Like many people, I often feel like I need a break after the busy weekend. Most of my weekends are focused on my daughter’s soccer schedule. She plays club soccer, which includes two trainings a week and one to three games a weekend. She also plays indoor in the winter so soccer is truly year-round for us. People without children or those who have children who aren’t involved in activities and sports often ask me why I put so much time and energy into a sport. I immediately tell them that organized sports and activities promote confidence, health and teamwork.  My daughter has built friendships, learned to take direction from other adults outside the classroom and work hard for something she wants. The training that Northern Kentucky Soccer Academy provides is intense but my daughter looks forward to it each week.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen how these skills have translated in her life off the field. The 18 members of Team Fusion, who joined together earlier this fall, have become fast friends. These girls truly enjoy being together. And although they haven’t had a lot of wins on the field, they have learned how to work well together on and off the field.

Two weeks ago the girls had a two hour break between games. We set up lunch for the team and cornhole for the parents. The girls discovered several ears of corn nearby. Next thing we know, the team is sitting in a circle shucking corn. They then scraped the corn off the cob into a large box. This may seem like such a silly task, but they worked as a team to do this. They were laughing and working together the entire time. They were entertained, saved their energy for the next game, bonded and used teamwork to accomplish a goal they set for themselves. They then decided to give the corn to their coach so he could feed the squirrels in his yard.

On Friday, the coaches and a few parents took the team to watch the NKU men’s soccer game. The girls were so excited to cheer their trainer Kevin on during the game. Earlier that week the girls devised a plan. Several of them met at one house immediately after school to make posters and T-shirts. Five of the girls made shirts that went together K on one shirt, E on the next, V on the next and well you get it. The girls worked together for about three hours on their shirts and posters.

Although I love soccer, I often feel that my life revolves around it. However, it is times like these that make me know it’s totally worth it. My daughter has created long-lasting friendships, learned to work well with other people on many levels and become more confident on and off the field. I’ve also had the opportunity to make good friends by sitting on the sidelines week after week with the same parents.

Go Fusion![slidesho

This slideshow requires JavaScript.