Soccer Season

My husband and I signed up for a local, 30 and over, co-ed soccer league that plays on Sunday evenings. We started our own team of soccer misfits, which consisted of soccer newbies, coach potatoes, and former recreational soccer stars. Most of the team had never met until literally minutes before our first game, and some of our key players weren’t able to make it. On the way to the game, my husband warned me that this new league would be harder than the scrimmages I’d played. I couldn’t see how. I was pretty confident in my ability to defend, and I thought, maybe he's just never really seen me play. The Kung Fu Panda in me wants to win the Championships this season, so I was very hopeful.

We ended up losing 0 to 12+. We played against one of the better teams that have been playing for 2 years. Individually, they weren't that fast, but they knew how to play as a team. They kicked the ball long and high, and took shots from afar, which made it feel more like a volleyball game. I played defense and managed to block a player or two, but there were too many. Five of them would push forward every time to try to set up for a goal. My team was scattered, we hadn’t held on to our positions. It often felt like there was more than one ball on the field. Fortunately, they over-kicked most of the time, missing most of their intended goals. I was having a relapse of the game in my dream that night and when I woke-up, I was relieved I’d be going to work. Sounds like fun? It was! I wouldn't change my team. We have a lot of heart and potential. We played our hearts out, well for a little while; then we had to take a breather. Our victory was just getting out there to play.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been schooled in what I don’t know. The last time, was over a decade ago, when I was first getting into the web world. I'd entered a new job and a new coworker made it a point of showing me what I didn't know. A few years later when she was leaving for another job, she said, "Good job in hanging in there, I wouldn't have." I needed a job and I wanted to learn so I held on.

Playing soccer on a warm Sunday evening was very nice. There were families out watching, and it was a great way to wrap up the weekend. I’m looking forward to a season of soccer schooling, and of learning to play with my team. My boys are playing soccer in their age divisions as well, so it's going to get busy, but I'm looking forward to it.