Spring Soccer 2011

Jack has fun when he plays soccer, but each week, it seems like he forgets that he had fun doing it. He grumbles about it while putting on his uniform. He talks about not wanting to play next year, which makes Pop Pop angry.

I guess, that when you come from a small town, sports are more important. Growing up there, I found that I was "nothing," unless of course I lettered in several different team sports and played first string in at least one of them.

I guess for me sports was an important thing, because not only did it give me the chance to gain respect from peers, but it also taught me some critical skills: 1) succeeding through specific intimidation tactics, 2) learning that winning is important, and you win at all costs, 3) understanding that you had a short time to completely beat your opponent into submission, so that they let their own discouragement defeat them.

Those skills were important for me to learn.

Each week, we arrive at the game. I tell Jack to do his best, because that is all that matters. He steps out of the car, sees his teammates. Then he begins playing, and all is forgotten.

By the end, Jack is content to be a member of a team. He tells me he had fun, and more importantly, he doesn't regret playing soccer.

I hope it stays that way. It's a great team sport, and it requires training and provides both confidence and agility. The latter two come later. At least that's how it worked for me.