Laurie Soccer Pictures

 Team Jones U5

Uncle David & Brian - Coaches

Fall 2010 Soccer 

Fall Soccer for Daniel

Daniel Fall 2010 Soccer

Team Okeke - U7 & U8 Boys

Why...

This is why Brian coaches Laurie's soccer team....

New Soccer Season

Soccer season has started!!  This Fall we once again have 2 soccer players, but it is Laurie and Daniel!

Daniel has moved up to U8 (U7 & U8 are combined) after a very successful Spring season.  They are on a much much larger field playing 7x7 with goalies,  2 practices a week of 90 min each and 12 minute quarters.  Thankfully, after this first month our coaches have dialed them back to 2 practices/week of 60 min each.  

Daniel loves this new challenge of big kid soccer.  Did I mention it is all boys?  So far, he is doing awesome rotating through different positions.  The only one he wasn't sure he liked was goalie.  It sure isn't fun when the other team scores with you in the goal-box. His favorite is of course Forward because he has the opportunity to score.   With 7 out of 12 players on the field at a time, each kid gets to play for a long time!  For the first time in 5 seasons Daniel is actually tired at the end of the games. 

With 2 games under their belts, the Dynamites are undefeated and looking forward to every game. We are looking forward to a strong soccer season for Daniel!

Our newest soccer player, Laurie, loves practicing with Cousin Alex and her Daddy and Uncle David as her coaches.  The team looked good until we were knee deep in the first game.  At U5, the kids play 3x3, no goalie with 8 min quarters on a little field.  Laurie started the 12:30 game hot and tired, but excited.  She scored 2 goals fairly quickly.  All too soon, everything went downhill for her and most of her team.  They ran out of steam and got tired of being pushed around by a little boy on the opposing team.  This kid wasn't pushing them while playing but coming up and pushing them down after the play was over.  By the end of the 3rd quarter, Laurie was hot, tired and crying.  She refused to go back in the game.  Poor Coaches, out of the 5 players for our team, they could only get 2 on the field to finish the game.  David managed to "encourage" Alex to continue with the promise of ice cream.  We got slaughtered.  

Thankfully, the next game was completely different.  The coaches instituted new drills at practice, including "Sharks and Minnows" to help the kids focus on their game. It was an 8:30 a.m. beautiful morning game.  Laurie was excited, aggressive and scored 6 goals.  Our little soccer monster was running with her hands and arms out to keep the other kids away from her, and keeping them from stealing her ball.  It was cute to see her get so aggressive and focused.

The only bad thing about having 2 kids playing soccer in a season is the overlap of games.  Brian and I each missed a great deal of one kid's game last weekend.  But they each had quite a cheering section with lots of family in attendance.  

Here's to a Great Soccer Season for the kids!

New Soccer Player

We have a new soccer player in our family - Laurie!  Even though she didn't quite make the age cut off (missed it by 7 days), she is allowed to play on the U5 (preschool) team as long as her Daddy coaches.  Not able to say no to his daughter, Brian agreed to coach Birdie's first soccer team with my brother, David.  Laurie & Alex are ecstatic to have each other on their soccer team.  

Coach David, Laurie & Alex

They had their first practice tonight.  Brian was unfortunately out of town on a business trip, but David ran a great practice for these excited munchkins.  They stretched, ran drills, took shots on the goal and even tried a scrimmage.  

Laurie was so very excited.  All day, she asked me if it was time for soccer practice yet. When she was scrimmaging, she would get so happy that when she kicked the ball, she would stop and cheer.  I cannot wait for her first game!

Action Shots

Just a few shots of Daniel in action from his last soccer game.

Soccer Season is Upon Us

It is time for Spring Soccer once again.  Daniel played in his first game of the season this weekend with mostly the same team from the Fall, plus a few new players.  

He had a great time out there on that field.  It's like he hadn't taken off the last 3 months at all.  But doesn't he look tons older in this picture?  He has grown up on me overnight. 

Right after half, a kid on the other team stepped on Daniel's fingers when Daniel fell down.  Thankfully nothing was broken!  (What can I say - I'm a little paranoid now after him breaking his elbow last year in soccer and Ashley breaking her ankle in the Fall.) While we were talking him into shaking it off, I told him what would really make him feel better would be to go out and score a goal on the other team.   I didn't think he heard me in between his tears, but what do you know... he went out and scored!  And then he scored again!  And again!  Three times in a row!  You've never seen a happier boy.  He was quite proud of himself. And no, he didn't mention the finger again.

Daniel ended the game with 5 goals in all.  It was a great game to start the season.  It's too bad that he must wait another 3 weeks for the next game after Spring Break.  But don't worry, I'm sure he will be ready to play.

Soccer Season Ending

Daniel finished up his Fall Soccer Season a week early due to our going to San Antonio this weekend.  At his game two weeks ago, the league should have closed the fields with all the rain we had that week, but they didn't.  So, the result was HUGE mud pits all over the fields.  The kids really liked getting all messy and yucky but the parents were all sitting there wondering how we were going to get them home in our semi-clean cars. 

We also had quite a problem with bees during that game.  They would land on people and buzz around the spectators the whole game.  Right before half time, Daniel was still standing on the field when one stung him on the thumb.  Wow, did it hurt!  He did quite a bit of screaming, but managed to play the rest of the game.

Brian and I have struggled this season helping Daniel stay motivated during his games.  When he is interested and wants to, the boy is fast and has great ball handling skills.  But, we've seen more times when he was just happy to be out there letting his teammates score and handle the ball.  (Yes, I am a crazy competitive soccer mom.  I can't help it.) 

At half time during his last game, Brian was attempting to give Daniel encouragement to go out there and shine for the final 20 minutes.  Off the cuff, he promised Daniel that if he scored 3 more goals, he could play Wii when we got home.  Would you believe the boy went out there and scored almost immediately?  While he didn't score 3 more times, he played HARD the rest of the game and made some impressive plays.  Let's just say, Mom and Dad sure learned a valuable lesson last Saturday about motivation.

We are very proud of Daniel this season as he continues to gain soccer skills and really enjoys playing on a team. 

Fall Soccer Season is Here

After sitting out the last few games of his Spring season with a broken elbow, Daniel is back on the soccer field scoring goals.  He lucked out and has the same coaches and a few players as last season.

Daniel is always entertaining to watch play soccer.  He seems to take special pleasure in outrunning any competitor, even if they're on his team. And boy, is that kid fast when he wants to turn it on.  Kicking his opponents ball away from his goal at the last minute is always one of his specialties that he loves.

Now that the weather has turned a little cooler, it is a great way to start our Saturdays.

The End of Things

Its that time of year...the end of many things.

It all started with Laurie's last day of Children's Day Out. After such a rough start to the school year last September, Laurie ended up loving her teachers and school. Of course, she didn't understand it was her last day for the Summer and has repeatedly asked when she goes back to school. Looking back at the pictures the teachers gave us of the year, it is hard to believe she's grown so much these last nine months.

That night, we had the official end of Daniel's soccer season. His unofficial end came when he broke his arm last month, but he continued to attend the games and cheer on his team. It all paid off when he got a look at his trophy during the team pizza party. He's all ready to get back to playing soccer this Summer once the cast comes off.

Daniel woke up the next day and went to his last day of school, properly called, "Fun Day." And it is a lot of FUN! The first time I saw what the preschool put on for the last day, I was stunned. It is amazing. Everywhere you look, there are more activites, parents to help and fun to be had. Its a blast. I was happy to be volunteering at Fun Day for the second year.

Daniel has made several good friends at preschool these last two years who will be accompanying him to our local Elementary school in the Fall. We are looking forward to seeing them at swim meets and at playdates this Summer. Daniel is extremely excited to be a KinderGator in 3 months and has even started reading a little. We have no doubt he will excel in Kindergarten the same way he does at everything else.

It was a great school year for the two kids, but they are very happy to be out for the Summer. Lots of lazy days, swimming and library trips to look forward to in the next few months.

Soccer!!!!

Daniel started his Spring Soccer season yesterday with a GREAT Game! First, our boy is the happiest kid in the world when he is on that field. He has stopped running with a big grin (now his tongue kinda sticks out), but the moment they stop running, he is smiling ear to ear. And second, he is really fast. I was really impressed that he could turn up the speed when I already thought he was going fast. As great as he did last season, we were surprised to see him exhibit new ball handling skills (for a 5 yr old) in this game. He managed to stop the ball with his body, stop and change the direction of the ball, and fight to keep the ball in bounds. What a great start to the season! Did I mention that he scored 7 goals?

End of Soccer Season

Yes, it's November, and that means Fall Soccer Season has come to a close. Yeah! Oops, did I say that outloud?

This was Daniel's rookie season and he did Awesome! Watching him play was fun and exciting, probably because the boy was really really happy out there playing. He scored anywhere from 2-7 times per game and found himself outrunning most of his teammates. Many times when he would score, he would turn around immediately and hold up fingers to show us how many goals he had that day. He honestly couldn't tell you if his team won or lost, just how he did that day. The best word to describe him playing was Joy. That what he felt and what he exudes on the field. We really can't wait for the boy to play again in the Spring, and neither can he.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Ashley. This was her 6th soccer season and probably her last. While she really liked practice, she has stopped enjoying playing the game. She had moments of greatness, but overall, it was a battle to get her dressed for a game every week. For us, it is sad. Ashley is not a bad player, she is fast and has good ball handling skills. For her, it is all in her head. No longer is she the standout player who scores 8 goals a game, now all the girls are good. Some are really good. Ashley just doesn't like it. She wants to be the best, the fastest, score the most goals. Its been a difficult adjustment for her to work her way through the middle of the pack. So, rather than fight it another season, she will move on to another sport or interest. She took tennis lessons last Summer, so maybe we'll go back to that. But swim team starts again in April, and she still has dance classes every week, so maybe we'll just enjoy one less practice a week to attend.

We have lots of great memories of Ashley playing these last 2 1/2 years. I can't wait to see what she wants to try next!

Soccer Boy!

Daniel had his first EVER soccer game last Saturday. Boy was he excited! He's watched Ashley play for years and begged to play himself. He finally got his turn. Wow, what a player.

4 year old soccer is very cute!

Before he started, he told me I had to video tape him scoring 10 times! He actually scored 7 times (and once in the wrong goal)! I did take lots of video and will hopefully upload it sometime soon to post. My problem is, I've got so many videos and they are all adorable, I can't choose just one or two to post.

Daniel seem to get the hang of it really quickly, scoring repeatedly on the other team. And getting quite aggressive with the ball. Brian and I were so very proud of him. It's hard to describe what it was like watching him play. Pure happiness and excitement on his face - and then he would score. Daniel would turn and look at us, jump up and down and scream, then give us a thumbs up sign. We were just so proud and excited for him. What a kid.

There are 6 boys on his team. At this age, in this league, the teams are co-ed, so we're not sure why there are only boys on the "yellow" team. They've yet to pick a team name, so for now, we yell "Go Yellow!" Not very catchy. Any suggestions for a team name?

For his first game, he had quite the cheering section - Mom & Dad, Sisters - Ashley & Laurie, GrandMommy & GrandDaddy, Uncle Ron and Papa. A great turnout to support our new player.

I hate to admit I was a little hoarse on Saturday evening. Having two games back to back does that to me. (Ashley's game started immediately after Daniel's on a different field). And I am one of those parents who gets into it. Brian sometimes has to elbow me to remind me they are little kids and to tone it down. Don't worry, I'm not going to be one of those parents who attacks the ref or anything. Or at least I don't think so.

Our games this weekend have been canceled due to Hurricane Ike. Hopefully, we won't have much damage or lose electricty for too long so we can practice and play another game this week.

Lightening Strikes!

Soccer Season has Started!

Ashley is back playing soccer with a new found passion. After 5 seasons, we had begun to wonder if she still had the motivation necessary to bring her all to each game. Last year specifically, was a struggle as she discovered the "social" aspects of playing soccer - classmates and friends on your team, and adjusted to playing on a co-ed team for the first time.

This Summer, when Ashley discovered that in this new age group, the team goes back to being all-girls, she really wanted to play again. We were reluctant after finding it difficult to motivate her to give it her all last year, but she has burst out of the gate with lots of fire.

The Lightening had a great showing at their first game this weekend, with Ashley showing us she remembers how to score those all important goals. (We believe her final count was 3). Her coach - which Ashley will be very quick to tell you is a GIRL! - is a former college player herself and has been doing a great job with the new team. They will be working on strategy, passing, and moving beyond basic "herd ball" (which we fondly remember from years past). At U7, they play 4x4 with no goalies on a slightly larger field than before.

Watching them play, I suddenly realized, these aren't little girls any more. Some exhibit real ball control skills and speed. And, they appeared to work more as a team, rather than one dominate player who consistently breaks out from the pack to repeatedly score.

**She is #3 again this year in the above pictures**

We are only one game in, but it looks to be an exciting year for Ashley & the Lightening.

Soccer Season

Ashley started her new soccer season a couple weeks ago. At this weekend's game, she scored a great goal, getting past three defenders by herself. It was exciting.

Fall Soccer Pictures

Here are Ashley & Brian's Fall soccer pictures.

They turned out GREAT!

Our Soccer Star

With Ashley's Fall soccer season almost over, I finally managed to get her scoring a goal on video. It was a great score.

She and the rest of the Cheetah's played really well this weekend. After talking about how she isn't that fast, Ashley managed to outrun some of the other teams fastest players to steal the ball. Talk about excited. I did miss getting video of a her beating a girl down the field to block the score at the last minute. It was great - everyone cheered for her.

She is doing so well. I hate to see the season come to a close. Only 3 games left!

Course, I think we might have a few more soccer players in the family.

Soccer Star & Ballerina

Last Saturday, Ashley played her last soccer game of the season and had her first Ballet Recital.

It was Ashley's best game! She was aggressive with the ball, had several shots on goal and scored once. It was too bad she had to leave at halftime for the dance recital. Or, maybe she played so well because she knew she was only playing half the game? At half, we rushed over to the Performing Arts Center for her stage call.

I got her dressed, did her makeup and then had to leave her backstage to go sit in the audience. She was very happy to sit and color with the other girls while they waiting their turn, but I was very hesitant to leave her back there. It's like I wanted to experience the excitement with her or at least see her experience it.

Even though her dance was only 2 minutes long, she was beautiful! I have to say that I teared up watching her. Thoughts of my own dance recitals as a child played through my mind as I watched her - hoping she would love performing as much as I did growing up. We were all so proud of her.

If you weren't able to come to the recital, expect an invitation this summer for our DVD viewing party. Ashley has announced she will wear her costume for you and perform it all over again.

Our Soccer Star

Ashley shone like a star at her 3rd game of the season on Saturday. Maybe it was because her Daddy was subbing for the coach, because it was such a beautiful day or because she had a great fan club in attendance. Whatever the reason, she scored two goals and really got aggressive with the ball during the second half. It was very exciting and we couldn't have been more proud. It has been tough for her this season. Last Fall, she dominated the field, playing with and against girls much smaller than herself. This Spring, they asked her to play up, to leave PreK soccer and play in the Kindergarten league. We were excited for her, but it has been tough. Suddenly, the girls she is playing with and against are mostly her size and speed. She has met the challenge and is exceeding our expectations. We still have several games left and are excited for her! Go Cheetahs & Go Ashley!!!