We had fun with soccer this fall!
Ally really got into it! She's been begging me for years to play soccer so I finally let her. She loved it! Her first several weeks, she stayed right in the action. Then they played a team that was really rough and pushed a lot. She decided she didn't like getting pushed around so she stopped chasing the ball. Instead she took more of a defensive roll. She stayed on the outside of the action and more toward the other teams goal so that if the ball started moving in the other team's favor, she could stop it. Her coach (and other teams' coaches) often complimented Ally on her ability to see the direction of the ball and position herself correctly. She did great!
Ally was #4
Emmy was a little bit funnier on the field. I only put her in because I thought she might enjoy taking on the same thing as Ally. I think she was too young. She had a hard time understanding the rules and point of the game. At first, she kept trying to pick up the ball and would kick it around after it went out of bounds and the rest of the kids gave up. Being the smallest and least engaged player on the field, she was often at the back of the group chasing the ball. Her mood about the sport changed from week to week. We were never sure if she was actually going to play or not. She would often come running back to us for a hug in between plays--holding up the game. At first we allowed it but we soon realized she wasn't going to give it up on her and stopped allowing her to come to us until she was done playing. Many weeks, she spent more time talking to or whining at her coach. One week, she refused to even go on the field the second half. When she was in the mood to play, she seemed to enjoy herself. But I won't be putting a four year old in soccer ever again.
Emmy was #3
