This past fall both boys got to play soccer....finally! After much of Nathan's season getting cancelled last year and Cameron's season being non-existent, it was so nice for both boys to have a full soccer experience this year. And what a wonderful time for it because the skill level, coordination, and excitement for the sport grew exponentially in both boys this year!
Nathan's team was the Strikers with Coach Chad and Matt. It was a mix of kids from all the local elementary schools so it was fun for Nathan to get to meet some new friends while also having some friends on the team he already knew. Chad and Matt have been coaching together for a couple years so we came in to a very organized and engaged team situation. Chad was on it as a coach and put a lot of time, effort and care into coaching the boys which we were so grateful for. Nate played a lot of midfield, forward and defense and really enjoyed all three types of positions, but we think he's the best at midfield because he's pretty fast. This year the boys played on a larger field and played 7 vs. 7 with a goalie. It was the first year Nate started learning about staying in your position on the field, passing more to teammates and being strategic about how to play together rather than everyone just going for the ball at the same time. And Nate's team was really good. I'm not sure what their final record was, but I think they maybe lost only 1 time? They did awesome in the finals weekend too, but heartbreakingly missed the finals by 1 point. It was a great season though. And more than anything Nate loved it, worked hard, learned a lot, got better, and made a lot of new, fun friends. Crossing our fingers he ends up on the same team next year!
Cameron's team was the Striking Cobras. It was made up of friends all from his elementary school including our next door neighbor Kellen which was fun. He was coached by Annelle, a mom of one of the boys on the team. Many of us parents helped her out too. In fact I got to coach one practice this past season when Annelle was out of town which was pretty fun! Cameron's age still plays on a smaller field and plays 4 vs 4. Cameron was by far one of the more skilled players on the field. It helped that he played 2 years ago and for many of the boys this was their first year. Plus Cam just kind of has natural coordination and sports skills. He's pretty competitive so he wants to always be better and improve his skills. Cam did a great job this year though building up his teammates, giving them a chance to take the ball, and helping them to get better. And Cam scored a lot of goals for his team! It was really fun to watch. He definitely loves soccer and was sad when the season ended. At Nathan's age the season is longer and Cam was definitely jealous of that. He was sad when the season ended!
