The low risk/high reward world of soccer

Lord knows I wanted to be out there rather than on the sidelines playing the part of cheerleader.  Watching our team battle for field position in a defensive back-and-forth knowing I couldn't do anything but yell, "Get in there!" and, "Good job!"  It just wasn't satisfying to me.  Our best player, we'll call him 'Billy', can usually out run the other team on his way towards goal after goal.  Today, however, it wasn't meant to be.  #3 for the other side was just a fast if not faster.  Fortunately for us, his footwork and ball control weren't as polished and that kept the game close.

I looked around at the other guys on our squad, desperate for someone who could pick up the offensive load and push us on towards victory.  I shouted at them half-heartedly knowing that they probably couldn't hear me from this far away.  At one point, our man was left wide open on a corner kick in a fortuitous breakdown in the other team's communication.  The pressure was intense as the ball passed by the scrambling defenders and he took measure for an easy chip in.  Wide right off of the post!  Agony swept over the crowd and I let out a groan followed closely with, "Good try Horace!(not his real name either)"

Cletus (another fake name) was putting in a real workman's day on defense.  Each effort by the opposition to penetrate our defenses or pass around the edges was met with Cletus' cleats.   Sure, there were some tussles, a bit of pushing, maybe that was a trip that time but you've gotta give the guy an 'A' for effort.  Still, we needed a hero to come riding onto the field and gather up our men delivering fire from his right foot and some fricking lasers from his left foot.  That's when the coach called for substitutions, these men had given all they had and it was time for some fresh blood.

Galloping out to midfield he surveyed the grassy battlefield in silence.  Play resumed and he ran circles around the other players toying with them, as though it were just a game.   When in control of the ball, he would perform feats which seemed to confuse our opponents lulling them into a false sense of superiority. It was a match so compelling that I'm not even sure what the final score was.

Alright, enough of that.  It was a U-6 soccer game 3-on-3 with no goalie.  If you couldn't guess, my son is the galloper.  Literally, he galloped like a horse out to the line and examined the grass by pulling out a hunk of it and chucking towards his friend.  He also did run in circles around the other players and also did actually confuse them by kicking the ball the wrong direction, one boy so much that he tried to defend it.

I'm also not sure who actually won because, like my son, I don't care.  There is a real part of me that wants to treat competition like a death match, but that's ME, not my son.  Don't get me wrong, I believe competition is healthy and an important part of life on your way to becoming a successful grownup. He never asks if I saw all his goals, what the final score was, or who won.  So why should I?  As I pack up my chair he reminds me, "Dad, we can't go yet.  I didn't get my snack."  He doesn't ask me to kick the ball around before the game but does ask me to punch the straw into his Capri-Sun juice pouch.

He gets enough grouchy dad talk about things like finishing his dinner, cleaning up his toys, and actually using the toothbrush for his teeth instead of playing in the water and cleaning the sink with it for 10 damn minutes!  As my lovely wife is fond of saying, "He's 5."  So, for now, I'll let him be 5 on the soccer field just enjoying sport for the sake of sport.


Fit topic of the day - 
Find your own active enjoyment and relish in the participation and not so much the outcome.  Which form of cardio is best?  Does that really matter?  Do the one you like the most.   If you're interested, try galloping, it is kinda fun.


Ridiculously Fit Person of the day - Carson Palmer!
It's cheesy and self serving but who cares!  The Raiders completed the trade for the USC alum and the even money is that he'll start after our bye week against Denver.  Mr. Palmer has been sitting out hoping to force a trade from the Bengals and appears to have succeeded.  I say 'sitting' but apparently he has been staying very fit and working with former QB Ken O'Brien and former teammate TJ Hoooshman....Hushmanz.....Whoosh...forget it.  This Guy

Me and My iPod - 
Workout - Lunges with weight bar, Body weight squats, Dumbbell chest press on ball, pushups and then I was tired.
iPod - WTF episode with Jon Hamm from Mad Men.
Been sticking with some Podrunner mixes lately during cardio.