Tag: Coaching soccer

Life’s Little Moments

On Friday of last week, we had temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s. On Saturday, they were in the upper 30’s and low 40’s. There was also a lot of wind, so it felt colder than that. This was the first day of soccer for Andrew and me.

He was so excited that I was going to be coaching his team. There was another dad who volunteered, too. Neither of us know what we’re doing but we tried to keep it fun. We played red light green light (they kick the ball around fast/slow/stop), Simon says (Put your knee on the ball, kick a goal, etc…), soccer bowling (the have to knock down the cones with the ball), and “Ouch” (The kids job was to kick the ball at the coaches and when we got hit, we had to say “Ouch”).

It was so cold out, but the kids did a good job. We held their attention for almost the entire hour. Some kids were too cold and left, but that’s ok. Completely understandable.

Ella was there with us and she played all the games, too. She actually played more games than Andrew. Why? Because at some point he decided he was done.

When we got home, we had hot chocolate and relaxed. I made myself some coffee and Ella came up behind me and said, “Dad, look.”

She is such a sweetheart.

Saturday night was the Senior Prom for my second oldest. At one point he wasn’t going to go, but later decided to go. I asked him to send me a picture of him all dressed up. He looked great!

The first thing I noticed was the watch chain. He confirmed that it was indeed a pocket watch. I always wanted one to wear when I dressed up, but never got one.

Hard to believe he is in the final weeks of high school.

Sunday morning, I made some muffins for breakfast. I mixed up the muffins and placed them in the muffin tin to bake. After the timer went off, I pulled them out of the oven. When I looked in the oven, there was something melted on the rack.

It took me a second, but I realized what it was. My kids love playing with these magnatiles. If you look at the photo, you can see the magnets. They use them to build things.

Thank goodness the magnets, when it melted, stuck to the rack of the oven. Apparently, Andrew put the tiles in the drawer and when we put the tin away, didn’t see them. They were stuck to the bottom of the tin.

Monday it was beautiful. On the way home from school, I took the kids to get ice cream. We were the only ones there at 12 noon. It was nice to just hang out with them enjoying a treat.

To wrap up the week, I was able to get out and mow the lawn for the first time. There is always something about that first cut that makes me feel good.

Bring on Summer!!!

Friday Photo Flashback

Today’s photos are not only a flashback, but they tie into a current situation as well.

You may remember that last fall, Andrew was playing soccer. I say “playing soccer,” but it is more of a game oriented introduction to the game. There were days that he loved playing and days that he hated playing. Some drills were fun and some were not.

What I didn’t remember was that when the fall session was over, there was a spring session that went along with it. That session will begin this weekend.

Parents are expected to be out on the field with the little ones. Last year, we ran up and down the field cheering them on and helping them do the drills/games. Ella wasn’t signed up to play, but she joined it and played, too.

My wife was the one who got all the text messages about soccer. Last weekend, she says to me, “I guess they need a few more volunteers to help coach this session.” (Read that “Keith, I think you should help coach soccer this session.”) I do not know the first thing about soccer. Kick the ball in the net and don’t use your hands. That’s really all I know.

I purposely waited a couple days before calling to see if they still needed help. I hoped that they would tell me that they had all the folks they needed. Instead, I was greeted with “We are SO glad that you have volunteered to coach! We’ll get you set up with all the equipment you need and a coaches shirt. You will love it!”

I found out that before I could coach, I had to watch about 2 hours of videos. Some were on the beliefs of the league while another was on what to do and not do. Then there was a series of videos about concussions, how to recognize them, and what to do if a player has one. Then there was a series of videos about kids in sports and cardiac arrest. These videos were really thorough!

So, this weekend, I will venture out and do what I can to help the little soccer players. I have to meet someone extra early this weekend to get all I need. They have paired me up with another late to the coaching game coach. Hopefully, we will be able to get the job done.

I may have to stroll over to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book before the game …