Soccer Season is Over!

Tigers 2012-2013

Samantha, Shilynn, Ella, Jamel, Makenna

 

We wrapped up Ella's first season of soccer this past weekend.  I realized as I was typing this it must seem really weird to all of our Utah friends who's seasons are just getting started, but that is the beautiful thing about Albuquerque weather! 

I was suckered into being the team coach, which was particularly difficult most weeks when I had all 3 girls, no Brad, and had to run practice for 45 minutes followed by a 30 minute game.  I'll be honest, a lot of weeks I struggled.  But Ella enjoyed having me as the coach, the girls are young enough that it didn't really matter to them if I had to hold a cranky toddler while coaching, and we made it through so I guess all is well that ends well, right?

It was fun watching Ella play in her first competitive sport this year.  She was always active and involved from the start, but it was hard to get this girl to realize that it was okay to take the ball from someone else.  She is not at all agressive and I could see her battling wanting to be nice and listening to us when we tell her to take the ball away.  She improved a lot throughout the season and by the end she became a pretty good little defender and was okay stopping the other team and knocking the ball away. . .however she still wouldn't really take it for herself!  She was so proud though to tell her Daddy that in the last game of the season (he wasn't able to come) she "saved the day" (I think one of the other parents told her this) by stopping the other team from making a goal at the very end and preserving our win.

She wants to play again next year and so does Maggie, so it looks like we will be having double the fun come this fall!