Busy Few Days

Things have definitely gotten busy the past few days. J started football practice. His first day was a little rough. He was thrown right into a position. They made him a cornerback to start. This surprised me because I was sure that he would kick the ball around a little and that be that. I didn't expect them to try to play him anywhere else other than place kicker. He wasn't a big fan of corner. He did manage an interception, but wasn't sure if he had done something right or wrong at first. The other problem became that some boys were throwing a party Saturday that was going to involve some activities that weren't exactly legal for people of their age. This completely threw J for a loop because he was told kids here can't drink alcohol. It was either not explained or lost in translation that some do. J wasn't invited to the party, but overheard it. He was going to quick the team over this, and just join another team. We had to explain to him that it was most like going to happen no matter what team he joined. There were kids in every group that did this. He did find some nice boys on the team, and we gave him tips to try an avoid the other boys. The next day he did go back to football practice made friends with more of the good kids and was fine. He still didn't think football was his sport though. This, is when things became really interesting. See, J kicked on day two. This football team doesn't have one kid on the regular team that can kick the ball. J, not only can kick the ball, but from what I hear can kick it real far. He outkicked the area the have pre-measured to check distance. They never told him how far he was kicking, but one coach did exclaim "Holy Macaroni" after he kicked the first one. The coaches weren't about to let the only kid who may score them some points walk. J gets in the car after practice and tells us that he is now the football kicker, and on the soccer team. The state does allow for this. Now, he is a starter for the soccer team, and the football team's PK. He mainly practices with the soccer team, but does run up after soccer practice and kick's a few balls with the football guys. Both coaches are keeping an eye on his for fatigue, so he is being watched carefully. I would like to think it is because they are concerned about his welfare, but this is small town America. These sports makes legends out of not only the teams, but the players and coaches as well. I know they are keeping an eye to make sure he can do his job efficently on both teams. They aren't about to let their star player go down. J also got his first taste of American style soccer yesterday. Let's just say he learned the teaching lags considerably behind their European counterparts. First, he is so good that he finally gets his chance to play striker on a team. He is a defenseman in Germany. Two, he also got to see that even in high school, these kids still chase the ball around like little kids. There is no real position play here yet. He actually asked one of his defensive guys what they were doing during practice yesterday. He hopes that with a little guidance, he can get them to understand the importance of playing their position. This was also followed by no wonder US soccer has taken so long to get anywhere on the international scene. J couldn't believe what he was seeing on the field. I told him he will see it with the other teams as well. He thinks this is just crazy. Tomorrow, is his first football game. I will post with how well things went.