Let the Games Begin!!

Today was the long awaited day... the first day of soccer for Jacob AND Georgia!!

Our first practice and game of the day was Georgia Ann's and the Rattlers.

 (her cheering crew)

Georgie had a great time! She loved being on the field and playing soccer. At the beginning she seemed a little timid, but once the game started she got right in there and went for it. It was so fun to watch her. She really is such a great athlete. She's just got a natural talent. We're excited to see where she goes with it...

 

As soon as Georgie's game was over, Jacob started practice on the same field. We could tell right from the start that Jacob was much more aggressive with the ball then he was last year. He was actually being a little bit of a jerk to the other kids as well and it really bothered us so we pulled him aside and had a very important talk about kindness and sportsmanship. I was shocked that it was Jacob we were having this conversation with, he's usually so laid back and kind to everyone. (It actually concerns me A LOT!) He's been so excited to have his friend Benjamin from church on his team and as an added bonus Dylan, another friend from our ward, is on the team too.

 

Jacob had a great time playing today. He hustled and was super aggressive with the ball, in fact so aggressive that he had to be reminded that slide tackling is not allowed. I was glad to see that he has improved in many positive ways over the last year, but I was also embarrassed by his behavior. WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SWEET, KIND, FUN BOY?!?! And who is this maniac on the field??!?!

And, just because I loved this picture...

Tatum, Jacob, & Benjamin (they're all 2nd graders at the same school)

He ended up scoring 5 of the teams 6 points. He was pretty excited about it. And it really was fun to watch him go after it but we had a long talk after the game about his behavior. (Part of the aggressive problem is because he's one of the older kids and most of the other kids have never played... and they're playing on a field much smaller than he played on last year.) I'm sure as the season goes on the other kids will improve as well and he'll have some pretty humbling moments (which he needs!).

Overall it was a great first day of the soccer season. John and I are both really impressed by the coaches both Jake & Georgie got. They seem like really good men who are really supportive of the kids and want them to learn and have fun-- whether they win or not.

I do love seeing them play and have so much fun. I love seeing them work with other kids and learn sportsmanship. I love watching them develop their talents. But I hate that our Saturday mornings are kissed goodbye until mid-November. Hooray for soccer season!