Sporting

Emily had an excellent soccer season in the fall and showed fits and spurts of being really good.  At the end of the season, her travel coach suggested that we consider putting her with a premier soccer club for the winter session (the regional club in our area is called Sporting).  Premier soccer clubs are more European-style, with an intense focus on balls skills and touches, and less focus on telling the kids what to do while they are playing in the game (which is more of the traditional travel experience, Emily's current coach notwithstanding).  I spoke with the head of Sporting and he advised me that while they usually require a tryout and skills assessment, the recommendation of Emily's coach (who is also a coach with the premier club) was more than enough, and he invited her to play on the team.  The time commitment is significant - she is already on the travel team and now double rosters with the premier team.  Lee and I discussed the pros and cons and then sat Emily down and explained her options and the amount of time she will playing soccer over the winter.  Her response: "I want to do it.  I want to be a great athlete."  So we let her play.  She currently practices three nights a week and plays two or three indoor games each weekend.  She is certainly not the best player on this premier team, but when she wants to be (read: when she's focused), she is solidly in the middle of the pack.  More importantly, she's learning a lot, which really is the goal.
This is new and scary territory for us as parents.  We don't know if she will burn out or get injured, or if we are developing the next Brandi Chastain.  Reality is probably somewhere in the middle, so we are going to see what happens and continue to support her as long as she enjoys playing.

 

Emily always wears her trademark braids and hot pink mouthguard.  She's easy to spot in games.