Here We Go Panthers, Here We Go!

The other night I headed over to Collingswood’s stadium to watch a game. My boyfriend is now a soccer coach and it was my duty to support. I had arrived on an injury timeout. Someone was screaming in agony. I took a closer look at the huddle. What could it be? A bone sticking out of a leg? Bloody eyeball? I licked my lips in anticipation. I got closer and peered. It was worse than I thought. I got closer and heard his moans. “My fiiiinger hurrttsssss!” A finger injury. Alright, so my boyfriend coaches a peewee soccer team made up of first graders. He still gets a whistle!

I was never one for organized sports, so I immediately felt out of place on the field. I played lacrosse in 7th grade, got one goal the entire season, and decided napping after school was more productive. The next year I tried field hockey because popular girls played field hockey and popular girls got notes from boys and I wanted to get a note that didn’t end in ‘LYLAS.’*

After that the closest I came to participating in a sport was joining the cheerleading squad my sophomore year. I couldn’t score goals to save my life but I could pivot turn like a champ. Plus, cheerleading had all the perks of organized sports: I had a uniform, I got to ride on a bus, I carried a bag and best of all-it wasn’t up to me to score the points. Unfortunately, as mentioned in my previous blog, I can’t quite kick my leg past 90 degrees, have the straddle of a morose hunchback, and would never trust myself to lift another human being above my head. I hung up my pom poms at the end of the season, along with any more attempts at playing sports.

As I stood at the stadium and watched a team of first-graders kick a ball with the heart and soul that I would never understand, I had to know what these little tykes loved about scoring goals when they could be scoring naps. Below is an interview with Aiden Cain (6), son of coach, :

Carolyn: How old are you?
Aiden: 6
C: What position do you play on the soccer team?
A: Well, I really go anywhere.
C: How many people play on the field at one time?
A: I don’t know. Maybe eight.
C: What do you like about being part of a team?
A: Because I like playing soccer.
C: Yeah but you could kick a ball by yourself, why a team?
A: To have fun and be with a group of people.
C. Would you like to play other sports?
A: I want to play basketball. I’m really good at it.
C: Why do you want to play basketball?
A: Cause I know how to shoot hoops. It’s easy. I taught my friend. You bend down and throw the basketball up. (mimics a shot.)
C: What about middle school? Do you want to play a sport in middle school?
A: Dodge ball.
C: I don’t think it’s a sport...
A: Dodge ball is a sport.
C: Ooook. What about high school, are you going to play a sport in high school?
A: Yeah.
C: But what about doing plays and art classes, won’t you rather do those things?
A: I would do a play about The Simpsons.
C: Is there a play about The Simpsons?
A: I don’t know. I would do it though.
C: Say you have a soccer ball and a pillow in front of you, what do you do?
A: (Runs and grabs soccer ball and pillow) I would kick the ball and throw the pillow. (Kicks ball and throws pillow)
C: Well, wouldn’t you want to just put the ball away and use the pillow to take a nap?
A: No.
C: Why not?
A: Because I don’t want to do that. (passes gas)
C: Have you farted while playing soccer?
A: Nooooo.
C. Really? That doesn’t sound believable.
A: NO!
C: So aren’t you scared to play soccer? What if you get hurt?
A: Yeah. I got hurt today in the privates.
C: Well, what makes you still want to play after that?
A: Well I got hurt and sat out for a minute and went right back in.
C: And you weren’t scared?
A: No.
C: You think you’re special?
A: No.
C: What’s your opinion on cheerleaders?
A: They do this. Gimme an A-L-T!
C: What’s A-L-T?
A: I don’t know! I don’t really like them though. Because they scream and they’re annoying.
C: Have you scored any goals this season?
A: No, I did not score a goal.
C: I was always jealous of the other kids when they scored a goal cause I never could.
A: (Interrupts) I wasn’t jealous at all.
C: Why not?
A: Because I can score next year and the next year after that.

Well there you have it. Apparently what I was lacking all these years was the ability to believe in myself! Aiden gets hurt, he shakes it off and gets right back to the game. Aiden didn’t score a goal this game, but who cares? He’ll get one the next game! I may never want to strap on a shin guard or ‘stomp-my-feet-to-the-beat’ ever again, but I’m glad kids like Aiden believe in themselves, and I hope they’ll never let anyone tell them otherwise.

*LYLAS stands for "Love You Like a Sister" and was a popular saying in notes from my girlfriends circa 1998-2000.