Tournament

This weekend JADs team played in a soccer tournament in Pueblo, which is about 35 miles south of the Springs. They played a great game yesterday morning, easily winning 3-0. We saw great passing and the boys were actually talking and communicating with one another. It was great! Yesterday afternoon, however, didn't go so well and the team lost 1-4. There were a lot of down faces and jawing on the field as the game continued to tank. It's very interesting observing the boys as they walk away from the field after losing to a team that they should've been pretty even with. Some boys are ready to drop everything and fight. You can just see it on their faces as they walk off the field. They aren't afraid to talk back to the kids on the other team and they are kicking anything within reach because they are so angry. And then other boys are walking off smiling and laughing like they haven't a care in the world. These differences alone can cause so many problems as the two attitudes mix together. The word of the day is 'volatile.' The third game, this morning, went much better than yesterday as we won the game. The boys were tied at the end of the first half, but they came out in the second half acting like they were there to play. They ended the game 2-1. Unfortunately, they didn't make the championship game - two other teams won all their games - but I think they gained some confidence in themselves and as a team.

Outdoor season is fully in swing again. Just look in the back window of my van - there are blankets, a team bench, and chairs all ready to go. Hopefully we don't get any more winter weather from this point forward.