Soccer: It keeps me young (at least I pretend it does)

Softball is the sport that took me around the world, and
gave me 3 Olympic Gold Medals


But soccer is the sport that I play these days!

I would say I love sports, but that isn't completely
true. I love to play sports and I love to
compete. My husband loves sports and
there is a big difference between us. He will
faithfully support his pro-teams by wearing their
game day jerseys (both home and away) because of
course that will bring them good luck. He knows
who plays on what teams in all different sports.
Don't ask me any names or positions, I don't have
time to watch it because I'm chasing my sons around.
OK, maybe it's because I would choose to do other
things before sitting and watching.

That is, unless, I get to play! I play co-ed indoor
soccer on Friday nights and I can't get enough of it.
I played two games tonight and I have some bruises
and stiffness to prove it. I crack up leaving the
field because my competitiveness comes out the second
I take the field. Tonight the other team was pushing
quite a bit, even when they didn't have the ball.
I am all about fairness, but that's not so good when
I'm competing because then I want to push back (that's
only fair, right?). I get a little loud, and even
caught myself yelling to one of my male teammates to
go hard into the girl on the other team because she
was trying to take him out. Now, that's where I need
to step back and remember that it's a game, and more
importantly, I need to be a good example of my faith.

Competition can bring out the best and worst in people.
People sometimes accomplish more than they thought possible
and work with others in team sports, but people can also
get angry and frustrated when things do not go well.
When I react and get frustrated, I walk away and
tell myself that I need to keep quiet and
just play. I need to be a good example. Using your body
a little to go into a player is fun when you are protecting
the ball. The physical part is what I love about
soccer. I love racing to a ball, or taking the ball
away from a guy who is quicker and stronger than me.
I love sprinting and beating a college age female
soccer player to the ball even though I'm WAY older
than her! One day I told Jake after the game, "Jake, I
may be old, but I can still hang with these young girls!".
I love a challenge. I like breathing hard after
sprinting up and back because it means I'm getting
some kind of workout in! I even love having my mom in
the stands cheering me on, just like old-times.

My friend, Amber, who I hadn't seen since High
School asked me to play 2 years ago and it has
been such a blast. I've been thrown into the
wall by a guy, bruised my foot, really bruised
my ribs, took a chunk of skin out of a finger
(the wall had a hole and my finger found it),
had many sore muscles, but it is so worth it!
I love to compete! I'll keep working on being
a good example on the field at all times too!