The one week of the year that I dread is finally over!!! Competitive soccer tryouts were last week – the boys had theirs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and Caelie had hers Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – so we were at the fields every night this past week and all day yesterday (and the heat index yesterday was 104 – I went through like 3 shirts because they were soaked with sweat). Sean was up there even more because he was an evaluator for all the age groups.

Wednesday while Caelie had her 1st tryout night, I took Tristan to another club to see how it would go. We’ve never tried out at another club and with all the crap that’s gone on at our club lately, I wanted to see how he would do somewhere else. And as it turns out, even though he went only the one night, I had that club call my cell phone yesterday offering him a spot on their team. I also got text messages from another club telling me to bring him over Sunday morning (today) because his age group had a goal keeper opening over there and they wanted him. Like Tristan said, yesterday felt like that one scene in The Blind Side where all those colleges kept coming to his house trying to get him to go to their college – only for us it was phone calls and text messages. It was a cool feeling though to know we had other options for him. He ended up making the U13 B team at our current club and Sean will be his coach. I had told him about the phone calls and text messages and his decision was instantaneous – he wanted to stay at our current club. When he knew he was making the B team he was happy – knowing Sean would be the coach and the fact that the coaches of the A team none of us can stand anyway. He was a bit mad though because like he said “I am better then the goalie they picked” and if you ask most people – they’ll say the same. So I told him he needed to prove that this year so that next year they clubs will be calling again and even our current club will be making us deals.

Deciding what to do with Kieran was tough too. A good friend of ours is the U9 coach at another club and every night last week we decided something new for Kieran. One night he was staying at our current club and the next we were bringing him over to the other club. In the end we decided to keep him at our current club because he actually will be playing up one year and be on the U10 team! (And keeping all 3 kids at one club makes life so much easier.) He’ll have a great learning experience with that and his coach not only has a B license, but also played professionally in Greece!

Caelie was easy to decide since we knew ahead of time Sean would be coaching. He did this to keep the team together. After the horrible experience both the girls and parents from her team had last season because of the coach, people were ready to leave the club. But once they knew Sean was coaching they all stayed. And what’s nice is all the girls from last season (who decided to stick with competitive soccer) made her team – the A team! Plus we added 3 new girls since they move up to the bigger field and 8v8 versus 6v6.

The one thing bothering me is the first year Sean coached Caelie’s team I didn’t know any of the parents – which was good for when any of them got annoyed with him over playing time, what position their kid played in, etc. Now, I’m good friends with some of the parents on both her and Tristan’s team. Could make for sticky situations.

It’s going to be a great year for all 3 kids – I can feel it! So psyched! And the nice thing – since Sean is coaching 2 teams – (and will get paid)so all 3 are practically paid for. (Otherwise it would cost us $2500.00 for the year – and that doesn’t include traveling, tournaments, hotel rooms for tournaments, food, cleats and any extras).

So if anyone would like to make a donation to our soccer habit/addiction, (or would like to sponsor one of our kids or our kids teams) let me know! SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!

Or talking trash?

Anyone who knows us knows we are a soccer family. We eat, sleep, breathe soccer. There’s not a day that goes by that the word “soccer” is not said at least 20 times. Or a week that goes by that we are not up at the fields conditioning for the game or practicing for it (whether it’s the kids or Sean or myself).

WE LOVE SOCCER!

What I can’t stand is the crap that’s going on in our club right now. Our DOC (Director of Coaching) was “let go” a few weeks ago. And it sucks. We have been with this club since the competitive part of it started and with that particular DOC since then (going on 5 years now). He got the competitive part of the soccer club going and did an awesome job. Sean was able to talk to him about anything and the DOC appreciated that because anyone that knows Sean knows he’s a straight up kind of guy. Tells it like it is. No BS. Don’t get me wrong, the old DOC was not without his faults – who isn’t? And yes there were many times we wanted to up and leave the club and go to another. But we didn’t. We stayed true to the club because at the end of the day they are a club out there for the kids. A club we’ve come to love and almost think of as home. A club both Sean and I have put in many hours volunteering and helping out at and in return have come away with many close family friends.

What’s going on now though (and not necessarily within the club) is disgusting. There is a message board called Talking Soccer and the way these people on there are treating each other (all for the supposed love of the game) is disgusting! The way they talk about 9 – 17 year olds is disgusting. The political part of soccer sucks! I realize in order to run a club there has to be some politics involved (and those that know me know I LOATHE anything to do with politics), but this is getting ridiculous.

This is supposed to be a kids sport. Yes it’s competitive so there’s that “competitive edge” to it and much more is involved then say just a recreational league (such as money, time commitment), but it’s still supposed to be for the kids.

The season for this kind of soccer starts in July and is ending now. Tryouts are the 1st week in June so you don’t get much of a break from it. And when asked why we do it and have our kids do it? Because first off they love it, second all 3 are very good at it and because as a whole it’s a fun family thing we all enjoy. To me it’s well worth the time, money and commitment. But right now I’m at the end of my rope. Some people want to leave the club because of what’s gone on. Some are staying. We are doing what’s right for our family. That’s all I’d expect from anyone else as well.

Unfortunately I don’t see an end to the craziness until after tryouts (when we finally have some time off from soccer – or at least the political crap part of it.). I’m just tired of the of all the trash talking going on online and on the field. It needs to end now!

“Soccer is the opera of the people”.

Last week was just crazy! The competitive soccer club that our kids are in kind of blew up last week. It was insane! And it kind of took over both Sean’s and my lives for a while. We’ve been with this club for 4 years now (longer then alot of people) so we’ve been there since our DOC got the competitive part of it up and running. And because of that once the shit hit the fan and word got out that our DOC had been fired….our phones were ringing non stop for 2-3 days straight – and when I say phones I mean the house phone, my cell phone and Sean’s cell phone. It was crazy!

Long story short though – we are leaving this club and starting somewhere new! Most of Caelie’s team is following us (Sean is going to coach – so much for retirement) and most of Tristan’s team will most likely follow us as well (even though Sean will not be coaching that team). Plus there’s about 4 other teams leaving – and being the club is $30,000 in debt I’d be surprised if they don’t fold at some point in the near future. Right now we’re in limbo as to what club we will be going to. Waiting on our friend/DOC who got fired to let us know where we can go.

Thursday night Caelie’s soccer coach – who we CANNOT stand (read post below about sucky egotistical soccer coach) – gave us his rundown of why our DOC was fired (all of which this slimeball had a hand in – and a job he’s been gunning for since he came to our club one year ago) and I had it out with him, (I was all worked it to begin with anyway because Sean had me running all over for his work truck – making me miss a dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while) along with Sean and another mom/friend from that team. We caught him in so many lies. I knew he would deny each one – I basically just wanted to get it all out there so that the other parents knew what was going on AND so he would know I knew the truth!

I had so many last minute lunches too – Thursday (the day after the shit hit the fan) I met up with 4 other soccer moms to talk about what really went down and then Friday I went out to lunch with a mom from Caelie’s soccer team. Then this weekend was half crazy and half relaxing. Saturday we did nothing and the kids played with neighborhood friends all day – it was nice to NOT talk about soccer – for a little while. Then that night friends of ours from Caelie’s team came over with their kids for a while. Sunday it was back to talking soccer full force – Caelie’s team had their end of season soccer party so all the parents kept asking us what was going on – where are we all going, etc.? The party was fun though – we did a kids vs parents soccer game and I lasted about 10 minutes – it was 100 degrees out there and I am not good with the heat – especially running in it LOL. So then after the party the same friends that were here Saturday night came over and Sean cooked us all a great steak dinner on the grill. It was a nice, relaxing way to end a crazy ass week and start up the new one!

This past soccer season for my daughter and her team has been less then desirable. Her coach is an egotistical bastard! He’s talked badly about almost every girl on that team to other parents and other coaches. He doesn’t know how to coach a team of 9 and 10 year olds – he seriously needs to go back to coaching college (and get the hell away from here)! Most of the parents from the team can’t stand him either and if he’s named coach for her team again next week I guarantee more then half will be going to another club.

He made all of these promises the beginning of the year and didn’t keep one! What happened to all the scrimmages they were going to have? What happened to the soccer journals he had the girls start (only after a month he forgot all about)? What happened to the classroom like setting he was going to do every once in a while? HE SUCKS! He blew smoke up our asses all the time telling us how much he loved coaching the girls and that he put in to coach them next season. LIAR! Instead he demanded he coach the clubs “flagship” team next season which is the A team for Tristan – no damned way he’ll be coaching my son. His reason – he “deserves the recognition”. Are you f’in serious? Some of the kids on that team have been on that team for 4 years now – no help or thanks to him. They placed 2nd in the state this year – WITHOUT HIM COACHING! He wasn’t there coach and never will be. I guarantee if things go like I think they are and he somehow gets in charge of the club – not only will that team that he wants and thinks he deserves will be gone but Caelie’s team will too and I bet at least 3-4 others as well. This guy has serious issues! All season when a game didn’t go like he wanted it to he kicked things: kicked on of the girls water bottles and broke it, kicked their soccer bags all the time and just this past weekend he kicked the bench the girls were sitting on and one of the girls fell off. He needs to go back to the dark hole he came from and never emerge again!

I saw this on a blog that I visit frequently and thought it might be fun to start up.

Post It Note Tuesday! If you’re not familiar with what to do, go to SupahMommy’s blog to play along. And make your Post It Notes by going to Superstickies.

I am so so SO tired of people complaining about something for an entire year and then when it comes time to actually be able to do something about it – they don’t. What the hell is with that? Seriously? People on both my daughters and my youngest sons soccer teams have complained about the coach for the ENTIRE year! And now that it’s survey time and the club wants us to be “brutally honest” about our year – they won’t. They shy away. The survey is anonymous too – so I don’t get it. And within about 2 days some have actually done a complete 180 degree turn. All year they bitch and moan – at every practice at every game. And then all of a sudden 2 days or even 1 day ago they’re like “well it wasn’t that bad”. Wow really? I sat and listened to you gripe and bitch for about 250 days and now in 1 day you’re fine with it all? All I have to say is if people don’t say something and the same shit happens next year as it did this year because they wouldn’t say how they felt – I don’t want to hear a WORD out of any of these complainers mouths!

I sent in my surveys – I was “brutally honest” because after 4 years of listening to lies and crap I am done. And IF we decide to stay with this club I am staying even further away from the inside of things (and even more people) then I already did this past year. But right now, that is a HUGE “if”!

Or at least just Saturday was! We left the house at 8am and didn’t get home until 5pm!

Started the day off with Caelie and her team having 2 games: one at 9 and one at 11. The first game was SO exciting! By the end of the 1st half our team was losing 4-1. We ended up winning the game 6-5. It was such an incredible game! Tristan’s game was next (but Caelie, Kieran and I missed it because Caelie’s second game ran over. Her game was in Hillsborough County and Tristan’s was in Polk County). Tristan’s game ended in a tie with Tristan stopping a penalty kick (in the upper right corner) so they are still first seed in their group! Right from Caelie’s game we were off to Tarpon Springs for Kieran’s game where the ended up winning 11-1, with Kieran scoring 2 of those. Which I hate when a team runs the score up – especially in that age group. BUT at the same time it’s very hard at that age group to tell the kids to stop scoring. Coach did switch up the line up – our team just over powered the other.

We got home around 5pm. Which then started the whole running around for the kids yet again with sleepovers. Tristan had a friend/teammate sleep over at our house and Caelie went to a friends/teammates to sleep over there. It was interesting being in a house filled with boys – LOL. I missed my girl (even if she is a tomboy).

I am SO looking forward to this coming weekend that we have OFF from soccer!!!

We had such a crazy weekend when it came to the kids soccer schedules! First off, Kieran’s came out the Thursday before and came out all wrong! So, even though it’s out, it’s not correct so we’re still clueless as to who we’ll be playing on weekends and where (and when. And being we now have all 3 kids playing competitive soccer we need to know their schedules so we can figure out if we need to send one of them with a teammate/friend for a game or not.).

Friday it was all worked out that we’d be able to see all 3 kids games! Then Friday night we get a phone call from Kieran’s coach at 10pm saying the schedule is changed yet again and that he’d be playing at 10pm (same time as Tristan but luckily they were both at home.)

So Saturday we get to the fields at 9am for both Tristan’s and Kieran’s games at 10am. It’s now 10am and Tristan’s game gets started no problems. Kieran’s game does not because the other team never showed up. So they had an impromptu practice. Nothing wrong with that – the whole team is there anyway might as well make some use of their time. It’s now 11:15 and Tristan’s game is over (which they won 1-0 – and are top of their league since they’ve won all 3 games they’ve played so far!!!) and we’re leaving the fields when the other team Kieran was supposed to play at 10am shows up! Seriously? We have to all get home, get fed and be in New Tampa by 1pm for Caelie’s game at 1:30.

So Sean stays at the fields with Kieran and Tristan so Kieran’s game can happen and Caelie and I hightail it out of there, go home, have a quick lunch and get to her fields by 1pm. Luckily Kieran’s game finished in time for them to make Caelie’s game. But I was sad I had to miss Kieran’s 1st game of the season (which they ended up tieing 2-2).

Then fast forward to Sunday. Caelie has off but both Tristan and Kieran have games – Kieran’s an actual game and Tristan’s a scrimmage both at the same time but different places. Sean takes Tristan to his since he’s now his co-coach and has to be there and I take Kieran to his – knowing he’s not feeling his best (he had a slight sore throat but no fever). Luckily Kieran’s was home because as it turned out he started feeling like complete crap so we left and went home so he could rest.

He’s home from school today – this time fever, sore throat and cough. I have all the same symptoms as well minus the fever. He has no white patches on his throat so that’s a good sign. At what point though, since the Swine Flu seems to be hitting everyone we know, do I take him to the doctors? I normally wouldn’t for a fever and a sore throat but now I’m wondering if I should.

1. Thankful for my new friend and workout partner. I know for a fact that without her there’s no way I would have worked out as much as I did this past week! Today makes #5 of working out! Last night I so didn’t want to do the C25K program, but because I knew she’d be up there at the fields with me, I did it. (And today we might be adding on 2 more friends to workout with us.)

2. Thankful the situation with Tristan’s soccer team has been resolved and Sean and another dad from the team are now co-coaches!

3. Thankful it’s Friday! This week FLEW by!

4. Thankful I will be able to see all 3 of the kids soccer games tomorrow – not so sure about Sunday though.

5. Thankful everything went well last week with Sean’s surgery and he’s doing AWESOME!!!!! Much better then what I expected for what he went through!

First, this past Friday was report card day. And all 3 kids did great! So proud of all 3 of them! We will now be going to an honor roll society ceremony this next Wednesday for Tristan who made the honor roll this past semester!!! He had 5 A’s and 1 C. Coming from last year when it was a tough year with grades and him – we’re very proud!!! And so is he – he was beaming when he came home Friday.

Then yesterday all 3 played their hearts out during their various games. The day started off with Kieran’s flag football playoff game. His team was one that did not win one game all season – and I think they might have only scored one touchdown all season as well. But you wouldn’t know it. These kids came off the field after every game with huge smiles on their faces because they had a blast! And yesterday was no different – they lost – but they still played their hearts out and had fun!

Caelie’s competitive soccer season officially started yesterday and her team played 2 games. One at 9 and one at 11. I missed both because Tristan and I had to be 30 minutes south of here for his game. But I heard from both Sean and other parents that she played beautifully. Coach told Sean there were only 2 kids from her team he was proud of yesterday and who he thought actually played like they wanted to be there – Caelie and her friend down the street. They lost their 1st game 5-2(?) and tied the 2nd 3-3. She even scored a goal in the 2nd game and played goal keeper (which she asked to play) for the last half of the 2nd game. I seriously love watching her on the field – she smiles and dances coming on the field and then laughs and smiles throughout the whole game so I’m sad I missed yesterday!

Then there was Tristan’s game (his comp. season started yesterday too). If you’re a friend of mine or an avid reader of this blog you know we’ve been having problem’s with the club concerning Tristan and his team. After yesterday I’ve come to the conclusion this year is going to be his BEST yet and change is definitely a GOOD thing. I always thought this year would be good for him in a way – he’d be away from those negative ass coaches he’s had for the past 2 years and he’d be able to shine. And he did just that yesterday. His team won 5-0 and he played goal keeper for 50 minutes of the game – until a kid from the other team kicked him hard in the wrist (at which time he came out and played forward on the field and assisted for 2 goals we scored!). We have nicknamed him the BEAST after yesterday. I thought he played well last spring during Region C? He played that well plus 1000 times better yesterday. The confidence exuding from him was awesome and beautiful! He commanded the back half of the field (as goal keepers should) like he’s never done before. Even though his coach is very soft spoken (which after 2 years of having jackass screamers who no one can stand is a much welcomed thing) and really doesn’t know how to coach soccer – this is Tristan’s year to become the best he can be. I can feel it after yesterday. His entire team played so well – we were all so proud of all of them – they really came together yesterday as a team should. And to be standing on the sidelines (and not all the parents knew who I was) and hearing the parents praise and rave about Tristan time and time again was awesome. I just sat there, smiled to myself and said inside my head “that’s MY boy and baby he’s BACK!”.

Oh and a side note? The A Team for Tristan’s age group from our club (the one he didn’t make this year but was on last year) LOST 3-1 against a team we beat last spring during Region C something like 6 or 7 – 1. And from what we’ve heard from their one trainer they played horribly (and this time they can’t blame it on it being a morning game since it started at 1pm). But hey, I’m not gloating or anything.