Fierce on the Field

I'm behind on writing. There's been so much going on and not enough time to cover it all; so I'm backtracking. For the last few months, we've been shuttling back and forth between soccer practices and soccer games. Josh (Bear as we call him) loves the game. The season started off typically, a groups of kids who had never played together just trying to hold things together. As the season progressed, they beat a team that hadn't lost a game in three years. And by last weekend, they found themselves in the playoffs.


How is that possible? We can thank two men for this experience. Coach Long and Coach Schaffer taught these kids about more than moving a ball down field. They taught them to work together, to encourage one another, and to enjoy the game.

On a typical Saturday at Trotter's Park, the shrill voices of frustrated coaches and defeated crying players can be heard across the fields. If you heard Coach Long or Coach Schaffer's raised voices from the side of the field, it was to shout encouragement. If you saw them run out onto the practice field, it was to join in an impromptu free for all. Their attitudes were reflected in the kids understanding of who they were as a team: individuals of integrity joined to strengthen one another. A powerful lesson that they will carry into more competitive arenas.

They fought their way through the playoff game and came out in second place. They were disappointed, but the core of what their coaches had taught them throughout the season stuck. Instead of the typical melodramatic meltdown of collapsing to the ground, they rushed to Mrs Long who offered Powerades and Pixie Sticks. Now that's the ending to a good season!