That's what I said :): Sports Winding Down

For another summer season. I am always sorry to see the season end, just when the playing is getting good, only to have to start all over again next year. Taylor is LOVING her baseball right now but they are done and out of the playoffs. Annika is actually PLAYING soccer now, as opposed to watching while crying, and that's a huge accomplishment. And Holly's soccer team is playing like a team now, and doing really well. Ive seen huge improvements likely despite my bad coaching, and love watching them play!

So last week was Annika's last week for soccer. We did find out this week that her leaque will be taking part in the end of year Tournament in September, which we didnt think they would be. So there is one day left.
For their last day, Annika's team had Fun night where the parents played against the kids. Against! hahahahah! it was fun and I didnt plan to play so I was not properly attired. lol

See Annika in there Challenging me. Grrr. Im all like Bring It On, little person.

Here Yelling Im Open, Pass it to me! This is not only something I have been working on getting MY team to do (a few are getting it) But remember it's parents against the kids...and they arent being faked out. They did NOT pass to me.

Annika attacked me and attempted to tackle me to the ground. Luckily I saw it coming, and headed it off by spinning her in circles til she was dizzy.

Friends with her Soccer Ball now. :)

The Soccer POSE.

And sort of a team photo. iT was hard enough to get those little kids to stand together let alone stand nice and pose. So that was about it. Battery dead now. lol

Taylor's Mosquito baseball team entered Playoffs this week. They had a rough season, not playing together so well, not batting too well, and losing a lot of games, some to Forfeit because not enough players came to the game. Not a lot of dedication in some of those players.
Anyway the last couple of weeks they have been playing well, winning a lot of games, and doing much better. Taylor got less scared of the ball, and started to hit it. And they were in a good place coming into the playoffs.
They won their first game on Monday night. Tuesday night they lost but it was due to pitching as Scott was saving his best pitchers for the Third game. Which I got to go to! :) I missed a lot of games for taking the other 2 to their soccer nights.

Taylor is in the outfield playing...actually I'm not sure what position she was playing at that point. Rover? lol NOt sure but she's in the outfield. Might be left field.

They started this game with a lead of 3-0. It looked good, they were playing well. BUMMER about the Umpire, he is the worst I have ever seen, legendary even with his poor calls. I was so so mad, that's the reason I need to stay away from Ball Games...I was SOOOO mad at those calls he was making. It really confuses the kids and takes the wind out of their sails when they strike out, never swinging, because they are either trying to avoid getting hit or could never reach the ball, with a strike zone of about 16 feet. Most kids are not tall enough to reach those "strikes" anyway he SUCKED and we can leave it at that. No doubt about how it affects the outcome of a game tho.

ok so down by a run, Taylor comes to bat. Now the highlight of the game, Taylor got an awesome hit! Not just a hit....but she got a DOUBLE! So She's there on second base poised for third! :):) She's been on base before but she usually walked there. This was her first really honest to goodness hit onto base. :D:D:D
Of course I was so busy yelling and cheering I didnt get a photo of her Running into HOME to score the tying run! But she totally DID! her team came out to High Five her and it was all and awesome time!

Didnt last forever tho, as the other team scored at the bottom of the 6th to win the game. It's sad to see the season end but it did end on a good note when the team was playing well together and Taylor had that hit! She was sad to stop playing now, finally getting into the game. I dont know if she will play next year.

The team and coaches pull it together for a photo at the end. They will have some sort of a Banquet but Ive no idea when or where or what.

and Last Night Holly's soccer season ended, but for the Tournament in September. their team has been doing great most of the season and has won more games than lost, played really well together the past few weeks, and basically had a great season with very little troubles.
Holly really LOVES soccer. and she's such a little cracker out there, getting in the middle of things and taking the ball away from kids way bigger than she is. She's always kind of playing a level ahead, with a birthday late in the year she is bumped up to the next level fast, spending only one year at Under 6, now this year playing Under 8 with kids who are already 8 years old, and much bigger. Didnt seem to phase her at all, I just love watching her play! She also loves to play Goalie, and doesnt do too badly at it either! :)

While off a shift, waiting for something to happen.

Making a big save! She made a lot of those, and also let a couple in. The goalies were mostly playing too far out of the net, and it improved when I stood near and reminded them to get back into the net.

Kicking the ball back out into play. We're working on big kicks or kicks to teammates Lol but a few times they would get booted right back at the goalie who is too far out of the net to actually do anything about it!

Holly scored a good goal in this game, the first for our team in that game. :) One of the other boys who had not scored all year also scored. IN the past couple of games I saw a lot of first goals as the kids learned the positions and started to make the most of them, passing the ball around and going to the net. YES a couple of them DID learn the concept of GO TO THE NET, which I yelled so much they must have started to hear it in their dreams GO TO THE NET PLEASSSSSE go to the NETTTTT! lol. I was glad to learn last night that our team was not the only one to not always get the concept. But there was much improvement and I was glad to see lots of passes and lots of calling out to teammates "I'm open" or Pass here or something to help out when caught in tunnel vision. There was still lots of "sheep following" going on, with one person on the ball and the rest trailing behind but there were a few shining moments when one of them would GO to the net and get a goal, and the light came on and they got it. :):):)

The half Time meeting. There's not really a tonne to be able to tell them at this point lol other than keep your butts in the net and stop watching the ball go by. There was a lot of "watching" going on! LOL

Holly playing Forward here. She's not a bad forward, she really goes after the ball and doesnt let it get too far away....still not getting the concept of Go to the NEt but it will come next year :):):):):)

Ya just gotta understand, how stinking SMALL She looks out there! It's almost funny, the size of her but she's always in the middle of the action, scooting on for the ball and scooting back out again!

So we won this game by one goal, partly to good play, excellent goaltending, and their team having no one to change shifts with so I am thinking they were getting tired towards the end although you couldnt really tell, they were really playing their hearts out. It was a great note to end on, and we cant wait til the tournament in a couple of weeks! :)