The Blanding Bugle

Volume 17 Issue 10

October 2008

Got Soccer?

It seems that every fall we end up putting some article in the Bugle about our family playing soccer. I wish I could put something else in, but since soccer is what we do in the fall, a soccer article it is.

Everyone has their hand in a soccer this year. Kray and Jason are referees this season.  Kray has moved up the ranks and is now a rank 5 ref, which means his games are more intense and difficult.  He can earn up to $40 a game. Jason is doing his first fall season and is an excellent ref. He is showing his confidence out there and making the difficult calls. He is ignoring the sidelines lines and calling the game as he sees it.  With his first paycheck he earned enough to buy his own I-Pod Touch. 

Mike is Jessie's team ref. He doesn't get paid, but he gets great experience. Both Kray and Jason started here and then moved on to the paying gig.  It is a great place to start. He is doing a great job this year. More confident every game. He did so well in one game that the other team (who is supposed to supply a ref for half the game) asked him to continue on. 

Matt is playing on a big field this year. It is almost full size and the first game boy did the boys fill all 90 yards of it!  Matt is playing midfield and forward this year and has even scored.  But even better, he scored with his opposite foot.  Left foot shots are beautiful! He tried his hand at goal just like his older brothers, but he is too short now that they are playing on a full size goal. The other team learned that all you had to do was shot over his head.  He makes a better forward anyway!

Doreen has stepped up and is helping out his team by coaching the offense.  The team has grown significantly so that most of the boys are new and figuring out strengths and weaknesses has been a challenge for Doreen.

Chris is still on his old team. They are one dynamite team. Nine year old soccer players should not pass like they do, but they do and they win games.  This year it have been a bit harder as the other teams also improved. Their first lost ever as a team was their first game of the season.  I'm sort of glad that is out of the way because going into their fourth season you know they will lose one sooner or later.  Chris is playing midfield and forward mostly, but has tried his luck in the goal as well. 

Doreen is helping out at practices as needed and Kray and Jason are holding goalie practices for their goalies.

Jessie is playing again and it is a wonderful little team.  These girls finally are picking their heads up and looking to pass and not just shoot or dribble.  Jessie loves to play forward and hates to play goalie. 

Doreen is coaching Jessie's team again this year and loves the girls.  They are very sweet and this year are getting how to pass the ball.  That is the key to the game and the sooner they learn the better they will be in the future.

Steve does a great job in getting kids to games  on time and playing chief cheerleader. Actually he listens to his Zune on the sidelines in a comfortable chair and claps when something good happens.

We are off to a great soccer season. 

Chris

Doreen

School

With the start of soccer, school isn't far behind.  Kray is enrolled in the local community college in three PE classes, a guitar class, an English class and a French class.  He loves his PE and guitar class and is doing well in his English class, but doesn't like his French class.  He picked one of the languages neither his father nor mother could help him with and is struggling.  He is also taking a math and a chemistry class at home. 

Jason, Mike, Matt, Chris and Jessie are still at home. For science they are doing Chemistry.  For History they are doing the ancient civilizations starting with Rome. They hope to get to Egypt, and Greece.  Over the summer they finished up China in time for the Olympics in China.  They will also do units on Economics, types of Governments and a few extras that they haven't figured out.  They each are doing a specific math curriculum and of course they continue to write. For PE they will be doing soccer, swimming and then soccer again with the occasional pickle ball, trampoline, dog walking and running thrown in for variety. They all are continuing with their music studies as well.

Doreen continues to educate the children at home and still finds great joy and satisfaction in learning along with them.  She is also trying to squeeze a bit of business in on the side.

Jason

Jessie

Steve

Mike

Kray

Matt