He's Got Game

One of the main reasons we made the six hour trek from Nashville to Hickory was to attend the G-man's soccer game.  It was the final match of the season and our last chance to catch our little man in action.

I am a big fan of youth sports, as long as it's age appropriate and not taken too seriously.  (We wouldn't want these kids to be forced to eat rice for breakfast on game day or anything else equally ridiculous.  Isn't that right Stephen?)  Walking the sidelines and cheering on the team really gets my adrenalin flowing and reminds me how very much I miss the days of old when my boys were on the field and in the pool.   But time waits for no man and now I have the pleasure of watching my grandchildren experience the thrill of competition.

En route to the game the G-man was stoked.  It was game day and he had a fan club.  Soon after the first whistle blew it was clear that our boy knew what to do with the ball.



Time after time he skillfully wrestled the ball away from his opponents and made tracks for the goal.  He was a man on a mission scoring point after point for the Yellow Jackets.



Clearly he gets it.  After spending the first half of the season picking flowers and tirelessly running alongside whomever had the ball Dad had a talk with the child.  For four years it had been drilled into his psyche to play nice and share.  Once Dad explained that soccer is a game and that stealing the ball is part of the game the light clicked on.



Of course when you are four there are always distractions.



But they were short lived and he was soon back on his game.



When time ran out no one seemed to know who had won or lost.  There were smiles all around as the two teams met on the field to shake hands.  A lesson in good sportsmanship one is never too young to learn.



 But for the G-man, the best was yet to come.



Don't worry little buddy, something tells me there will be many more trophies in your future.