What Went Down On The Field

Micah had another soccer game tonight. He wasn't keen on donning the uniform again, so we packed it in a bag and headed to the field, hoping that once he got there he'd decide that he really wanted to play soccer. This was Sam's plan. I scoffed at it, because seriously? If it's not the boy's desire to play, he won't play. Trickery won't work.

Sam was right. Once Micah got to the field and realized what we were doing, he stripped right there beside the van to change. Already things are starting off on a good foot. We're flashing underwear in public, and we haven't even been there 5 minutes.

So here's how things happened, in the condensed Readers Digest formula.

Micah took his ball and his water bottle and headed to the field. He was ready, and nobody was going to stop him with that head-down determination. Not that we wanted to, mind you. We were pretty thrilled that he was cooperating with our grand plan to actually participate as a member of the team.

After some informal practice and fun, they called the players together to go over the basics. Shoes? Check. Shinguards? And then our son piped up with "what the heck are shinguards?" The hands speak volumes.

The boy is number 6 there. And he's wearing his shinguards. The ref tapped his shins to point them out to him. The ref, by the way, was there for no other reason than to have a good time. Nice man, that, but totally unnecessary in the VIP realm.

Adn then play began. As this was Micah's first time on the field, nobody knew quite what to expect. Not us, not the coaches, not the other players. But he totally had it covered. And yes, the rest of the field just kind of followed, watching Micah kick the ball from the center line all the way to the net. Awesome.

Each player was assigned his or her very own buddy to assist on the field, which is good because on occasion Micah needed a reminder about which way the ball was to be heading.

At halftime, Micah took a seat and played some games on the iPod. He relaxes as hard as he plays.

And then the game resumed. This was when we realized the ref was really there for no reason at all when hand balls were the new way to play.

And then the entire soccer field was distracted by LOOK, SOMETHING SHINY! The game just stopped for a few seconds.

And then things really got heated. The goalie joined the players on the field, and he brought skills with him. This kid played AYSO for a few years before shifting to the VIP team and he had a good understanding of how the game was played. He gave Micah a run for the money.

Why yes, they are on the same team. And they both had the same mission - get that ball in the net! Except neither shared as well as all that, so they were playing each other to get the ball to their own goal. It could very well have been the best part of the game. We were cheering them both on.

And then all too quickly the game was over. I think it's safe to say that the entire family is looking forward to the next game, and the whole team is looking forward to a game where Micah and his friendly competition play against each other. It should be a good time. I recommend you bring a chair and join us.