Coach Amy + 10

This is my Fabulous 1st Grade Boys' Soccer Team! (Back row: Ammon, Carter, Trent, Jacob, Corbin, Andrew (Logan), Coach. Front row: Josh, Ethan, Hayden & Nathan)

The Rec Office called before Soccer started and said they had 2 teams from Spanish Oaks and no coaches. I honestly thought he was calling me to get names of people that could Coach. Turns out, he was asking if I would volunteer. I felt so inadequate- I really didn't know the rules or what to do- but I decided to give it a go.

It was so fun! Andrew (Logan) was so excited for me to Coach his team. We had a little bit of a rough start at practices when he would get mad and burst into tears. Of course, I couldn't ignore the other 9 boys and deal with him so I just had to let him throw his fit and ignore it. After practice, I explained to him why I couldn't drop everything and we talked about it. I think this experience helped him to deal with his coping issues. We still had a few tearful moments in a couple of games but I told him he had to sit out if he was going to cry. Aren't all parents who coach or teach harder on their own kids?

I told myself going into the season that I would remain neutral as far as the winning goes. But, most of my 10 boys were highly competitive and wanted to win. I think knowing that they cared about it and they weren't just doing this because their mom signed them up or because it's just what you do unleashed some sort of coaching monster in me because I became relentless and motivated to help them succeed. Succeeding in sports to me isn't all about winning- it's about doing your best. And if you do your best and play with your heart and still lose than it doesn't matter what the scoreboard says. We still had a few moments of distraction from praying mantises, the urge to wrestle your teammate, a big hole in the field filled with water, etc but overall we did great! We hardly ever got scored on.... mainly because as soon as the ball crossed the center line, I started yelling, "Defenders!" to wake them up. I never really noticed until the end but I was the only coach doing that.... oh well!

After the last game, they all Dog Piled Coach. During the first practice, they were all wrestling and dogpiling while I was talking. So I said, "This is soccer, not the WWF. We don't have time for dogpiles! Wait until our last game and you can dog pile all you want." Of course, their reply was, "Can we dog pile on you?"

"Sure!"

Apparently one of my players never forgets anything so he brought it up before we started our last game. Thanks Nathan!

(Special note of caution: If you ever find yourself in this situation, place the whistle in your mouth before everyone starts jumping on you and let them know when you blow the whistle it means to hop off. This way, you can signal them when you're done. You might not realize that with 10 boys on top of you, you can't move at all. This especially helps if you're claustrophobic)

We finished out the season with a Team Party at my house. It was fun to get all the boys together and let them play without anyone yelling, "Defenders!" My kids planned some fun games for them in the backyard and the family room and we ate pizza for lunch. We also had an awards ceremony. I made these fun trophies for them out of candy. This one is Andrew's and he got the "Dauntless Defender" Award.