The Soccer Series - Part I

The First Practice

Thirteen 5 and 6 year old children signed up for Whistle Soccer. They came to their first ever soccer practice adorned with little soccer cleats, shin guards and no knowledge of the game itself. The coach, a wonderful man, gathered the children around him and said, "Welcome to your first soccer practice. When I blow the whistle the first thing I want you to do is run around the soccer field, run in circles around each other until I blow the whistle again." Now imagine this scene - 13 kids running around each other on a soccer field - it still plays like a video in my head. This is what it was like. It was a beautiful and clear, sunny day. Some kids ran, screaming, around and around in circles. Some kids stood quietly at the edge of the field. One kid stopped to look for 4-leaf clovers in a clover patch. One little boy accused a little girl of punching him. One girl got stepped on and an other got kicked. One kid ran out of bounds, right to his very anxious mother. One kid needed to stop to get a "puff" on his inhaler. One MOTHER ran on the field to run along side her daughter. One kid stood in the goalie's net. Someone got stung by a bee. Someone's dog barked and growled and lunged at passing children. And then the coach blew his whistle. He said, "This is what a soccer game is like, only thing is, in a game there is a soccer ball on the field." And so began our 6 years of watching (and coaching) our children play soccer. In case you're wondering, my daughter is the one who got stepped on . . .