Scott’s First Soccer Game

We were well prepared for Soccer Day One, but I was still surprised by a few things.

PREPARATION:

The point of all this preparation was to give Scott a positive first experience on the field (ie: minimize the number of meltdowns), so that he would be excited to come back each week and participate. He loves to do active things (especially play with sports equipment), but we worried how well he would deal with the competitive aspect.

Gear: We bought Scott some cleats and shin pads from the local soccer store almost 2 months in advance so that he could try them on and get excited about using them. We also got him a real ball on his birthday weekend and two pop-up nets to play at home.

Rules: A few weeks ago I briefed Scott on the basics of the game, things like, "you can’t use your hands unless you are the goalie," or "once you score you let the other team have the ball."

Competition: We have continuously reminded Scott that the other players in his game will not share the ball with him or just do what he tells them. We have tried to make it abundantly clear that the only way to get the ball will be to chase it relentlessly, rather than crying in protest.

Practice: We have been playing soccer in the basement all through the winter. Scott’s goal has been the patio door and I have defended the loveseat. Because I am quite familiar with his stance on losing, I ease off enough for him to score plenty, while still encouraging him to chase the ball whenever he kicks it.

Directions: I looked at the schedules and maps that I was given, and even went online to see a street view of the park in the neighbouring community where the games would be held. The area looked like a quiet, near-desolate corner of suburbia, complete with brown grass and overcast skies.


THE BIG DAY



Masses: The fields looked just like the view I had seen online; however, the brown, mushy grass, was now teeming with hundreds of people and the street was choked with minivans/SUVs. It was the way I imagine Woodstock would be if it were recreated for parents and pre-schoolers (plus oversize jerseys). The tent-like pop-up goals added to the outdoor festival feel -- as did the actual tent that one family set up at the midfield line.



Uniforms: Scott picked jersey number 3. The shirts were XS size, but Scott’s lime green jersey almost covered his his knees and his shoulder was nearly poking out the neck-hole. The socks were essentially leggings, and their bulk made the cleats more challenging to put on.



Meltdowns: There were only three meltdowns while we were there, and none for reasons we would have predicted:
1) While I was jamming Scott’s heavily padded foot into his cleats, he noticed a very large, black dog sitting several paces away and started to panic, even though the dog was clearly on a leash. In the context of Scott's historical fear of dogs, I imagine he felt about how I would feel if I was tying my shoe and looked up to see a grizzly bear sitting nearby -- the leash wouldn't be the focus of my gaze either.
2) There was a brief snack break between the short practice and the start of the 25-minute game. Scott tried to find some sort of order or queue for the treats and came away in tears because he kept getting passed over for a rice krispy treat and a drink box when other kids stepped forward.
3) In his first shift on the field he got bonked in the nose by an arm and cried for a bit. I imagine it truly did hurt some, but I don't think it was any worse than the huge wipeouts that were taking place in the wake of the ball, as the swarming kids kept stepping on each other's heels.



Practice: Since it took a bit to get the uniforms sorted out at the beginning, the abbreviated practice consisted mainly of standing in a line, waiting to take a shot at the goal. The players seemed to be easily categorized as follows: A) those who kicked the ball with their feet; and B) those who just used their hands. The coaches worked ardently to convert the latter group to kicking (Scott was already a devout foot-kicker).



Strategy: Scott was very focused on the ball during the game, which did not surprise me. Although he watched the ball closely, he often followed the pack at a safe distance, or looped around the longer, safer way to get to the ball. For this reason, he didn’t fall down at all, but he also didn’t get as many touches as the 2 or 3 more aggressive players who were right in the thick of it. If the ball happened to squirt out to the side where Scott was making his loop, he was in perfect position for a kick, but if it went the other way, he ended up at the back of the pack again.



Touches: Scott managed to get his foot on the ball a number of times, one time booting it more than half the length of the field. Direction seemed a bit arbitrary at first. After his first shift I asked him if he knew which goal he was supposed to score on. He said no. After we cleared that up, we saw an immediate difference in his play.



Scoring: Scott says that he scored two times. I saw one that looked like a goal, but nobody cheered or anything, but I guess we’ll take Scott’s word on it (I looked at the video above again and I think an adult picked it out of the goal before anyone but Scott really realized it). I think the other one he would perhaps qualify for an assist, since someone else actually kicked it in.

EPILOGUE



Scott said he had a great time and wished he could stay and play some more. In fact, he was quite sad to leave (thus the sad face in the photo). When we got home Scott and I had one last game up to 10 before he went off to bed for the night …still wearing his new soccer uniform.