For The Love Of The Game

Andrews team got to play at Rio Tinto Stadium last night (Real Salt Lake professional Soccor Stadium) - we sat in the stands - they announced his entire team as they entered the field from the players entrance by full name and jersey number - its was AWESOME! The boys got to sit in the locker room before the game started and it was just a really cool experience. The lights were on, the scrolling ads were on, they even had their concession stands open for business.


They played Skyline - it was a 100% good, clean game!!!!!! The refs were GREAT - Andrew had a BLAST and that is what matters! Oh, and they just HAPPENED to win 14-0 lol

Well....this is sadly, but finally it.....the very last game of the 2008 season is Thursday, 8:00 pm at the stadium.


What a season this has been! The highlights, the low-lights, but wow - the entire team had AWESOME sportsmanship - the coaches were wonderful and this season was up there with one of the best.


All of my boys played football from 8 to 16. While I believe whole-heartedly that every sport is important and teaches kids great lessons - I LOVE THIS GAME! The commeradery of the team, the sportsmanship lessons that can only be learned on a field, the life-long friends they have made along the way, and all of the coaches who have come into their life have each made permanent impacts on my boys life.


Cameron is trying out for high school ball next year - this was a hard year for him because he decided he didn't want to play - He had a rough time with that decision. He has a passion for this game that I have never seen before. I can't wait to see what he does with it.
He would be an amazing coach -

Andrew is debating on staying with little league one more year, or going into the High School program next season.


I can't believe this might be the last time I drive one of my little league football players to practice 3 - 5 times a week or to the early morning games after looking for the one long lost sock that inevitably is where I told them it was in the first place, and being late because of it.
Or even getting all the way to the field, only to learn that one of them left a helmet or their cleats behind!

Learning early on that you MUST keep a stock of mouth-pieces on hand at all times because you never know what excuse they will use about where it possibly could be - cups, cleats, water bottles - all missing at one time or another - haveing to switch out pads from the practice pants to their game pants at 7:00 in the morning because, even though you told them to do it the night before - they "forgot" - almost DYING from the stench that comes from football pads when they remain zipped up in their bags overnight in the middle of August - fighting with them to try to get them to understand that yes, practicing for 3 hours a day, 6 days a week is NORMAL and it should be FUN - even when they are sweating from head to toe, and come home so exhausted it's all they can do to shower and eat without passing out! But man - once those game jerseys were on, the under armour adjusted, the socks just right, the cleats tied and double tied, it was worth every minute of it!

I couldn't and wouldn't replace this experience for the world. It has brought our family closer - and its just a great, great game.