Losing With a Smile On Your Face

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile, but we've had so many fun things going on.  Like a fly-in, the state fair, and of course...Halloween!  I promise to get those pics up BEFORE Thanksgiving.  The kids went with a Justice League theme (or superheroes); however you want to put it!  They looked awesome!  I hope to have some pics up soon.

As for now...Sumner had a flag football game this morning.  It was a wee bit chilly at 8:30 am, but nothing we couldn't handle.  He scored a touchdown!  His second.  He scored his first one last week.  He was stoked.  So was his daddy...especially considering daddy is the coach!  Sumner is having so much fun.  He has been asking to play football for over a year.

Speaking of coaching, I am so proud of Jason for coaching a 4-5 year old team.  It is A LOT of work.  I repeat.  It is A LOT of work.  The majority of the kids are all over the place and are totally insane.  Seriously, I think Jason got all the crazy ones on his team!  They are sweet kids, but will not listen for the world.
Let me tell you a little bit about the players:
*We have one boy who will just walk off the field to sit with his Momma during the play
*We have one or two that pull their own team's flag!
*We have one boy who tries to line up behind a teammate like he's the QB receiving the ball from Center EVEN though Jason's told him 10 times he's on defense and has repeatedly picked him up and placed him in a different spot.
*One boy who cries when the other team runs or scores, cries if he doesn't pull a flag, or even cries when he scores.  He cries the whole game no matter whether he's happy or sad.
*We have about 2 or 3 that just like to bang into each other and will not listen when told that the play is about to start, so they miss the whole play.
*We have a couple of kids who won't leave their parents
*We have a couple of kids who turn and run the wrong way when they see the defense coming.  That's not totally unheard of...to have A kid turn the wrong way, but we have A FEW kids that do that.  Jason is trying to block 'em and point the other way, but noooo they see open field with no defenders!

Hilarious, but very frustrating when you're the coach.  We're lucky to be 1-3.  If we can just win our last 2 games we can break even.

Now you might say I'm being harsh, but we've been watching other teams and they look completely different.  There's a few running stray and what not, but when their coach places them on the line...they listen.  When the coach tells them to get in front of a guy and pull his flag...they do.
When the coach tells them to go in or out of the game...they go.
When a coach calls a player into the game...they run out.
When a coach tells a kid to run...well you get the idea!

As a coach of this age you have to have a sense of humor, and a lot, I MEAN A LOT, of patience. You know they are young.  You know they are learning.  You can't set them out for behavior because everyone has to have equal playing time in this league (and you're not their parent).  Equal playing time is great if they would just listen and play equally.  Now don't judge, but it's hard to watch some kids who want to be engaged sit out while some just run around in the backfield oblivious to instruction or that a game is being played.  You also have to deal with the parents, most of which are very supportive and just glad they're not the ones coaching!  But there are some, yes even at this stage, that can't seem to see how hard the coach is working and can't figure out why their kid isn't running the ball every time.

The best thing about this crazy team is that they are (except for crying kid) the biggest smilingest (if that were a word), happiest, oblivious-to-losing bunch!  And that, folks, is what it's all about!