Big Shot’s First Soccer Game

First of all…  why is this spring so much colder than this past winter?

It was a cold morning… and the coach’s wife was assuming is a major reason that half of Miles’ team didn’t show on Saturday.

There are 8 kids assigned to each team.  All 8 of the green gators, ranging in age from 3 to 5, were dressed and ready to play.  Only 4 kids decided to represent the Yellow Hornets –ALL of them 3 year olds!

It’s ok… Miles will take care of business, right? Take a look at the green team.  There is NOTHING to be afraid of!

Well, there was still one other issue.  The league plays 5 kids from each team at a time. The refs decided to let the yellow team play with the 4 kids they had while the green team got to play 5 kids.  Don’t get mad – this isn’t a competitive league (regardless of what Nate thinks!) and the point is to let the kids play and learn.  

Alright- Game on! Gooooooo, Hornets!

 

It took a couple passes up and down the field for the kids to learn to basics of what was going on. Practice the last two weeks only included a couple skill-based drills instead of game rules.

Miles wasted little time proving his competence: charging the person with the ball and taking control of the game.  I adore his competitive spirit!

The next thing we knew, Miles dribbled down the field with the ball, leaving the other kids in his dust.  He actually dribbled the ball faster than the other kids could run! What a little stud :) Daddy was proud!

And SCORE!!! Miles scored the first goal of the game! He (we) was so excited….

….until the 5yr old boy you see above (with the green shirt and black hoodie) scored a goal on the following drive down the field.

Miles actually dropped to his knees and started to cry…

Uh oh – did we forget to teach Miles how to be a good sport while teaching him how to be good at sports?

After a little sweet talk, Miles understood that the game wasn’t over – BUT his heart really wasn’t  in it anymore. Luckily, we have 6 more weeks to watch him develop!

Yeah… Yellow hornets!  What a tough, committed group of 3 year olds! The purple panthers have no idea who’s about to stomp on them next week, especially if our 5 year old shows up too!

So…. how do you celebrate a big score? Ba-da-ba-da-da……

He’s lovin’ it!

“We won the game….  but I was the STAR!”

A tough lesson about sportsmanship is easily softened with a couple french fries and ketchup!

Oh, and you know good sportsmanship will be discussed extensively this week.  Stay tuned for next week’s  game recap!

Posted in: Miles,Nathan,soccer