The Soccer Coach

What the heck was I thinking?

Oh sure I'll be Carters soccer coach, how hard could it be?

First we had to get the little issue of the weather out if the way. We just can't seem to shake winter, it's like a bad cold that just lingers. You think you are out if the woods and then the cough comes back and by cough I mean snow. I have been trying to have a practice for over two weeks now but mother nature has been rearing her big fat ugly head. So going into today's opening day I had met my team once for a total of 15 minutes to hand out their uniforms.

I have no coaching experience but I am not sure you need much in a situation like this. From what I've read about coaching four year olds it's pretty simple, point them in the right direction and watch out. The game started out 5 on 5 but that quickly morphed into 1 on 9 and 4 on 3 as some kids went off to visit their parents, blow their nose, get something to eat, or as Carter liked to do just stand there and do nothing. It's easy to tell the kids which way go and what lines to stay in but to have them actually do well that's another story. Kids were running everywhere. It was like a scene out of Pamplona minus the bull.

It was nice to know that I was not alone in this as the other teams coach was ready to give up after 20 minutes, as she was holding the hands of half her team most of the time. At least she had some of the kids corralled. Me, well I wish I had a lasso. It would have been much easier than chasing kids away from the concession stand.  The 40 minute game turned into about 25 minutes as we ran out of players.  It seems they all were getting hungry or just completely lost interest.  That was certainly fine by me.

I still don't know who half the kids on the team are. Thank God they had numbers on their back. That I am sure will come with time as will the kids ability to listen and understand, I would hope anyway. We do have 10 more games, so hopefully they will get it by June. We have 10 more games?

Yikes! What the heck was I thinking?

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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