Josh & Winter Soccer 2012

Josh is currently playing boys soccer again, for winter season. It’s his fifth season, and second indoor one. Like last winter, the various teams play in a gym at the local middle school. It’s a different dynamic to play indoors vs. on the grass. More confined, less out of bounds, and the ball moves faster. Also, less practice time — I have the feeling this is more about keeping fresh, and less about teaching fundamentals.

What am Inot happy about this winter?

  1. It’s a bit unstructured, if you ask me. There appears to be only four teams, so we’re playing the same teams every other week. While I’ve seen teams come in doing drills and looking better prepared, our kids just run around goofing off. No structure or teaching fundamentals. Unlike the summer or fall, there is no weeknight practice.
  2. Half of the kids on our team (and their parents) are no longer showing up on Saturdays for the games. For the past few weeks, we’ve been severely undermanned. While the other three teams have enough players for all positions and a healthy bench, we only have 4-5 kids showing up. Our kids, including Josh, are playing the entire time, and we have to continually ask the other team coach to let us borrow one of their players. Have these other parents paid registration money, and now given up, or changed their minds? It’s within their right, but with so many absentees, it’s become unfair to the kids who are still showing up to play and even win a game.
  3. For the first time in the past five seasons, Josh is on a team where the coach isn’t showing up anymore. I understand that it’s a volunteer position, but he hasn’t been letting all of the parents know what’s up. Josh and I arrive, and then I have to find out from a random parent that the coach has a conflict. Again, I understand things come up –Josh’s first coach last year suffered a heart attack, and his son had to fill in for the remained of the season. This time around, I’ve stepped in and been coaching with another parent for two games now.

I’m sorry, but between all of these problems, we’ve been at a disadvantage since January. Today, we won our first game. Josh and I were so happy, we rushed home to tell the girls, and we had ice cream for dessert.

Nums and I registered both kids for soccer in the spring, and I put myself down to be an assistant coach. I know very little about soccer, apart what I’ve learned from standing on the sidelines of games and practices in the past year. I’m a little nervous about being inept, but how hard could it be? Teach the fundamentals, schedule weekly practices, and encourage the kids. What better way to wade into it than being an assistant? However, with the way it’s been difficult to find parents who want to also volunteer their time, I’ve got a nagging fear that I’ll end up coaching by myself.

We’ll find out what happens, I guess.

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