owen

Well, I signed up to coach Riley's soccer team this spring.  It's been fun so far, but the same issue I dealt with every season in the past seems to be rearing its head again -- how to do substitutions.

Every season, I think that I would like to concentrate more on the live game than having to deal with the substitutions, and if I could have someone else take care of that task, I'd have less on my mind during the game that I'd be able to participate/encourage/coach the players more.  Alas, I have not been able to accomplish that.  Still, I have spent a lot more effort this season trying to keep my head off of the bench and in the game.

owen

Soccer is upon us again, and I'm coaching Abby's team.  This year, I've decided to sign up as head coach, which is a big step in my head, but probably not much more than I've done in previous seasons.  Conceptually, I wanted to be able to run practices and games in a way I see fit.  It's not that prior coaches didn't do a good job - we took the field - just that I have some changes in mind for how to run things.

This season we'll be using incentives for the players on the field.  I've acquired a bunch of little soccer ball patches to give out to the kids that perform well at practice and games.  I hope this will give them some incentive to do their best, whereas in seasons past, I feel like they haven't all given their best effort for lack of it feeling like it meant much to participate.

owen

Over the summer, I signed up Abby for GEYA Soccer, based on the appeal of her experience in their spring soccer program, which she really enjoyed.  I didn't realize what we'd ultimately be getting into.

The fall soccer season is apparently not a popular one among "sporty" types.  The sporty kids seem to rotate their sport experience each season.  I'm not sure what the girls play in the fall, but they seem to leave the soccer field either for other sports or for other pursuits.  A similar thing happens to the boys soccer program in the fall, since a good number of boys leave the soccer program to participate in fall football.  The end result is that not enough players were signed up for fall soccer to have separate leagues for boys and girls at Abby's age group, and so the leagues combined for co-ed teams.

owen

Today was Abby's second soccer game. Ever. She's almost 12 (her next soccer game is next week, on her birthday) and she's not played any organized team sports before this year.

The league is organized through Glenmoore Eagle Youth Association (GEYA) which offers a bunch of sports in our area, similar to LYA when I was a kid.  The league is for girls in grades 6-8, at which Abby is in the lower end.  The coaches are very friendly, and they've been very supportive of Abby and all the girls playing on her team who are not as experienced as some of the other players.