Dallin's First Season of Soccer

This fall, we decided to enroll Dallin in a sport. I have known for a long time that he needs a healthy outlet for all his energy. I have watched him for years wondering what he might excel at, and based on his personality and natural abilities I always thought soccer would be it. He is in constant motion with a neverending supply of energy. He is always kicking things (and has a foot on him!) especially balls. He has a good deal of hand-eye coordination. He is pretty big for his age. He is not afraid to mix it up, fall down, and get up again. We chose to enroll Dallin in the Round Rock YMCA Youth Soccer Program. This was for 2 reasons. First, they have a very non-competitive format and do not tolerate name-calling., yelling, poor sportsmanship (for the littles they don't even keep score). Secondly, Dallin's birthday is September 29 so he was still 3 at the start of the season and the Y allows ages 3/4 to play.
He was placed on the Galaxy team, and I was later informed that the team had no coach and if no volunteer stepped up they would have to be disbanded. So.....I pulled out the big guns and called my dad! He coached me and my brother, Will, in sports when we were kids and I thought it would be really good for Dallin to have his Papa there. He was glad to do it and excited to be able to have that time with Dallin. Here they are warming up at their first soccer practice.I have to say I got warm fuzzies watching my dad coach my son. I hope that Dallin always remembers that special time with his Papa and the sacrifices he made for him. I did NOT get warm fuzzies from seeing my dad in his shorts....pulled up to his navel.....ummmmm yep.
The season started in September and ended right before Thanksgiving. And I have to say.....I WAS SOOOOO RIGHT. Dallin was absolutely the best kid on his team. Here is probably my favorite picture of the whole season...as Dallin takes on 3 of the opposing team by himself. LOLThis was a big surprise for me and my family because none of us was really athletically inclined. I was the one who was the closest to athletic in our family (which is really a sad sad commentary). Will was the daisy picker. He might not score any goals or even pay attention on the field, but at half-time...he had a nice bouquet for mom. I didn't really care if Dallin was good...only if he was trying. But I do have to admit, it is really fun being the mom of the allstar (mostly......you would be surprised how catty and jealous the other parents get. apparently in non-competitive leagues actual talent is discouraged so that it is more fair) He was really a superstar and had A LOT of natural ability. He has a really good control of the ball and isn't afraid to go and get the ball from the other team. Here is a little video clip of him taking the ball down the field. This was early in the season, so you will notice that when the other team got into his comfort zone, he would fall on top of the ball, regroup, and start again. LOL....yes, he was weaned off of that! At the first game, he was the ONLY kid who moved at the kickoff. LOL Most of the kids had never played before so we spent a lot of time in situations as pictured below....pointing where out goal was. We had several team members score in the wrong goal over the course of the season...and they were soooo proud that all the parents cheered anyways (and the coaches would gently point out the right goal in passing lol) My dad often said that coaching this age was like herding cats...LOL And from watching them, it was a very factual statement. During the games, one coach is allowed on the field and they were constantly moving kids around like little chess pieces just to get them ready for a kickoff (or kick in as pictured above). It was really funny! Here is a picture of the kids showing their "listening ears" They did this A LOT...LOL Here they are yelling "gooooooo galaxy!" It was really cute because Dallin and Kate would practice this at home. Dallin scored lots of goals during the season and at least 2 at each game. And most importantly really really enjoyed himself. We did have some "learning experiences" with regards to sportsmanship and acceptable behavior. So we would repeat catch phrases on the way to practice and games. Some of them were - you don't take the ball from someone on your team -you don't use your hands or your elbows on the ball or members of the other team - if they blow the whistle you stop and give the ball to the coach or the ref. -you don't tackle the ball. you need to stay on your feet. We did have to pull him out of one game based on his behavior, but by the end of the season he was a very good little player skill and sportsmanship wise. Throughout the season, he had a lot of support from his family. Christopher or I (and most often both of us) were at every practice. Kate made every practice (except one when she was sick) and every game. It was really cute seeing ways she found to entertain herself. Here she is playing princess dressup with DaddyShe would beg me to take her picture (hence the one above), but I felt kind of bad later because apparently when I took this picture Dallin made an amazing play and scored....oops! Here....Christopher stepped in something at the game...LOL
And here she is dribbling down the side lines with "her" ball. She did this a lot and was pretty good. We had several parents say they should put her in since she has the best ball control on the team. LOL She can dribble AND accesorize! During the season every member of the Sharp family came to at least one game and even Grandpa and Grandma Kellogg came all the way down from Utah and watched him play. It was a lot of fun.He loved it so much that we have chosen to enroll him in the indoor winter soccer season at YMCA. I learned a lot the first season and I am not sure if I will keep him with YMCA or move him to the Round Rock Soccer Association in the spring. Either way, I am glad he enjoys it and we are really proud of our little soccer star.