Soccer has begun!

I'm sure that many of you remember the Soccer fun from last summer!
For a 3 year old, Miles was actually pretty good. He was a lot more aggressive that we thought he would be.   It was his first experience of a team sport with peers and he really liked it.

So - fast forward to 2013.  Miles is now 4 and considers himself a master of all sports! When we asked him if he wanted to play soccer again this spring, he screamed 'YES' and noted how 'pumped up' he was for the season to begin! He still remembers last season fondly and often assures us that he is going to be even more aggressive this year. Personally, I'm not that worried about his ability to play aggressive.  I'm hoping he spends a little extra time practicing ball control and aim.

Only time will tell, right?
This year, Miles is on the Orange Iguanas!

Game 1 was April 27th.

He was ready to go! Running all over the field, unafraid of people in his way, and a decent ability to run down the field.

Because Nate makes a big deal over goals scored by Miles, we keep count.  Miles would tell you that he scored 2 goals in his first game, but those of us watching would count them a little differently.

Miles ran into a pack of kids huddled around the ball in the middle of the field and came out the other side right away. He dribbled the ball down the edge of the field toward his goal, and began to turn in towards the goal to score.  His dribble got a little ahead of him and his teammate nudged the ball into the goal for the score.  Miles had a strong assist - technically no goal.  I was impressed.

Miles made several other shots at the goal throughout the game.  Miles thought that one of them went in.  He had a kick straight on that actually left the ground a little and looked to be an easy score.  Unfortunately, right after making the shot, Miles tripped and missed the end of the play.  A kid crossed in front of the goal and blocked the shot.  Miles stood up and ran to the center of the field celebrating as if he had scored.  He was so proud and I didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

Miles still got McDonald's for scoring a goal(s).

Game 2 was missed due to travel.

Game 3 was May 11th.
Miles played very well again, however I forgot to take any pictures.
He was fast and tough.  He scored one goal - FOR REAL this time!
He was rather proud of himself. Nathan was beaming and treated Miles to a vanilla shake with a cherry on top from McDonald's immediately following the game.

I'm beginning to think a trip to McD's is going to happen more often now that Miles understands the fundamentals a little better.

Game 4 (this coming weekend) will be missed due to a baseball conflict - stay tuned for details on that!

The soccer season continues through June 15th.

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Posted in: Chicago,Miles,soccer

Soccer Season Finale

My original plan was to give you game highlights from each game this season. I found out quickly that each game was a whole lot of the same. Adorable, but the same.

Miles really shined during his first game. It was the only game where the 6 year old on his team wasn’t there and Miles scored a goal!  Every game that followed, Miles remained fairly aggressive and could take the ball away from the other team, but the 6 year old was always right there to take over.  We were happy to watch him improve in the last 8 weeks.

Here are a couple action shots:

 

And finally…. a nice team shot!

GREAT season, Yellow Hornets!

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Posted in: Miles,soccer

Soccer game #3 and #4 recap

I was going to try and give you lots of details about the games, but honestly, it’s a lot more of the same.  Miles confidence is getting better,  but no big scores in either game.

I’ve noticed that Miles plays a little less aggressively when the game is indoor. Luckily, this weekend’s weather is supposed to be incredible! I REALLY hope to get better photos.

So for now… this is all I’ve got. Enjoy!

Game 3 was outside… but wet and cold!

Game 4 was raining and super cold… so the game was moved to the field house again.

I didn’t snap many photos since I spent too much time trying to capture action by video.  As is my luck, not much happened while I was recording, but I’m hoping it helps you all feel as though you were right there with us!

 

Want to know how excited we are about decent weather for the weekend?

THIS excited!

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Posted in: Chicago,Miles,soccer

Game #2

This Saturday was Miles’ 2nd soccer game.

It had rained all night long, so the field was a swamp on Saturday morning. The winds were high and the temps were in the low 40’s.   Needless to say, we were delighted to find out the the game had been moved into the field house!

Time to get warmed up!

And…. 4 of the 5 in the starting lineup.

 

Waiting for kick-off!

 

A few more action shots…… (BTW: these are hard pictures to take!)

   

   

Summarizing the game:

Miles did MUCH better this week,  which was necessary considering the team we played. The purple team was amazing!  They had two little boys with no fear and great aim.  As for Miles’ team, all the rest of the kids showed up this week.  He had to fight for a turn with the ball, and had to combat to confused ones to secure any shot at the goal.  One kid on Miles’ team actually goal tended for the purple team.  Whenever yellow would get the ball near the other teams goal, this kid would take his turn to kick, but continually booted it the wrong way. Another kid scored two goals for the purple team! I’m glad this isn’t a competitive league… way too frustrating! 

Oh well…  hopefully the team will clear up some of it’s confusion before next week. Miles didn’t get to score at all, but left in a great mood and said that he was “all pumped up for the red team next week!” He’s having fun and learning how to act during team sports.  I’m loving sitting on the sidelines… cheering while Miles develops!

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Posted in: Chicago,Miles,soccer

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!

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Posted in: Miles,Nathan,soccer

The Next Soccer Practice

Below are the pictures from the second week of soccer practice.

We got there a little early, so Nate and Miles started immediately with their own warm-ups and drills.

Wow… warming up didn’t take long at all! I can’t believe the improvement Miles has made with his dribbling skills in just one week!!

 

He’s able to change directions AND he’s gotten a little faster with his ball handling.  Now, we really need to get him to practice shooting at the goal.

 

After practice, the kids got their shirts. As mentioned previously, Miles is on the Yellow Hornets. Unfortunately the smallest shirt size available was a boys size S.  Miles wears an XS. I’ve been debating on trying to cut and paste the shirt back together to help it fit a little better.  However, Miles is one of the biggest kids on the team.  The whole team has the same problem.  We’ll just wait and see what the other kids look like on Saturday.

 

Let’s go Hornets!  Beat the Green Gators!

This is starting to look so real.  Miles is really playing organized sports at 3 years old! 

Here’s to getting college scholarships!!

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Posted in: Miles,Nathan,soccer

Miles’ first Soccer Practice

Yes…. Miles has officially started his first organized sport: SOCCER!

Though this week’s favorite sport seems to be baseball, soccer was the obvious choice for Miles to learn how to be a team player.  Athletic fundamentals never seem to be an issue for him, but paying attention to his coach and sharing the spotlight have proven difficult.

The league started last Saturday (the day before Easter). He has 2 Saturday morning practices, and then 7 games.   His team… the Yellow hornets! 

Here he is dressing up for practice.  If you know Miles well at all, you understand how important his attire is for EACH and EVERY sport he plays! Check: Soccer shorts, sweatband, fast shirt, fast shoes, shin guards and soccer socks!!

At the field, Miles met new friends and his coach.  He ran a couple of drills and proved himself keeping up with the 5 year olds just fine.

After they warmed up,  Miles kept shouting, “I’m so pumped up! Let’s do this!” Ha – where does he get this stuff?

He was quick to make friends and talked their little ears off. He loves to show off what he knows and who he knows.    He’s also a great helper, trying to teach others his athletic wisdom :)

After practice, Nate and I took Miles to an open field, used sticks to set up a goal and practiced the drills run during practice. He’s a quick learner and a show off!

 

Next practice is when we get the shirts! 

Go Yellow Hornets!!

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Posted in: Miles,soccer,Video