End of the Season

Good evening everyone. Hoping to get through this quickly because I'm dead tired but I have a lot to write about. This week was a busy busy busy one. Wednesday, we had our very last practice as a team. I wanted to have the kids learn a thing or two before one last fun game of Sharks and Minnows. The kids counted first touch passes while alternating their passing feet. We did some 1v1 and 1v2 drills as well. Throughout the season, I'd have good concepts on how to do a drill, and half the time it'd work, the other half it'd get lost and they wouldn't get it. Overall, good practice and the kids were ready for Saturday's last match. A few of them told me they wish we had way more games left, and they didn't want the season to end. They became more friends then anything at the end of this season, always playing great together and there for each other. This was something I didn't expect to happen, but proud it did. Mia and I stopped for some chocolate milk before heading home to make dinner.

Friday, I had my front brakes replaced before going to work. Saturday, I woke up to a chorus of texts from my older brother about the Chelsea game. I missed Pedro's 11th minute goal but watched the rest of the match. Great win for the Blues getting the much-needed 3 points. Mia woke up soon after and got ready for her last game. She was determined to get a goal and wanted to play her very best. We arrived at the field and started warming up before Scarlet arrived, then Cecilia, Elia and Kylee. Before giving me a nervous breakdown, Addison and Bella showed up. Still needed Antwita, our #1 keeper. They had to be checked in, so we started Scarlet in goal. She was having a rough time in warm ups and avoiding using her hands so I had a feeling the start wouldn't go well. Sure enough, they got an early goal. Crap. Antwita arrived before the goal and I promised she'd be in goal the 2nd half.  She had some time on the field in both D and striker. We equalized soon before they got a 2nd goal. Kylee, got another goal after a fantastic pass from Bella giving us the lead 3-2 before half time. We controlled much of the 1st half and I was pretty in awe of that perfect assist from Bella. Antwita switched with Scarlet and went into goal. The girls played well,  had some great moments and it wasn't long before Kylee picked up her 4th goal of the game. Cecilia came out with what she described was a hurt hip. Mia played striker for quite a while determined to net a goal. She played about %5 more aggressive but still was cautious around the opposition. Bella, who mainly played defense took a rare turn as striker. She was always more comfortable in her defending position, but quickly got a shot off almost netting her first goal. Soon, the refs blew the whistle and the Lightning won their last game. WOOO!!

The girls went 5W and 2L. Impressive for these amazing players. I decided to do a quick medal ceremony giving the girls their much-deserved hardware one at a time while describing how they did and giving them a nick name. (Electric Elia, Awesome Addison, Kick Butt Kylee, Mighty Mia, Courageous Cecilia, Ambitious Antwita, Sweetheart Scarlet and Big Bad Bella) I can't describe how much fun this season was for me. To be able to combine my passion for soccer and love for teaching kids at this age was truly enjoyable. When I signed up to be an assistant coach and ending up head coach, I honestly didn't know what I was getting myself in for. The goal was simple: To have them learn the game while having fun. They all have a better knowledge of positions, proper passing techniques and teamwork which is more than I could ever ask for. The parents were great with helping out with snacks and giving me notice if their kid couldn't make it. All of the kids said they had a great season and I hope to do this next year. I'd love to develop Mia as a player so she's got more confidence on the field. For one guy running a team for some kids that have never played before, I think overall I did well and would do it all over again. I got a hand-written note from Kylee thanking me for coaching her this season and a really nice costume water bottle from Bella's Mom. So incredibly kind of them and totally didn't expect that!

After the game, Mia, myself, Jill and her family went out for some celebratory pizza at Mod. Great way to end our successful season. Later, Mia got into costume as well as Jill and we went to the Spooktacular at the Zoo. We met up with Mia's friends Noelle and Katelyn as well as their siblings. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved the spooky displays. During the week, Mia was on the fence about doing a sleepover at Noelle's house but by the end of the Spooktacular, she decided she absolutely wanted to do it. So, after the zoo, we went home, changed their costumes and packed a bag for Mia before walking her to Noelle's house. The girls watched one of the Descendents movies before crashing. Jill and I went out for sushi and Big Tuna. Super tasty and a really nice and rare evening for us. We had thought about going to a friend's Halloween party but with Mia at a sleepover and the party in Waukesha, we didn't want to be too far from Noelle's in case she wanted us to come back to pick her up.

We picked up Mia in the morning before taking her to her friend's birthday party. On the walk home, she told us how much fun she had and she was glad she spent the night. She's growing up so fast. She wants to have a group of girls come over sometime now :O

This week, we're carving pumpkins Wednesday and I took off the weekend so we can trick or treat with friends and family. That's all for now, thanks for reading!