Soccer!

Soccer is here again. I have been a terribly neglectful mother the past few years when it comes to soccer, but I am here to report that I have mended my ways. I finally signed Ginger up to play again-- for the first time since kindergarten. She really loves it, so I'm glad to have her back into it.

Ginger's first game was last week, on the first day of school in fact. Quite a big day for her. The coach was out of town until the day before the game, so the team was unable to practice before playing. It was obvious that Ginger was excited, albeit a bit nervous having not played in so long.

Here she is at the start of the game, getting some instruction on her position from her coach:

As you can see, she took her coach's admonition to stay in her position very seriously.

Every time she came off the field, she would get a pep talk and a little more instruction from her coach (and just a tad from me) on how to play her position (okay, so maybe I told her several a few times that she shouldn't just stand in one place on the field... I may have hollered kindly reminded her once or twice from the sideline as well..) Then she would get distracted watching the spectators until it was time for her to go back in.

By the time the game was nearing its end, Ginger was doing a little better at understanding the idea of maintaining her position relative to where the ball and other players were on the field. Anyway, it all made her thirsty.

Ginger's coach seems great and obviously understands the game of soccer. He is patient, so I know Ginger will do well. Already, having had one practice since the first game, she seems to be more comfortable with what she needs to do on the field. I can't wait for the next game so I can holler at her from the sidelines cheer her on again!