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Our version of a weblog...
What's up with us? You name it and there's a good
chance we've got our toe in the water somehow. Stacy is back in school
somewhat in order to work toward a higher position in her career, Syd just
finished soccer and has just started gymnastics, Aidan's almost done with
preschool and Jake is busy writing.
Want more details? Below is a story we sent out to
some friends and family regarding the (almost) end of the recent soccer
season for Syd and Jake. Did it end there? Of course not!
We went on to the Area Tournament and took third there, narrowly missing out
on the sectional tournament. But, read on...
We've already had a lot of calls and emails asking what
happened in Syd's soccer league yesterday, so I thought I'd send you a
very longwinded update!
Most of you already know that I've been coaching Sydra's AYSO girls under
10 soccer team this season. We had a phenomenal year and finished out the
regular season undefeated and in first place going into the playoffs. Now,
for those of you that haven't had experience yet with kids' sports, I'm
here to tell you that it's downright brutal. About six weeks into the
season, we had other teams already circling their game against us on their
calendar. Other coaches and teams stopped talking to us. One team even
started a rumor that I had recruited an all-star from another region and
brought her into this league as a ringer. Fortunately, my girls were
completely unphased. Each and every week they went out and had a great
time and I can tell you all it's a beautiful thing to see when your girls
are actually smiling while they're playing.
Anyway, the playoffs started last weekend. We had a first round bye thanks
to our regular season record, so we didn't play until the second round. We
made it through that game 3-0 which sent us to the semifinals with three
other teams. For some crazy reason, AYSO decided that the semi-finals and
the finals would be played on the same day. So we played our first match
yesterday morning at 8am. It was a rough game and this team had some girls
on it that are as tall as I am! But my girls made it through the game and
when that final whistle blew, we were up 2-1. To show you how crazy some
of these other coaches are, the head coach of the other team immediately
tried to contest the game. She complained about the refs and some of the
calls. That didn't work, so, she took another route. Each team has to have
a Team Monitor--a parent that watches all the other parents and makes sure
that nobody goes nuts and by the way they have to wear this horrible,
bright orange safety vest. Well, our team monitor didn't have his vest
with him, so the other coach tried to contest saying that since the
monitor wasn't wearing a vest, we should lose a point and the game should
go into overtime. What? But wait, it gets worse. That coach is soon joined
by her assistant coach as well as many parents, including the coaches'
husband. They're rebuffed at every turn, but the coaches' husband gets so
upset, is yelling so much and getting so overheated that he starts to feel
faint and falls straight to the ground. The paramedics are called and the
poor man is carted off the field. The best thing about that entire
situation is that while all of this is going on, many of my girls
(including Syd) and many of the girls on the other team are all sitting
down together, talking, laughing, and watching the next game. The lesson?
The kids just want to have fun and this is much, much more important to
the people over 20.
Fast forward five hours. My girls are warming up for the Championship
game. Fortunately, the team we're playing against is one that really just
tries to have fun and the coach is a wonderfully positive person who cares
very much for his girls. Unfortunately, that team is a monster. They lost
one game all year and that was to us, so they're wanting to even things up
a bit. On top of that, their star player is downright amazing. She's good
friends with one of my players. practiced with us one night during the
season and is so good that she even made me look silly a couple times. The
game starts. The Chameleons (the other team) start incredibly strong and
work up a 2-0 lead within the first five minutes. My girls on the other
hand are in a daze for the first time all year. I quickly call them all
over, give them a pep talk and send them back out. Though we didn't score
that half, our defense (led by Syd!) starts to dominate and keeps the
Chameleons from scoring meaning we go into halftime down 2-0. The third
quarter starts and we begin to take over. We finally score our first goal
with a couple minutes left and the fourth quarter begins with the score
2-1. Our defense keeps the ball on their side of the field almost the
entire quarter and we score again to even it up 2-2. With minutes left to
go in the game, their star player gets the ball and starts to drive. Syd
gets her in her sights and heads straight for her. Keep in mind that Syd
is one of the youngest, smallest girls in the league. She and the girl
meet at midfield. She tries to juke Syd, but Sydra takes her down with an
amazing slidetackle and stops their last ditch effort. However, just
before that whistle blows one of our players gets tangled up and goes down
hard. Her knee is injured badly enough that I have to carry her off the
field. Now this girl is also one of our star goalies and knowing that we
are about to go into overtime, I start to get a little worried. The
whistle blows and into overtime we go.
At this level, overtime consists of two five-minute quarters. The ball
goes back and forth and some amazing goalie work by the other teams'
keeper keeps the score tied at 2-2. The girl that was injured just before
OT is named Drew. Drew told me during overtime that she wanted to go back
in. I checked with her dad and in she went in the second overtime period
to play goalie, limping all the way. The whistle blows again and overtime
is over. Parents are going absolutely crazy and I just know that more
paramedics may be called to the field! We're still tied and now it goes to
a shootout. Each team picks five players that will take penalty
kicks--whoever has the most goals after that wins it all. I pick my five,
Sydra among them of course. However, I leave Drew out of the top five for
fear that knee injury will keep her from kicking well. All five girls take
their shots for each team and believe it or not, we're still tied! At that
point, it goes to sudden death and the first team to make a penalty shot
after the other team misses will win. I have three girls left to choose
from, including Drew, and since Syd has already kicked she can't kick
again. Drew stops the other team's shot and quickly tells me that she
wants to take the next kick. Of course I'm ready to pass out from
nervousness, worry and sheer exhaustion, but I tell her OK and out she
goes. She lines up, stares down the goalie and takes her shot. The ball is
perfectly kicked and shoots over the line in the very corner of the goal.
We win. The parents rush the field. The girls jump and down, hugging each
other and me, screaming all the while. They take the 1st place trophy and
run a lap around the field.
It was the most beautiful, incredible, amazing bit of sports I've ever
personally witnessed though I probably am a bit biased. I'm so proud of my
girls, my star defender (Syd) especially. I could absolutely bust and I
feel no shame in telling you that after yesterday's drama, I was in bed
before 9pm and sound asleep with a huge smile on my face.
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