This season 2023

It’s the season, started in May, when coaches and children congregate on the fields to play baseball, T-ball, and soccer. We have two grandchildren in outdoor sports, both of them playing soccer. I applaud companies that sponsor sports teams for kids. It’s community at its best, even if they have their name on the backs of the kids’ jerseys.

I didn’t get a picture of our eldest granddaughter in her blue jersey last evening.  Members of her team, including her, felt they should have won that game because they scored a goal that didn’t get counted, for some unknown reason. They left feeling very disappointed because they had played well and their goal keeper had done an excellent job of stopping the ball on their net.

Another granddaughter shared last evening that she will be playing indoor soccer come December, and she’s learning about the game watching her older sister play. It was good to be there to watch the eldest play as well. I learned a bit more about soccer just watching them.

It’s interesting to watch the gregarious youngsters engaging in the sport, some quite new to the sport. They’re learning the rules of the game, learning how to kick and probably most importantly how to play as a team. That’s a big lesson for the newbies at the sport. For our youngest player, the games and practices happen Saturday mornings.

Back when she was just three

I remember our eldest granddaughter as Timbit number 7 when she was just three, with her purple soccer shirt that went down to her knees, covering most of her shorts, while practising kicking and following the coach around the field in their early lessons. It reminded me of our youngest daughter playing T-ball that first season, back when she was five.  Some of the players when they were out in the field gazed at clouds in the sky rather than watching the ball. It’s all part of the learning process.

The season goes a little while yet, so if you have a youngster in a game, try to go and watch a practice and game. Cheer them on!