On Saturday I went to Ashlynn's second soccer practice/ scrimmage. (Eric went the week before, so you know this Saturday was much better documented. : ) )
After a little pep talk, the girls were sent off to various mini-fields to practice dribbling and shooting. In U5, there aren't really "coaches", so the parents pretty much take their kids through the practice. Ashlynn and I had fun together. I dribbled the ball and she tried to take it away and then dribble away from me. This was a good thing to practice because she's not very aggressive.
Taking a break. (The weather was in the 80s and soccer runs an hour and a half.)
Later, the girls on each field had a scrimmage. It was a "game" in the loosest possible way. The parents kind of looked at each other and then said, "Uh, how about you girls try to kick the ball into that goal and you girls into the other goal." Someone threw out a ball and then we yelled and cheered for a while.
The hardest part of the scrimmage was that unlike the other fields that were 5 on 5 games, Ashlynn's was just 3 on 3. Now, at first that might sound great, but really, it wasn't. Fewer kids meant fewer parents to stand along the edge of the field and keep the swarm (girls around the ball) from traveling into every other field. The "swarm" frequently chased the ball as many as 50 feet away from their actual field. Then, when one of the girls on Ashlynn's "team" decided to sit down with her mom in the shade after playing for 5 minutes of the 30+ minute scrimmage (and never came back in to play), it became 2 on 3. (Don't get me started on that!) And, when the other girl on Ashlynn's team got injured twice, it was Ashlynn against 3. You get the idea. As a parent, it was painful to watch.Nevertheless, I think she had fun, which is the important part. Plus, I was really proud that she played the whole "game".
The photos just above and below more accurately reflect what Ashlynn did during the scrimmage. Apparently, Ashlynn thinks it is "rude" to take the ball away from the person who is possessing it, so she just ran along with the group.
Ashlynn's old preschool buddies, Rebecca and Lauren, are also playing AYSO!
Yes, I am now a soccer mom. (But, I still have no desire to drive a mini-van.)
1 comment:
Great start! Even though you write about it being pretty informal and loose, the pictures look quite legitimate! Next year I'll be more on the ball and get Julianna onto a soccer team out here. Hope she's not too far behind after missing this year!
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