coincidentially who also happen to be the other coach's daughters) to a really sweet kid who is really good and doesn't pout when she has to rotate to a crappy position. The not so good kids range from one sweetiepie who has no business being on a soccer field as all she really wants to do is sit in the middle of the field and pick clover (god love her) to one girl who all she does is whine that her tummy hurts or her leg hurts or she's hot or whatever, to one girl who's overweight and can't run to the other side of the field without being winded, but who tries harder than any of the other kids there.
And I love each and every one of them.
And it shows.
Today the other coach accused me of being "the fun one". She said (in that joking tone that you *know* really means that a person's ticked) that her girls like me better because I do fun things.
Yasee, my theory is this: These kids are six and seven years old. And most of them don't have a CLUE what soccer's all about. These kids need to enjoy getting out on a field, beating a ball around and working with other kids. They need to play games. They need to look forward to Tuesday and Thursday nights because it's fun. If they learn how to dribble a ball in the meantime, all the better. I joke with these kids. I make the keeper of the night show me their "monster face" to strike fear into the hearts of the other team. (Honestly, their monster faces all tend to be more silly than scary, so it's not really all that intimidating) I tease them and praise them. And they work for me. The overweight girl has gone from not being able to run half the lenght of the field to running the whole length because I told her that I knew she could. I wonder if anybody did that before. I wonder if anybody took the time to give that kid some confidence in herself.
The other coach can't stand that kid. Tonight, in disgust, she said that she was glad it was over. She'd worked as hard as she could with her, but she just couldn't even get her to even bend her knees. Yanno, it's my thought that an adult in a position of authority should NEVER dis a kid like that. It just isn't right.
On the other hand, don't get me wrong, I get frustrated with some of these kids too. There is the one kid that whines as soon as she hits the field until it's time to go home. Her tuuuuuuuummy hurts to run... she hasn't been the keeeeeeeeper yet... she's too scaaaaaaared to be the keeper and she doesn't waaaaaaant to... Yanno what? That kid drives me NUTS. But that's between you and me. Ain't nobody else, except perhaps Dick in the privacy of our own house, out of the hearing of any little ears, gonna hear that from me. I will grit my teeth and this little one will get all the same encouragement from me as the kid who plays really well or the kid who can't run the length of the field.
The other coach is a type A personality. She comes to the field in soccer cleats, soccer shorts and a soccer jersey with a big ol whistle around her neck and a clipboard in her hands. I come to the field in sneakers and my favorite nike shirt - the one with a hole in it. I usually have forgotten to bring the whistle she gave me.
She's trying to teach these kids passing drills and shooting drills and breakaway drills. It bores them to total distraction to have to line up, dribble down to the other end of the field and wait until the rest of the line has done the same. Her coaching during a game isn't much better. Saying things like "this is our best line (when her girls are on the field) we're going to finally score" or rolling her eyes when an easy ball gets past the keeper.
My coaching consists of games like Gina's Island, where I make a circle out of pylons, and the kids, while kicking a ball around, explore the island. Then I say it gets hot and they have to run to "the beach". Then there are sharks so they have to run back onto the island again. (All, I might add, done in a very bad Mr. Rorke/Tattoo voice.)
My coaching during a game consists of clapping when the other team's keeper makes a good save. Hooting and hollering like heck when one of our girls gets a breakaway, and occasionally picking one child or another up physically, throwing her over my shoulder and moving her to another spot on the field. I am constantly (purposely) forgetting names, and the kids just lap it up. As soon as I get on the field I am pummled by little bodies. At the end of the game I have more children hanging off me than a dog has fleas. (Hmm... I wonder if any of the parents would consider that grounds for a lawsuit...)
I dunno what the whole purpose of this post was. Tooting my own horn maybe? Really, it's irrelevant as The Kid will be in the under 11 group next year and I suspect that most of those kids will have WAY more soccer skills than I do, and I'll just go back to being a soccer mom. Too bad, though. I really like it. And I think it likes me too.
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no subject
Date: 2004-08-19 11:44 pm (UTC)Too many people teach skills, and not enough teach motivation.
You motivate those kids because you teach them that it can be fun, while the other mom totally kills any joy they might have in the game.
Life isn't supposed to be some set of grim tasks you have to grit your teeth and slog your way through, while being bored to tears at best.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-20 02:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-20 07:41 am (UTC)The other coach can't stand that kid. Tonight, in disgust, she said that she was glad it was over. She'd worked as hard as she could with her, but she just couldn't even get her to even bend her knees. Yanno, it's my thought that an adult in a position of authority should NEVER dis a kid like that. It just isn't right.
And if someone talked to her daughter like that because the girl wasn't as good at reading or math or science??? THen how would she feel.
David had a teacher who treated him that way. I made sure he knew that it was HER problem and not his.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-22 10:57 am (UTC)You made it FUN. It<s a game - it's supposed to be a good time. I'm gonna have a drink in your honour on Wednesday.