Mini & Me Soccer

Back in March, Craig started hounding me to enroll Brantley in some sort of organized sport - specifically soccer.  My days were cram packed though, so one day turned into the next which turned into the next, and I never found time to do the research.  Enter the wide world of social media.  My blogger friend, Brittany, posted a picture of her little boy in his soccer cleats with a caption that read something like "Soccer mom, here I come!"  I quickly got the scoop from her and just a few short days later, we were headed to Brantley's first soccer "practice".

Now, when I say "practice", I'm using that term very loosely.

The soccer "practice" was through Olathe Parks & Rec, as part of their Mini & Me program (ages 2 1/2 through 4; requires adult participation).  The practices were once per week--30 minutes each--and spanned six weeks.  Practice generally started with the kids running a lap and stretching.  Then the coach would attempt to teach a basic drill or two and they would practice that drill.  Finally, they would finish by playing a game (and I don't mean a game of soccer...just a random game that included kicking the ball).  There were about 25 kids and their parents on night one.  By night six, I'd say it dwindled to about 15.  There were girls crying because they didn't get the pink ball, boys suited like professional soccer players, crazy parents video taping each and every move of their son/daughter, and then there was Brantley.  He loved to score goals and kick the ball, but he wasn't much a fan of the running or practicing of drills.  He was easily distracted by the other kids and Craig constantly had to remind him of what he was supposed to be doing.  As much as Craig had been looking forward to this moment (organized sports) all of Brantley's life, I'm pretty sure he's thrilled it is over.  It was pretty exhausting, to say the least.

Nonetheless, Brantley loved it!  As we arrived to the field on his first night, he could barely contain his excitement.  He was literally kicking and squealing like I had never seen.  Each and every Friday morning after that, we would remind him of his soccer practice later that evening and he would get so excited!  On night five, as we pulled into the park, Brantley exclaimed, "I love soccer!!"

And we loved that he loved it!

Last Friday, on the final night of the six-week session, the kids were awarded a metal.  Each kid's name was called individually and each was recognized with a high five, round of applause, and participation metal.  Brantley was so proud.

It may not have taught him much, nor does it guarantee our kid will be a soccer star in 15 years, but it was worth way more than that seeing the thrill and excitement on Brantley's face every Friday night.  I still can't believe I have a kid old enough for organized sports...yet, I have a feeling this is only just the beginning.

Next up: Mini & Me Baseball in three weeks!

Here are some photos I took on the final night.  Okay...and excessive amount of photos, but I love my kid and I love taking pictures! :)

















































3 comments:

  1. Sarah!! This is so cute!! I think soccer will be about the only sport we'll put Wyatt in, until he can decide he wants to play himself. It's so adorable!

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  2. Adorable! Scott is chomping at the bit to get Marcus into an organized sport. It's not too far off for us.
    The way you describe the practices is exactly how I imagine our first go of sports will be (girls crying over the pink ball, little boys dressed like the pros - lol)!
    It's so great Brantley loved it so much. I can't wait to hear about Mini & Me Baseball goes.

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  3. Yyeeeeessss!!! So excited for mini baseball to start and we can be baseball moms together!!! Brantley looked like he loved it as much as Charlie did (with similar attention spans!). So fun- our last one is Saturday since we had one rain out!!!

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