Red Hots Soccer

Sometimes things in life are hard and tug very deep at the heartstrings and leave you baffled as a parent. Sometimes, you don't realize at a time that things do really happen for a reason and that if you just let it be, good things are to come. At the end of the Spring 2010 season, Hayley's former team's coach informed us that he would no longer be coaching that particular team and would be taking a "select few" of the girls and forming another team to make it more "fair" for the girls who had better skills. In a nutshell, that is what he said. This did not include Hayley.

You think playing in a "recreational" league, you would not have to deal with things such as what happened to us, however, this is the era of pushing our kids beyond belief, right? And if they are no good at 6 years old, they have no potential and should not even play soccer anymore because it just must not be for them (yes, that is what we were told). Never mind that they are learning the skills, implementing the skills, and showing improvement all the time. Wow, where did this world go wrong in raising our kids, you ask?!

Oh well. Days later, a friend from school's Dad called and asked if Hayley would be interested in being a part of their team and playing summer indoor soccer with them. The call could not have come at a better time. Hayley is now a part of a team that truly is recreational soccer. The kids are having fun, learning lots, and she has become a totally different player!

I was a little skeptical at first only because Hayley is not a big fan of indoor soccer (it is much faster paced and hard hitting than outdoor). But, we decided to give it a try again and see how things go on a new tem. Hayley has truly blossomed! As a matter of fact, in her game this past Sunday, she nearly scored a goal (was heading straight into the goal but got defended!) and she was playing defense! This is leaps and bounds for Hayley, and most importantly, she is enjoying herself! So, now we are a part of the Red Hots, a truly recreational and fun team to be a part of that is building positive skills in our kids. What a concept!


You can barely see Hayley in this picture, but she is just in front of the blonde #8 (you can see the back of her head with brown hair) kicking the ball.
Here, Hayley defends the ball away from their goal and off their side of the field!

Congratulating the other team on a good game. We tied 3-3. (Hayley is #7 with the white border on her shorts)