Last Thursday was a soccer night like no other. It had been cold and threatening to rain/pour all day. We ate supper with 16 ears glued to the notices on the radio station. Funnily, while switching rooms/radios we had missed the first part of an announcement, only to hear "[click]... under 6 and under 8 soccer canceled for this evening." What to do? Was this (possibly wise) announcement for our club, or another club? Should we just call it a night on our own? What would responsible, mature parents do? Who are these parents and how do we reach them?
I called the club president and asked. [Pause for suspense...] She said that yes, we were on for tonight. From the nature of her response, I may have NOT been her first such call of the evening. The day before, I had promised Super Girls (Age 3), that she could go to watch her sister for night #4. In expectation that we might freeze to death or drown, Super Mom did not go in order to keep our family history and traditions alive, in our memory.
It was drizzling as we arrived at the field at 6:30. The coaches looked uncertain. Soon they (and we) looked wet, instead of uncertain. Action Girl (age 6) kept her jacket on for the entire game as did most of her team. The cold was worse than the rain. For a good part of the night, I had Super Girl on a lawn chair with a hat and jacket on AND a towel over her head (and most of the rest of her). Even I wore a jacket (and shivered).
At 7pm, the game itself started. At 7:10 the coaches called the game. The main reason for this was not the rain or the cold, but the slippery field. Even in that short time, Action Girl scored another goal! We went victoriously home in search of dry towels. By the end it was raining so hard that the water on my glasses was making it hard to see.
I have a big soft spot in my heart for a sport that stresses that rain and extreme cold shall not keep small children from having fun and learning the value of team. The possible lightening may be another matter, but sport shall prevail!
We need a team song....
B.