Courtright Family: Little Miss Soccer Star

When Connor was younger, we started him out very early with team sports. He played soccer starting at age 3 for a couple of years and then he moved on to his true love, football. It dawned on me earlier this year that Kaitlynn is almost 5 and has never participated in organized team sports. I decided it was well past the time to get her started, so one day I asked her if she'd be interested in playing soccer this spring. She immediately lowered her eyebrows and said "Ewe, soccer? No!" I think she assumed it was a boys' sport. But given some time and a little encouragement from us, she changed her mind fairly quickly and decided that indeed, soccer sounded fun and she was ready to sign up.

The league I enrolled her in is very low-key and not very competitive, but it's a great introduction to a new sport for someone like Kaitlynn who is brand new to it. As the season approached, Jeff worked with Kaitlynn and showed her some of the rules of soccer. I started telling her about her uniform, the soccer cleats, and everything else she'd need.

The practices and games are held on the same day, and we weren't supposed to meet Kaitlynn's coach and teammates until the very first practice. On the morning of the first practice and game, I took the kids with me to the gym and then we drove from there to the soccer field. Well, at some point that morning, a very breezy cold front had blown through and by the time we were unloading at the soccer fields, we were caught completely unprepared dressed in shorts and t-shirts. That on top of not remembering Kaitlynn's new soccer cleats either. Oops! We probably would've had to just go home and miss the game, but thankfully Sweet Daddy showed up with jackets and coats to help warm us up and we just let Kaitlynn wear her old sneakers. Talk about feeling completely out of sorts and unprepared!!

The weather created all kinds of issues that morning, so by the time we got together with Kaitlynn's team and got the kids dressed in their jerseys, they had about 10 minutes of practicing before it was time for their first game. Crazy!

The referees showed up and it was game time before we knew it. I'm not sure if ANY of the kids knew the rules of the game, but when that whistle blew to signal the start of the game, the kids started running and chasing the ball. It was hilarious! I had forgotten how entertaining peewee soccer can be!

As we cheered for Kaitlynn's team, we began to notice that Kaitlynn was ALL OVER that soccer field! She had forgotten all about the weather and her hodgepodge soccer uniform (with tights, a jacket under her jersey, and old sneakers) and she was just out to get that ball! Jeff and I were cracking up and definitely caught off guard. Some of the kids were standing around looking confused, others were off to the side crying and upset; but not Kaitlynn--she was right in the middle of the pack the entire game with a big smile on her face, loving every second. Connor later told us, "I think Kaitlynn is WAY better at soccer than me. Everytime I looked up to find the ball, there was Kaitlynn right next to it." Ha!

Despite the lack of preparation for their first game, Kaitlynn's team actually won their first game. It was such an unexpected fun morning for Kaitlynn (and us!) to learn more about soccer and get a glimpse of how the season would progress.

At the end of the game, the coach huddled all of the players together and awarded the very first team medal for sportsmanship. To our complete surprise and delight, he awarded the medal to Kaitlynn for being "all over that soccer field!" Oh my goodness, did that ever make her day!!

Caught her reaction when she was awarded the very first team medal. Wow, what a fun moment!!

Jeff's favorite part of the soccer experience with Kaitlynn is how, every time she gets a big kick or manages to take the ball away from her opponent, she has to look up towards her Daddy with a huge smile to make sure he noticed her accomplishment. And sometimes she even has to run off the field to give Coach Sweet Daddy, as she calls him, a big hug. Oh my!

For Kaitlynn's 2nd soccer game, we were much more prepared. The weather was great, her soccer uniform and cleats were ready, and we knew what to expect for the short practice followed by the game. We showed up a little early to let Kaitlynn get some practice time, and Connor was more than happy to act as her "coach" and pass along some soccer tips for her. (Ha!)