thisnewday

My grandson Jason had two games this evening with his old club team from Eastwood in the 'Cuse. At the indoor arena where they play their winter sessions, I'd been sitting and conversing with the father of his teammate, Nick, who also attends Jason's high school and so plays on the varsity team with him as well.

Early in the first half, Nick's girlfriend arrived and took a seat in the row of bleachers just above where we were sitting. I recognized her because she's a cheerleader at the high school and had been at most, if not all, of the soccer team's home games. So I slid over a few seats so that she could talk to Nick's dad, which I'd noticed she usually did.

Although I'd immediately turned my attention back to the game, I overheard Nick's dad say to her that she really needed to tell her boyfriend to get a haircut. Which she agreed to do.

Now, being the perpetual wi$e-a$$ that I've apparently become in my old age--along with overcoming my reluctance to talk to cheerleaders--I leaned towards them and said, "As long as you're talking to Nick about getting a haircut, would you mind telling my grandson the same thing?"

Nick's dad then explained to her that I was Jason's grandfather, whereupon she laughed and said she'd do that.

After the games, which Eastwood won 4-1 and 5-4--the second one against a pretty tough U-18 team--we had just settled in the car for the ride home when Jason said to me, "Did you tell Emily to tell me that I needed a haircut."

For a second, it didn't register and I blurted out, "Who the heck is Emily?"

When he said she was Nick's girlfriend, I had to turn the car off for a minute until I stopped laughing. I'd had no idea that she even knew Jason and a less-than-zero expectation that she'd actually say anything to him.

I told him what had transpired in the bleachers and then asked him if he was gonna do what Emily had suggested. He said that, yes, he'd been thinking about it anyway. I told him he'd better or I'd be talking to her again--still laughing.

So I guess, besides providing my laugh of the week, I've also learned that just being old doesn't mean you know a damn thing about cheerleaders, lol...

LPK
Dreamwidth
11.23.2019

The starting midfield for today's pre-season scrimmage against Manlius-Pebble Hill includes Jason and David at each end and Dan and Ty in the middle.

They're among the four best players on the team and I think this is a smart way to use them because the midfield is where the game transitions from offense to defense and you want players there who have the right combination of skills, vision of the field, and knowledge of the game.

The kiddo is coming over for his pre-game meal at 1 PM--the game is at 3:30--which should give him enough time to eat, relax a bit, and prepare mentally. He told me he doesn't get pre-game jitters anymore, he just--I dunno--sort of inhabits the game that he's played so well since his days in Eastwood Youth Soccer. And he confided in me his hope that his teammates don't "choke" from the same jitters that he's overcome.

I think the midfield has started to come together as a unit--I can see it as they're coming off the field after practice. They also have a VERY good goalie, something we both worried about earlier in the pre-season. I guess we'll find out about the rest this afternoon, "out on the pitch," as the Brits call it.

Wish us luck...

LPK
Dreamwidth
8.27.2019 

Daughter #2 and I had agreed to meet today at the house in the city to continue the clearing out that needs to happen before it can be put on the market. We had tentatively planned on a 9:30 arrival but, as that time approached, I still hadn't finished my morning routine.

Normally I get up, hydrate, medicate, and then eat. My initial fluid intake for the day is about 16 oz. of filtered water-- which takes a while to get down because, in the meantime, I'm also acclimating myself to being upright and conscious. Then I do 10-15 minutes on the nebulizer for my lungs, followed by about 20 to 30 minutes to prep and eat breakfast.

This morning was complicated a bit by the location and severity of the discomfort in my back. There's always a fair amount of aching and stiffness when I get up in the morning, even though I may have gotten up 2-3 times during the night. And I try to avoid the use of Ibuprofen, which is my go-to med for muscle and joint pain, because of its detrimental effect on the stomach, liver, and kidneys.

However, I knew that if I was going to get through the day without a serious problem, I would have to medicate for the back pain as well. So I took a couple of 80 mg. over-the-counter tablets and took a little extra time while hydrating to get up periodically, walk around, etc.

Anyway, Beck and I both got to the house shortly after 10. Since I'd told her that I was running late, she'd decided to "throw together" one of her amazing split pea-with-ham soups for dinner and invited me to join the family later. Which I was more than happy to say that I'd do.

Then we went in and continued our efforts to deal with the forty-some years of a family's life and history which remained in the house after everyone had moved out and my wife had passed away.

By 2 in the afternoon, when we'd said that we'd wrap things up for the day, we'd sent about 6 contractor's bags to the Rescue Mission and filled 4 more from the basement and attic to be put at the curb for the next trash collection.

In addition, she had continued the sorting and re-boxing process to assure that the keepsakes and other personal items left in the attic by various family members would eventually be restored to their owners. And I continued in the basement, sorting and cleaning various items for sale or donation and staging them upstairs to be picked up later.

Following that, we both went home, showered, put on clean clothes, and then met as planned for dinner. And the soup, as anticipated, was delicious. So much so that, between being ravenously hungry and just indiscriminately enjoying the meal, I managed to provoke another episode, the second this week, with my Schatzki's Ring.

Which means, without getting overly gross or needlessly technical, that the food in my esophagus was unable, for a very uncomfortable 20-or-so minutes, to pass into my stomach. Which I guess is, in fact, both gross and technical. (Sorry.) As well as hella scary and painful.

The problem was, aside from the fact that if it didn't resolved on its own I'd be going to the hospital, we had planned to go to the middle granddaughter's evening soccer practice at an local indoor arena. So I told my daughter to go ahead and that I'd drive myself to the arena "when" it resolved.

Which, thankfully, it did. After which I drove to the arena and spent the rest of the hour watching the granddaughter, on one of two indoor soccer fields, working out with the other 8- through 12-year-olds from her local rec league. Which is majorly entertaining because the coach who heads the league is a really funny guy who gets a kick out of simultaneously engaging the kids on the field and the parents on the sideline.

After that, I came home, made a plywood pattern for the cardboard backing pieces that I've decided to use in my refurbished target box, and cut about a dozen pieces using it. It'll take about 30 of them because "Benny" penetrates about 20 such plies using the Czech JSB wadcutters which we use for more precise penetration of our paper targets. 

Then I did my evening meds, with the exception of the nebulizer treatment, and sat down to read the local and national news.

Because, you know, I enjoy the nightmares that come with contemplating the spineless Congressional majority following their clueless leader down the road to trade war with China, nuclear war with the North Koreans, or Constitutional crisis over his assault on our Democracy. Or maybe all three, if he's successful in his "plan" to "Make Amerika Great Again."

Now, I'm signing off, wishing everyone a good night and hoping that, if there's a world to wake up to tomorrow it'll be one without excruciating back pain or food that won't go down.

However, if I have to chose one, I'll dodge the nuclear holocaust with everyone else and suffer through the back pain...

LPK
Dreamwidth
4.10.2018

On Tuesday night, Jason's soccer practice was run by Jeff Knittel, the guy who's in charge of all the soccer programs at the Family Sports Center. He runs a good practice, connects well with the kids, and injects humor and fun into the skills training that's necessary for kids to advance in their sport.

After the practice, he came over to the sideline, where I was waiting for Jason to get his gear together for the ride home, and said that he'd noticed on our registration that we'd be interested in one of the club teams if there was an opening in the fall. I told him we were still interested and he said that he'd be in touch. So Hoo-ray! We've accomplished what we started out to do when we signed up for this at the beginning of the summer.

This morning, we went to Dick's for a ball to replace the one that Jason lost at a previous practice and stopped at the high school field to break it in. After this Friday's game, he has one more practice and one final game before the indoor season and his move to the next level starts...

LPK
LiveJournal
8.23.2012

On Saturday morning, after 7 AM team pictures, Jason's Eastwood Youth Soccer team played to another 2-2 tie. Jason scored his team's first goal, playing forward in the first half, but opened the second half as sweeper, the defender who plays the area in front of the goalie.

Although his dad was a little unhappy with that, the strategy worked because our weakness on defense has been that we've frequently allowed the other team's offense to get behind the sweeper position and go one-on-one with our goalie for the relatively easy scoring opportunity. In the sweeper position, Jason was able to execute several take-aways that kept the other team away from our goal.

Additionally, with his speed, he was able to move up the field to give his teammates another passing option near the opponents' goal while still being able to get back and defend if the other team attempted a break-away.

But the best part was that, from his sweeper position, Jason was able to coach his less-experienced teammates at maintaining their positions on the field, especially during transition phases of the game. And it's that understanding of the game, along with his willingness to lead, that will make him increasingly valuable as he moves up to the next level.

Hopefully, we'll be laying the groundwork for that this summer. On Saturday, after dropping him off at his mom's, I drove out to the Family Sports Center, where he played his indoor soccer this past winter, and signed him up for 8 weeks of outdoor soccer which will begin after school ends and continue through the summer.

My hope is that, by the time it's over, he'll have gotten the attention of one of the club teams that operate out of the Sports Center and be invited to play at a more elite level over the next winter. Anyway, that's the plan. Having sat through the hundreds of hours required for our youngest daughter to compete as a team gymnast, I know that after the papers are signed and the money is down the rest is up to Jason.

LPK
LiveJournal
5.21.2012 (a)

Saturday was another beatdown for my grandson's 9-and-under coed soccer team. To start with, there were four no-shows, including two of the team's best all-around players. And, because we had only a single reserve on the bench, Jason played the entire game without a break, except at the half. The score, at the end, was 7-2 and Jason had scored both of his team's goals.

As usual, he played well. Not flawlessly, but well. He's definitely strongest on offense, where he plays center-forward. He's an exceptional ball-handler, looks to pass when there's an opportunity, and is reasonably accurate when he does. Unfortunately, there's seldom anyone on the other end who can do much with his passes. He's also gotten good about playing his zone, so as to provide an outlet for his teammates. Again, the unfortunate thing is that only a couple of his teammates play with any awareness of the field or are able to pass with any degree of accuracy.

I've previously said that I support a policy of inclusiveness for this team. And I've always made allowances for that in assessing our performance. Our coach is also very laid-back, with respect to his coaching style and expectations. And I'm OK with that as well. Kids this age don't learn or perform well with people yelling at them. And they certainly don't have fun, which is presumably why we're all doing this.

But it's also not much fun being beaten every week, even though we give lip-service to the notion that winning is not the important thing. The thing is, different kids are in it for different reasons. Your kid may be there because he needs to attain a minimal level of fitness while mine may be there precisely because he needs to learn to be competitive. The point is that neither of our kids are being helped toward their respective goals if they're not being supported by the adults who signed them up in the first place.

So if your kid doesn't come to practice, misses games, never sees mom or dad or grampa in the bleachers, and doesn't get any help at home during the week, then both of our kids are suffering for it. (My sister was a single mom who worked full time and wasn't particularly athletic. She grew up in that unfortunate era when girls were called unflattering names if they were. But she learned to throw and catch and bat well enough to help her son participate in Little League.)

Please understand that the LAST thing I'd want in this life is to be one of those Sarah Palin-described "pit bulls in lipstick" who sometimes prowl the sidelines at our games. Aside from the fact that I've never found a shade of lipstick that goes well with my complexion, I think they give kids' sports a bad name and do a disservice to every child and family that's appropriately involved.

But c'mon, if my grandson can run his nine-year-old a$$ off every week, at practice and in games, can throttle back his desire to win so that your child can participate, then I think you might just consider getting up off the couch, putting away the chips'n'dips, and investing a little of your well-fed self as well.

Anyway, that's my rant to start the new week. The game did have its moments and, as I pointed out to my once again disconsolate grandson, a number of his teammates did play very hard and showed a desire to at least compete, if not win. And Jason himself figured in a few more of those "plays of the day" where he fights through 3 or 4 opposing players with that dazzling footwork of his, comes out the other side with the ball, and goes streaking toward the opposing goal.

So if there's a lesson to be learned from this, anything at all to be gained from these weekly beatdowns, it's that one person can't carry the team and that it takes a broadly-supported team to at least be competitive...

LPK
LiveJournal
3.18.2012 (b)

After one season, my grandson's "Knights of Columbus" baseball jersey is badly faded. He's been playing twice a week for the past two months and what began as deep burgundy with white block letters is now a machine-laundered ghost of its former self.

Even so, it owes us nothing, has served its purpose. Jason is seven and this was his first year of Little League baseball. It's unlikely that the shirt would even fit next season. And, even if it did, it's not certain that he'd be on the same team again.

Tomorrow is "show and tell" day in his first grade class and he's going to bring the trophy he received Sunday at the Little League award ceremony. The real reward, though, is the confidence he now seems to feel around the other kids.

It's been kind of a grind, getting him to both baseball and soccer games every week for the past two months. But seeing him interact as he now does with his peers is better than any trophy, which will soon be gathering dust on the fireplace mantle, or even the memories held by the faded jersey, similarly relegated to a forgotten corner of his dresser drawer...

LPK
LiveJournal
6.16.2010