Before we get to the game, I want to share a few pictures from yesterday's practice.
Caden smiling for the camera.
Finally she has a uniform! And it is huge even though it is an extra small. She says she is number for because she is 4 years old!
Caden and Rory chillin' before practice.
Jumping Jacks
"Painting" the ball
Okay, now lets talk about today's game. I am still trying not to be upset with the coach. She has told us many times about how much she knows about soccer, how long she has played, how she has become a certified coach, etc. but what has she taught the girls about soccer so far? Not enough going into the first game. I was so worried that they would not know what they were doing out there and I was right. It would not be as upsetting if the other team was as lost as ours. Our girls did not know ANY of the rules of the game. Shouldn't that be the first thing you learn? The other team's coach had to tell our girls what to do during the corner/goal kicks. I believe that the confusion is what led to most of the team crying at some point of the game. I was so proud of Caden though. She did not get upset or cry at all. She tried her best even though she was lost. Three or four of the girls (out of eight) refused to even play for different reasons.
Although the game was a mess, it was alot of fun too. Most of the confusion was funny like the time one of our girls scored for the other team. However, this embarrassed her greatly and she cried on the sidelines for the rest of the game. I am hoping that the coach has learned from this game and will start teaching more about how the game is played at practice. I really should give her a break since this is the first time for her to coach. Brent has asked me a couple of times if I am going to volunteer to be assistant coach. I hope I don't have to speak my mind. I will give the coach another chance. I think she is probably embarrassed that she did not think to teach the girls the basics.
I took a few pictures and some video. Enjoy!
Waiting for the game to start.
Trying to get a picture with her brother.
Hugging Daddy after the 1st quarter (they play 4 quarters at this age).
Jace and Grammy
Caden, Brent and Papaw
***Quick video warning - I sound like a crazy mom yelling at Caden, but she could not hear me at all or she was just ignoring me! I can't believe I sounded that bad. ***
Video 1: This is the first of only three goals that our team made. Caden did not get to score this time, but we have 7 more games to go. Oh and the other team scored 10-15 goals.
Video 2: This video shows Caden dribbling the ball down the field. Note how she smiles at the parents on the sidelines.
Video 3: Caden kicking a goal kick. You can see that the ref wanted to stop play because Caden did not wait until someone else touched the ball after she kicked it before she touched it again. At this time I think the ref was getting tired of stopping the game so she let it slide.
Video 4: This one is just an example of how many of our girls were at their breaking point. Rory was already crying because she was not getting to kick the ball so I suggested that she do the goal kick. Then Atleigh went ahead and kicked it. But I thought it would all work out fine when Rory got the ball and took off. Then she fell and refused to get back up.
Video 5: My sweet girl going over to comfort her teammate.
This is what happens when you tell Caden that you are supposed to use the inside of your foot to kick the ball. She was cracking me up. Finally the coach just told her to kick it like she was doing in the beginning. We will save that lesson for another day!
