SOCCER
There
have been a lot of life lessons this year with soccer. Bryan decided to coach
this year, so this group of girls could stay together for another two seasons.
They are a rock solid team. When they are playing to their ability, they are
truly unstoppable--their passes and shots are precise, and they work together
as a fluid team. For the entire season, Revolution (Hailey's and Bryan's team
name) remained the number 1 team. However, their winning streak slowed
after having a two week bye. Just before tournament they lost two games, which put them in 2nd
place entering the tournament. In 2nd place, the road to the championship
game was more difficult. In order to make it to the championship, these girls
would have to play Thursday night, Friday night, & Saturday morning.
Both Thursday and Friday were strong games for the girls. They beat their
opponents 6-0, and then 7-0. They were determined to win, not only for themselves,
but also for another team. The Outlaw's had played earlier in the week, and due
to some poor calls, they had been eliminated for the time being. Our team was
determined to put the Outlaw's back into the tournament. Bryan encouraged the
girls to beat their opponents for this other team. The girls didn't
disappoint--they succeeded in two shut-out games--securing a spot for the
Outlaw's team. When they played with that goal in mind, they were unbeatable.
It was simply amazing to watch them. (When they played for the Outlaw's, these girls were not
focused on themselves--sure, they wanted to win for themselves, but they also
wanted to win for someone else. It was a lesson on teamwork and sportsmanship
and charity.) I am proud of Revolution. By helping another team make it
to the championship game, they proved what kind of team they truly are--a team
with class.
On
Saturday morning, Revolution was ready to enter the semi-finals, and this time
they were playing for themselves. The girls outplayed Reign; however, the
end score didn't show the results of their labors--they lost in the
semi-finals. All 13 girls gathered as a team to discuss the end to their
season. Tears rolled down their cheeks as they looked to my husband for
reassurance. As Bryan looked at their tear-stained faces, his voice cracked
with emotion when he proclaimed, "This one is on me girls. This one is on
me. Don't you dare blame yourselves. Blame me." Bryan later recounted that
his heart ached as he saw the girl's disappointment. He understood their
disappointment, because he felt it too. He just didn't want them walking away
being disappointed in themselves. After all, they had played their hearts out,
and they had had an amazing season. For these girls, it was more than just a
game. These girls had put it all on the line. They put their whole hearts and
souls into the game. Somehow Bryan had to reassure them that it was enough. It
was his job as a coach--he had to remind them that losing a game did not define
a player. And that's exactly what he did. He knelt down and talked with
them. He talked with them as a whole group--pointing out their moments of
success; and then he talked to them individually--calling out individual
successes of each and every player. He let them know that he was proud of them,
and he then gave them hope to come out even stronger the following season. Each
girl looked to him for strength, and he delivered. This was a lesson about hard work and
disappointment. It was a life lesson. Sometimes in life, we don't get to choose
the outcome of our situations. When this happens, there is always a silver
lining--we just have to be willing to find it.
To be honest, I am grateful that our team lost. We have been in the
championship game ever since we became REVOLUTION. It was almost an expectation
that we would make the championship game--not only from ourselves, but from the
other teams as well. Losing in the semi-finals was a good lesson on losing with
class. A member of the Outlaw team said it like this: "Not everybody
can win, but when you lose, its how you lose that makes you a winner." She is absolutely correct. It's okay to be disappointed, but then
we must pick ourselves up despite the disappointment. We must put a smile on
our face. We must congratulate the other team. We must hold our heads high.
Losing with class is just as important as winning with class. Besides that,
when you do your best--you are always a winner.
On
Sunday, the day after the tournament, I was teaching a lesson on "Coming
Unto Christ", and my mind made a correlation with my church topic and soccer. I couldn't help but thinking of all the time and effort that went into
practicing and playing soccer. Two nights a week and every Saturday for two
months, was consumed by soccer. Behind the scenes, a coach prepared game
plans, line ups, and practice drills. Hours and hours of effort was put into a
game. As I was preparing my thoughts on "Coming Unto Christ", my mind
wondered what it would be like if we put as much time and energy into knowing
Christ as we put into playing a game. I had an epiphany on the things that
matter most in our lives. Was I putting enough time and effort into the things
that were most important? If not, what should I change?
.jpg)
A few parents emailed Bryan. I want to remember the sweet sentiments:
Bryan,
Thank you for everything...all your hard work,
dedication and passion you give to the girls is amazing!!! We appreciate
you!! :)
We will hopefully see you during the winter break.
Looking forward to coming back stronger than ever for
the spring season!
Shannon and Sierra
We second Shannon!! Thank
you, thank you Bryan for being such a wonderful coach. We appreciate you,
and all your hard work and dedication! I will post pics and send a link
ASAP!!
~Heather and Brianna
It
was a great season! Taylor had a blast and we really appreciate all of
your hard work and ENERGY Bryan.
April
and Tim
Bryan,
You did an amazing job leading these girls! I couldn't be
more appreciative of the passion, energy, and emotion you coach with and you
can see the girls feeding of that and working so hard to take their game to the
next level. Thank you!
Ronnie, Brittany, & Haley
Heather said:
Well said Ronnie!!
Thank you, everyone, for your kind
words and your support. Truly, I am grateful to you. Bryan cares a lot for
these young ladies, and he tries hard to help them succeed. It is nice to hear
your appreciation.
What a great season! Definitely a
lot of learning experiences and growth! I know my daughter wishes she didn't
have to "learn" about losing, but somehow I think the most can be
learned from the losses--not only about soccer, but life lessons too. Don't get
me wrong--I like the "winning" a lot more than the
"losing"; however, I feel blessed that Hailey can grow from Saturdays
experience (Bryan may disagree with me on this one:)).
Bryan is out of town for a
business trip, and with him gone I've been thinking a lot about our recent
tournament, and I would like to add to what has already said and say
"thank you" to Bryan. Thank you, hon, for all your hard work. Thank
you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help these girls play
soccer. Thank you for being so stinkin positive! Thank you for helping Hailey
to reach her goals! And, finally, thank you for caring so much--I truly love
it! Thanks! I can't wait until next season when we BEAT Reign :).
Thanks everyone!
Carrie
