Oh when the Saints come marchin' in...
You might think that coaching an Under 6 Soccer team, the Saint Francis Saints (at a Catholic School no less), would be a wholesome, let's all learn the game, everyone gets to play, feel-good experience... I did; and that is how I coach my team. Aparently, that isn't always the case. Now, don't get me wrong, I played competetive soccer for years, and I cannot honestly say that I can set aside my drive and desire to win just because the players are 5 years old. But I can say that I know I am a coach now, not a player. And now, I am participating in a different capacity. My job is to teach 10 five year olds the game of soccer, skills and sportsmanship alike. Some may say that it is just teaching kids to kick a ball, but I say it's WAY more than that!
Coaching soccer, or any sport for that matter, is way more than teaching a child a physical skill or a bunch of rules. It is more like a lesson in life. In fact, one might say it is a microcosm of "real life". Life has rules...Soccer has rules. Some players want nothing more than to be in the game...some are just as happy watching on the sidelines. Sometimes you get a fair call, but others times you don't. Sometimes if you just show up you win, and others you give your absolute, very best and it just isn't good enough. There are gracious winners and sore losers. You win some; you lose some. And such is life.
I'd like to think that all coaches are in it for the good of the kids, but in just two seasons as a U6 soccer coach I'm pretty sure that is not always the case. My Saints played a heck of a game on Saturday! They dribbled, they passed, they defended, they scored. They played as a team on the field and on the sidelines. I can't tell you how awesome it is to see your players on the sidelines cheering for their teammates instead of kicking dirt while poking their friends! They are excited on and off the field, and with ten players on the team that plays 5 v 5, we sub a lot. To see all of them cheer as their friends score goals...AWESOME! Today, our team won after lots of teamwork and great plays. I could not be more proud of our players!
Unfortunately, my Saints saw the ugly side of competition today...whether they realized it or not. The team we played were less experienced than our players, but hustled none the less. They gave their ALL for 40 minutes and that is what most coaches dreams of at any age...Well most is not all...At some point in the first half I was told by the Assistant Coach of the opposing team to stay on my own side of the field as I coached my players into position...ummm, ok. Sorry? Was she really telling me to get off her "side"? Well, yes. Yes she was. She told me each time I neared the center line. She also told the parents of her players not to talk to their own kids during the game...WHAT?
Well, the worst of the worst came after the game was over and we all lined up to shake hands and say "good game". Not only did she refuse to shake our hands, she requested an age verification on one of our players...she accused us of cheating. My team of 5 and 6 year olds played their hearts out today and a Coach refused to shake their hands and called us cheaters! I am pretty sure my Saints did not notice her abscence and I did not make a big tadoo about it or the "age verification", but what does her team hear? What does her team learn from her actions? If we are teaching our players about life, what did they just learn on Saturday morning?
And so my Saints marched out with a big win and I am so proud of them. And in this little simulacrum of reality, I see that we are all at different stages of our journey. Some may have not even begun. If you ask me and my Saint "Are we there yet?", I can say that we are well on our way. At least for this season!
GO SAINTS!
