Today we went to Kaylee's first soccer game! I was having fond memories of Justin and Sara's years in soccer during the ride to the field. (I was a dedicated soccer mom for ten years!) Kaylee's game was being played on the Shaker Road fields. It had been years since I'd been there and boy have they improved that place. The last time I was there for one of Justin's games there wasn't even a port-a-potty. It was really nothing more than an open field. I was surprised to find that they have a nice concession stand and indoor bathrooms now!And if memory serves me correctly I thought Justin's first games (he was 6 at the time like Kaylee is now) were played with two full teams. It was little more than a free for all for the kids and a laugh fest for the parents. Kaylee's game was played 3 on 3 which surprised me but it does work better for the kids. Let's face it, at this age they really don't know what they are doing beyond kicking the ball. And all parents want to see their little darling out there playing the game. So back in Justin's day some parent would always be grumbling that their kid didn't get enough playing time. With the game today every kid got to play and it was great. They played on what I assume is half the normal field and they had multiple games going on at the same time. It's really a great set up because nobody spends time on the bench.
Kaylee started out her game plan a little on the slow side. Maybe she was getting the lay of the land. There were two boys on her team along with her. Both the boys were named Joseph but one was very little and one was quite a bit bigger than the other kids. Of course the bigger boy was a tad more motivated and got the ball most of the time. We eventually nicknamed him GI Joe because he was go go go all the way! The other Joe we nicknamed Jo Jo...or at least I did. I didn't like the idea of labeling him "little joe". That would automatically force us to call the other one "Big Joe". And he doesn't need anything to help him stick out. He's already quite a burly little boy.
After the first part of the game Kaylee really came alive. She actually made 3 goals on her own and helped make a couple more. At one point we all started to laugh because she actually gained enough confidence to jump up and down waving her arms and yelling out pass to me, pass to me!
Every time she made a goal her "cheering squad" went wild with cheers and waves. Luckily she's young enough to really appreciate our enthusiasm because we couldn't contain it. Several times she looked at me and laughed or waved to me. Once she yelled out "Gramma"! with a big grin on her face. (I was doing a modified version of 'raise the roof' and then the 'cabbage patch' dance..while seated of course.) She was loving the attention and it really improved her game.
After such a wonderful first game we all went out for celebratory ice cream at Collins Creamery. She was VERY happy about that! I got a regular size red raspberry with chocolate chip cone but it was too much ice cream for me. Kaylee was very obliging and took some of that excess ice cream off my hands. Then we all talked about the game while Kaylee looked for a 4 leaf clover. It was a much hotter day than I had expected it to be but perfect for her game. We all had a great time watching and I think this little girl better get used to the idea of having her own cheering section!
