This year Braden decided he didn't want to play soccer and opted for baseball instead. I think he made a good choice. He had so much fun and by the end of the season was really quite good. He had good coaches too which always helps. Out here in Vernal they take their baseball very seriously so winning was important and those coaches and a lot of the parents really pushed the boys to win. I was just happy to see Braden having a good time and learning a new sport. The trouble was he couldn't wear the safety helmet with his glasses on, but once he took his glasses off he couldn't see the ball very well. After a couple games he adjusted.
Warming up and practicing before the game.
This boy has fun watching his brothers play. But, he do have to come in superhero attire regardless of how hot it is. Notice his red cheeks. Good thing we brought lots of water.
Handsome kid. That's his coach in the background.
After the game. Landon decided to be a little photo bomber and put his head in the middle of my shot. Dalin was off with friends throwing balls or playing tag any time we went to watch Braden play. I never saw him much, he just wanted to run around and goof off.
And now comes the moment he's been waiting for. Four long years of watching others and now he finally gets his chance! A boy couldn't be more excited.
Little kids in uniforms are just so cute.
Landon knew what to do from the get-go. All those years of watching really paid off. He ran his guts out and kicked as hard as he could and scored a couple goals for other teams, and then would run to me and shout as loud as he could "I win, I win!" So funny. He did score for his team too, but sometimes he got so into the game that he didn't always pay attention to which way he was going.
After a tough loss. I'm laughing right now at this boy's competitive nature.
What do we do while watching Dalin play? What else, but come dressed in full superhero gear. Always be prepared to save the day.
This year Dalin moved up to the bigger field and started playing with goalies. They also called off-sides and all those smaller technical rules. He had an absolutely amazing coach that I will forever feel grateful for. I told him that every practice. He was hard on them and he expected them to play their positions. He didn't let the kids choose where they wanted to play, he put them where he wanted them, usually in their weakest position. He really wanted to make them better players and teach them to win. He told us that winning wasn't so important, but having fun was and kids don't have fun unless they win at least some of the time. They were the best team by far and didn't have the best players. Defense was not allowed to cross the half line and forwards were not allowed to cross the half line. If they were out of position he would really get after them. He would always yell, "trust your defense and stay in position". Every kid on the team scored a goal and every kid played every position. Dalin scored a few times and knowing he had helped his team win really did make a big difference in his enjoyment of the game. He loved to play this year. I hope we get future coaches this dedicated and knowledgeable.
Stretching before the game.
Lined up to discuss what he wants from them this game. Coach did this every game. He always targeted their weaknesses. He ran a triangle offense with two on the wing and one in the middle. He expected the half-backs to get the ball to the wing and once the defense would run to the wing they would either cross it to the other side or slide it to the guy parked in the middle. They scored a lot with this system. You could often hear the coach screaming, "NOW, NOW, NOW, CROSS IT!" He was a good coach.
Dalin never wanted to play forward. He always asked to play defense. I don't think he liked running that much so defense is where he wanted to be. If he asked, the coach would say, "You asked so I listened. Score me a goal and you can play defense." He would leave Dalin on offense until he scored a goal.
Braden really enjoyed riding his bike to the games with his dad. It's quite the ride from our house to the soccer park and back, but he wanted to do it every time. Then, he would ride around the track while the other two played.
Cute kid. I really enjoy watching my kids play and enjoy sports. I have a lot of fun with it. It does get a little crazy during the season now that I have three kids to shuffle around, but it's so worth it.
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