Soccer Slump
My son’s soccer team, the Raptors, isn’t doing so great this year. I’d like to think it’s only because Nathan’s playing in a cast wrapped in bubble wrap, but I’m sure it’s more than that. They are a new team, not used to playing together, and they’re a small team. They’re starting to fade about 10 minutes after half time, with not many fresh players to roate in. The last two games they were slaughered 8-0 and 7-0 respectively.
At practice yesterday the coaches’ wife said, “The coach will be available after practice to talk to any parents who want to talk.” I looked at her in a puzzled way and said, “Is there something we need to talk about?” She said, “Well, some parents are upset that we’re not winning.”
I reassured her that I appreciated the coach not screaming and throwing tantrums like other coaches do, and that his positive, calm attitude about winning and losing was a great role model for the boys. Winning isn’t everything. Apparently some parents think it is. I admit it’s painful to watch your team get creamed without a goal to their name, but life has a lot of ups and downs. Winning’s fun, but in real life you have a lot of losses before you make a win.
I noticed that parents on our team aren’t really cheering for them. Maybe their lack of enthusiasm is contributing to the team’s slump on the field. Parents need to cheer when the team is down and not just when they’re scoring. The boys can sense the worry on the sidelines when they’re out there, and that may contribute to the losing streak. Parents can learn a lot about soccer etiquette from this article. It has some great, practical suggestions.
Today I have treat. Maybe I’ll try and make it a fun treat that celebrates their team, instead of just a rice krispie treat and a capri sun. Maybe I’ll turn into an obnoxious cheerleader Mom, who everyone else wishes would sit down and be quiet. But when your team’s down, you gotta do something.
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