This is a story about soccer. First off, I am NOT a soccer mom. I just happen to have a kid that plays soccer (ok, well, plays might be too strong a term) is on a soccer team. Now, I never really liked soccer, if only because I grew up a white kid in the rural Midwest in the 80s. We played baseball and softball. In the middle of the day, the middle of the summer, all summer long. Flashback to 1984: we play a game or two of soccer in PE, and that’s the extent of my soccer playing career. Flashback to 1996: the US women’s soccer team takes the Olympic gold medal. A huge day in woman’s sports! These women really made an impression on millions of young (and old) girls and totally strengthened the visibility and viability of female sports in this country. Flashback to 2002: I watch Bend It Like Beckham. Hey! Soccer looks kinda cool. Present day: soccer is everywhere. Our formerly soccerless community kinda likes soccer around here. We have our own county league, and the high school has a soccer team! Girls and boys compete on the same teams. Girls kicking boys’ asses! Seriously, if this had been available when I was a kid, you better believe I would have been all over kicking boys’ asses!
In our county league, a kid can play soccer at the tender age of 3…and therein lies the problem. Three-year-olds are not, in general, very interested in, or very good at, competitive sports. Neither is my 4-year-old. You see, I am what you might call old school when it comes to sports. Winners are winners and losers are losers. You don’t get a trophy for last place. You play to win. You don’t stand around, twirl your hair, and look at the ground. You don’t play a sport UNLESS YOU WANT TO. I cannot bear to watch my kid stand around, twirl her hair, and look at the ground. What have I done? Three is too young. Four is too young. Five? Probably too young. So, chalk this one up to lesson learned. Next year, we’re playing T-ball!!
Hello, Ground.
;
April 22nd, 2012 at 2:28 pm
They can start riding at four and ballett is too cute at that age (both things my niece did much to my enjoyment)
April 23rd, 2012 at 12:27 pm
Oh yeah! And guitar, tumbling and art. I think she would really enjoy dancing. I was always very athletic; just have to remember she may not like sports as much as I did. Of course there are way more choices than there were when I was little.
April 23rd, 2012 at 4:31 pm
I know … we didn’t have as big a selection, hope you find something you both enjoy
May 1st, 2012 at 10:57 pm
I always thought of soccer as a girl’s sport. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just that girls are more athletic with their legs. Physiologically, most of the girl’s power is in their legs for running and jumping, stuff like that. Boys are stronger, but the low center of gravity that girls have suits them to soccer better. Also, for me soccer allows a tie between teams. Which is I think is more amicable for girls to have than boys. When I was a kid in little league, all I wanted to do was beat the shit out of the other team, screw sportsmanship.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to see my girls head into soccer. It looks like fun.
May 9th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Kevin, you’re right. However, the key to any sport is harnessing/harvesting momentum, which, yes, comes from the lower body in women, to make it work for other things, such as throwing (or punching, if you will), therefore, applying that lower body strength to other sports such as baseball, volleyball, tennis, golf, etc. Arm strength is what you make of it, to an extent. I was always very good at throwing hard and long, and serving (in volleyball) and this came from my fat ass (lol). I never really had a thought (a first or a second thought) about soccer, at all, nor did I really run and jump, at all (in fact, I was a terrible baserunner and track, well, blech!). Bottom line, I’m glad there’s soccer around here these days; there’s nothing, absolutely nothing, like playing sports if you are so inclined. Its something that still inspires me to this day. Thanks for the insightful comment, and I hope that they, one or both of them, find something (be it soccer or whatever) that truly inspires them!