Football

This was Chance's first year of real, live, tackle football. It has been so fun, but it has been an eye-opener for me. I went to his first practice and was in shock - these 7, 8, and 9 year olds were being treated like adult players! They had warm-ups, stretching, and learned to run plays. The coaches were all dressed alike and were yelling at the kids like crazy! It was quite a sight. His team doesn't huddle before a play - the coach just writes the play on a board and holds it up for the team to see. Then they are supposed to remember the play and position themselves to run it. It's pretty impressive. On one of the first practices, Chance's helmet was hurting his head really bad. He just wasn't used to it, and those helmets are heavy! He ran over by me to get a drink and he had tears in his eyes. I wanted to give him a big hug (but I refrained) and I asked him if I should ask the coach about his helmet. He said, "Gotta go, Mom" and ran back out as quick as he could. Chance is a perfectionist and does all of his warm-ups and drills perfectly. He is never first in any of them, but you can be sure that his form is perfect! He's really good at leg lifts and sit-ups. A lot of the kids struggle with those, but he has a pretty strong little core. I made the mistake of telling him that I thought he was developing a six-pack on his tummy, so now that is his favorite thing to show off.

at practice

Their team has practice every night from 6-7:30 p.m., with the exception of Thursdays, then games every Saturday. Chance loves it. He plays hard, but he's not quite as aggressive as some of the other kids. He's getting better, though. I love watching him. I have always liked football so it has been fun for me to watch him get out there and play. Because he's one of the youngest/smallest on the team, he does not start and plays 2nd string defense. (Although he was moved to starting defense after an awesome game against Roy!!) He will play nose guard or on the line on defense. During practice, he'll play running back. He says he doesn't like running back, but he never fumbles the ball and I think he's pretty good at it. I just think he doesn't like being tackled all of the time. I don't blame him. But they look so cute in their little outfits, don't they?!? Unfortunately, they lost their first game like 37-0. It was quite the learning experience. When they sent Chance in for his first play I was so nervous! It was like I was out there! But on his very first play he got a tackle! I was so proud of him! Go Warriors!