Oliver has finished his first soccer season and it was another reminder of how quickly my little ones are growing. It's inevitable, I get that, but sometimes I want it to slow down just a little bit or at least grant me more hours. I know there are days when I want the days to pass more quickly but when I reflect back in my day sometimes I wish I wasn't so quick to declare bedtime. Anyhow, back to soccer. It was a co-ed team and Oliver got to have cousin Will on the team. Oliver could be a little shy and timid so having a buddy helped him ease in to it. The soccer season was six weeks long with two games a week the last half of the season. In the beginning they were practicing their dribbles and it's quite entertaining to watch 6-7 year old tackle foot-eye coordination. Some were better than others but I loved that the number one rule was to have fun. The soccer games were exhilarating. The Beck crowd was loud and proud and I am proud to say were able to withhold sideline coaching. We cheered as they attempted to score goals and applauded the rare passes. At this point kids tend to huddle around the ball and follow it around the field and occasionally, with some coaching, spread out and actually pass the ball. Oliver enjoyed it and Madeline says she'd like to try it when she's five. We had fun supporting him. At the end of the season they all got a medal and had a parent versus kids exhibition match. Kids had some snazzy moves they pulled on the old fogies and showed them a thing or too. It's a lot easier to coach on the sidelines than actually doing it. HA!
Oliver said that his favorite part of soccer was blocking the ball from a kid that was bigger than him or just saving the ball from a goal (there were no goalies). He wasn't the fastest or very coordinated but he had a smile on his face (most of the time) and had a blast with his teammates. He's an awkward kid but he's kind and awesome and definitely follows the beat to his own drum. He has to add his own flair to everything he does. He can't simply do something, he has to dance, screech, or sing some backstory song to his life. It's not always amusing but its him and I love every bit of his weirdness.
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| Right before they whooped the adults. |
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| Oliver's first day of soccer practice. He's in the bright orange shorts. |
