Life Lessons, Disguised as Soccer, the Conclusion (Actually, Just the Beginning)

 

Once upon a time I wrote about my boy's new soccer team. How we inadvertedly got put into a soccer division that wasn't our hometown's, how he was put on an established team, how the other boys seemed better than him and everyone seemed to know it.

 

In particular, I wrote this paragraph, "After practice, the coach came up to me and said Narls did great. That he's tough. That he has a solid soccer foundation and he'll fit right in and he'll see us tomorrow morning for their game."

 

He did see us that next game. And the next. And when the fall season ended, we were right back for spring. Narls is even signed up to play with these exact boys on this exact team in this exact division next fall, per his request. These boys have become a solid team of good friends and it was so great to watch. The skills this coach taught these boys, the teamwork and humility and encouragement they learned and received, well, Clay and I truly believe would not have been taught with the same caliber anywhere else.

 

You can see the difference from fall:

 

to spring:

 

 

Narls has tremendous confidence now, which was the biggest thing holding him back on the field. Because Coach Marc was right- Narls is tough, he does have a solid soccer foundation, that he is a right fit for the Sharks team. He knew it, Clay and I knew it, now Narls knows it.

 

They worked together this season and won the tournament.

Never lost a game the entire season, in fact.

 

This was so good for us.