Soccer!

Hudson had his first soccer practice May 12th at the YMCA!   He was super duper excited about wearing his new shin guards and his new soccer shirt.  As soon as we got there he jumped right over the padded barrier and joined the other kids.  His coach, Coach Jarvis, was fantastic!  He was also probably the most patient man on the planet and couldn't have been more perfect with the kids!  He had twin boys who were also on the team.  He was so good to teach the kids all of the important aspects of playing a sport.  They really covered a lot just in the first day!  They learned to stretch first.  They also learned things like teamwork, team spirit, and good sportsmanship.  They did lots of drills and learned new skills.  Then they were able to use everything they learned in their scrimmage that wrapped up their 1st very full practice.  After practice was over, they all got to vote on their team name.  It was decided they would be the Sharks!

Stretching:
                                                                      Reach up high to the sky!

Touch your toes!                                         Now jump, jump! (the little girl in the pink was always falling!)

Drills:
Their first drill was to hold hands with their partner and kick the ball so they could learn not to use their hands.  Who did Hudson get paired with???  Yes, the little girl in pink who always fell down.  He thought this was something cool and funny so it didn't take him long to start copying her.  This started something that never stopped with him and probably ruined his future chances of being a soccer star!  I think he liked how he would slide on this type of floor.
   
It is so funny how quickly the kids learn things from each other.  Do you see how Hudson is pulling up on his shorts in the picture below?  Before I knew it, all of the kids were pulling their shorts up like this!  Hudson also really like to 'get into position' like he was playing football or baseball.  Infact, one of the grandmother's watching told me she had a gut feeling Hudson was going to be a great football player.  (He does know football much better since he and Jason play fairly often.  He especially loves the tackling part...boys!)  However, the over-protective mom in me would prefer he excel at a sport that was less prone to serious injuries.
 

1st Scrimmage: