The whistle blew and our much anticipated season was seconds from beginning. Body armor was in place, new blue uniforms looked fabulous, and cleats had been checked by the referee at midfield where he gave them final instructions on the freshly cropped, late summer pitch. We quickly reviewed our game plan, assumed our positions and got ready for kickoff. This was my personal coaching debut. I was a little nervous, but mostly excited for a great new season.

As the Red team kicked the ball off, one of their forwards took the pass, and with the determined face of a warrior, broad shoulders of a gladiator, and the resolve of an M1 Abrams tank, single-footedly dribbled through our first, second, and third lines of defense, then teed up the ball and kicked it through the back of the net while my Blue team looked on in shock, unmoved from their opening positions.

Goooooooooooooooallll!

Those little girls were good. I looked at my watch. Only 16 seconds had transpired. My rosy outlook changed as I realized that this could be a very long game. I swallowed. Heck, this could be a very long season! What had I signed up for?Continue Reading