Soccer... star?

The soccer season is over.

Here, let me say it again, in case you didn't hear me.

The SOCCER SEASON is OVER! OH-VUH!

All we have left is a little party tonight at a not so great pizza place.

I tell ya, I was looking forward to this being our last season of soccer for a while. With "a while" defined as "forever."

Last year was our first with soccer and after both fall and spring seasons, we were fairly convinced that it was not going to be her thing. You know how you get a feeling for if your kid has some natural ability with a particular activity or sport. Well, we didn't have that feeling about soccer for Sarah. So I had told her that she could play this fall then maybe we would try something else in the spring.

She was on a different team this year. When it came time to sign up for this fall, I asked her if she wanted to stay on the same team as last year or try a different team with a different coach. I honestly didn't know what she would say, but was actually a little glad when she said she wanted to go to a different team. Out of curiosity I asked her why. "So that I can meet some new people," was her response. Well, alright then.

So, instead of the Jets, she was on the Sabre Toothed Tigers. A friend of ours from church was the coach and his son, who is Sarah's age was on the team.

And you know how I said we thought soccer just wasn't her thing? Well, she came into her own this fall and began to show an aggressive side on the field. Especially as defender or goalie. Those are her favorite positions but her coach this fall found her to be versatile as a forward as well.



My dreams of no soccer in the spring are feeling a little dashed.

She also quite enjoyed the fact that she was the only girl on the team. This was a fact that she only realized after the first game and all the other parents called her by name as they were telling her "Good game." "How did you know my name?" she asked. One of them responded with, "Well, you are the only girl on the team, so it's pretty easy to remember your name."

From then on she never let us forget that, "Everybody knows my name because I'm the only girl on the team."

What a miss priss.

And with a name like the Sabre Toothed Tigers, clearly, when they played in the semi-finals of the tournament, they absolutely needed some tiger stripes. It's currently almost a week later and there are still traces of orange on her scalp from the orange hair spray.



Yes, you read that right. Her team was in the semi-finals. It was really quite shocking to the parents. This team may not have won a single game last year. But, they came together and did a great job this year.

Did I happen to mention that this semi-final game was at 9 o'clock am last Saturday morning? And did I mention that it was like 10 degrees out side? (Or maybe 50... but a wind chill of like 10)

I wore my ski jacket.

And cheered for my soccer star.

Because EVERYBODY knows her name.