Jackson, on the other hand, loves anything and everything that involves balls and sticks - including soccer - and has been playing sports (from golf to basketball to baseball to football) with his Dad since he learned to walk. This is his mother talking, but the kid is athletic. He can throw a spiral, hit a golf ball, run faster than most his age and has pretty awesome hand-eye coordination. But we've never had him participate in any organized sports. We neglected to put him in soccer while living in Lawrence (see above). Tee Ball would have been an option this summer but since we were temporarily in Castle Rock, and somewhat unsure how long we would be there, we didn't pursue that either. Once we got settled in Fort Collins getting him enrolled in some sort of fall sports was a top priority.
After some research, we decided that the programs the Parks & Rec Department offered were probably not the best fit. They were mostly basic skills classes which we thought would be a little boring for Jack. He's still a bit young for any football or basketball leagues and with tee ball season behind us the only real option at Jacks' age, much to his father's chagrin, is soccer. Enter the Fort Collins Soccer Club.
I discovered FCSC less than 1 week before the season's first game. Based on the registration policies (teams are formed by geographic location on a first-come, first-served basis beginning in June and based on date and time of application, etc.) getting a spot less than a week before the season seemed like a long shot to say the least. I'm pretty sure that's why Drew went along with it and we agreed to give them a call. Long story short, while Jack's elementary school team was full there was one other team with a spot left (a private Catholic school in town) that happened to be using our neighborhood school as their practice facility. He was in!
Reluctantly, Drew agreed that it would be great for Jack (although I think he secretly hopes that after playing it for a bit Jack will decide it's not his favorite either) and that very day we hit up the sporting goods store to buy shin guards, socks and a soccer ball.
When Jackson learned we had found him a team he was absolutely overjoyed.
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| First Soccer Practice |
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| Warming Up |
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| Dribbling Drills |
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| Flirting? There's no flirting in soccer! |
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| Go team! |
And so it begins. Our calendar is now booked with soccer practice on Wednesdays and soccer games on Saturdays. Jackson absolutely loves it. He practices almost every night (at his own request) and despite knowing absolutely nothing about the game until last week, he's already getting the hang of it.
Drew and I laughed our way through the first game. I should have kept a tally of how many times a coach or parent yelled "Wrong way! Go the other way!" There was a giant stuffed unicorn (or as Drew thought, a giant My Little Pony) in one of the goals to help the kids remember which was theirs. There were snack breaks at halftime and following the game. And while we were chuckling at being called Team Giraffes, our opponent was Team Mickey Mouse Club. So there's that.
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| Pre-Game Warm Ups |
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| Game Time! |
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| Getting some pointers from Coach Chris. |
Who knows if Jack will stick with it or not, but for now it's fun for all of us.
Here's a video (from my phone - sorry for the poor quality) of the Giraffe's in action. And yes, that's Drew, Mr. Anti-Soccer himself, you hear cheering in the background!
2 comments:
For the record: I don't hate anything (my momma taught me that)with the exception of Missouri Tiger anything. I have a sincere dislike of soccer. Stick and ball sports are preferred especially with helmets. He's my son I will do anything for that dude, even attend a soccer game.
Love the team names! And at this age it is like herding cats. But so much fun! Enjoy it Drew this little soccer player may change your attitude about soccer! Have fun!
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