Ball In!

Spent the day doing the Soccer Dad thing, as all three Llama-ettes had games, each exquisitely timed so that I no sooner brought one gel home as I needed to get the next in the car and shuttle her off to the field.

This was the five year old's very first game. The way the local Soccer Nazis run things, the kids at her age are not actually encouraged to "play" each other, but just to boot the ball around and have fun. Nonetheless, as her team (the Gray Dolphins) took to the field, the gel bounded up to one of her rivals and yelled, "We're gonna beeeeat youuuuu!!!"

The seven year old was next. She is the drama queen of the family and usually manages some kind of injury, either real or imagined, during a game. Today it was an alleged twisted ankle during the first half. I duly carried her off the pitch, but as I was assistant coaching her team (the Purple Cheetahs) on one of the fields, I unceremonially dumped her on the sidelines and, after a quick check of her leg, went back to work. Deprived of an audience, mirabile dictu, she quickly healed, and played a very aggressive second half.

The nine year old is playing full-bore soccer this year and it's a real treat to see the way her team (the Creepy Green Leprechauns) are gelling together. They had a solid 3-0 win last weekend, but were down 0-2 going into the half today. Nonetheless, they kept it together, quickly scored a goal at the beginning of the second half, and kept the pressure on for the remainder of the game. At the very end, it looked as if we were going to get the tie, but the ref called the game just as the ball was heading into the other team's net. (I swear she blew the whistle after the ball left our player's foot.) Furious but suppressed grumbling on our sideline, but I suppose it was a good lesson in learning to deal with the breaks.

It was a boiling hot and humid day today, and I'm pleased to say that none of the gels slacked off. Orange slices at halftime work wonders, as does the judicious pouring of water down the shirt and over the head.