Bend it Like Beckham!

There's a new professional sports team that filters through our TV these days.  The Phillies are always on and still the reigning faves but, apparently, the Philadelphia Union is the new team to watch.  Because Chase has a soccer obsession.

It started off like anything. A four year old boy playing the sport for the first time. Ryder had opted out of the indoor season (and the Spring outdoor season as well) and, instead, chose to start a journey down a musical path.  So, Chase played his first games of soccer alongside some of his Pre-school buddies.  He happened to have a fantastic coach who taught great fundamentals and he happened to have some natural talent.  


And, suddenly, a soccer star was born.

Staying with the ball

Loved being goalie

The Muppets

Abbey, Chase, and Oren

By the time CRUSA's outdoor Spring season began we had a full on soccer junkie.  He wanted to play all of the time!  ALL OF THE TIME!!  He looked forward to practices so that he could learn new drills and he would come home and tell us about them, show us how to do them.  He'd correct us when we would do it wrong.  He would opt out of birthday parties that interfered with soccer for a reason that had me nearly dropping to the floor: 
"if I miss practice I won't learn the new drills and I will be behind everyone else."


All of my years growing up an athlete the thing I lacked the most was the heart.  Although I enjoyed the game and I wanted to win, my heart was never fully dedicated to the sport alone.  This is not necessarily a choice I made, it may just be what you are born with.   Chase was born with the heart to succeed. He is determined and driven to be the very best.  He is very athletic and coordinated and pretty quick on his feet.  It seems my boy has the making of a champion.


I have always pictured my life as a sports mom.  Mostly because it was the life I knew.  I assumed there would be Soccer games and Baseball games and Basketball games.  And, travelling.  And, dirty uniforms and smelly bags.  I pictured this even before I had sons.  And, now, it seems it has come to be.  Spring Weekends consisted of being at the soccer field at 9am. As a slow moving, late to rise family it might as well be 6am. Lucky for us the field is, quite literally, in our backyard.


Chase took his ball and a run and headed straight out to his team while we follow behind with two more kids, two chairs, a bag of snacks, and my cup of coffee.  And, we would sit, and watch, as 5 year old boys played the game they loved.

So proud of the goal he just scored

The season was successful.   They did not keep score (though Chase will ramble off victories like "13-1" and  "10-2") and there were no goalies but you could see, week after week, each boy improving.   Chase improving.   


I am not a soccer star, I never was, but we are being told by a number of people who seem to know that Chase is very good at soccer.  That we should keep him involved.  Somehow, I don't expect that to be a problem.

A medalist

5 more weeks of Summer than it will all start again.