'Proud Papa' Moment

Posted At : September 17, 2007 8:43 PM | Posted By : Scott Stroz
Related Categories: Sports Stuff,Stuff About Me

This past Saturday marked the first of many weekends where we spent a few hours with our kids watching them play organized sports. My older son started his second season of soccer (football to any readers outside the US) and my younger son started his first.

My older son suffers from a mild form of Cerebral Palsy and has been fortunate enough to be with a coach who is understanding of my sons abilities, patient and a very good coach. My younger son is not so lucky. His coach can be loud, impatient and sometimes, expect too much form the kids. You see, my younger son's coach is me.

I agreed to coach because the league was in need of coaches as there were a lot of kids who signed up. My son loves that I am his coach, but it scares the sh*t out of me. Why? Because its one thing to screw up your own kids with sports, but when its other people's kids, the pressure is almost unbearable.

Anyway, in the 'U6' ('under 6) division, the coaches are the referees. While I was out there for my half of the game, my younger son scored his first goal!!! It was kind of bittersweet because I wasn't really able to celebrate because I was the 'ref' and it would have been poor sportsmanship on my part. But I will never forget the look of joy on his face when the ball went in, the sense of pride you could see on his face, the fact that the first thing he did after scoring his first ever goal was to come over to me and give me a hug and say, 'Thank you so much for being my coach, daddy.'

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I have been coaching my 5 year old in t-ball since he was 3. Its a VERY rewarding experience and a great way to spend time with your kids. On the other hand, it can be VERY frustrating, scary.

The first year my son played he was 3. He played in the 4-5 yr old division where we have a special field just for the little guys. If they hit the ball to the fence either on the ground or in the air its a home run, as long as it touches the fence without touching a player first.

I remember when Caleb hit his first home run that year,(he hit 2 that season) I had tears in my eyes on the ball field! Talking about a proud daddy/coach!

Keep up the great job and enjoy the time!!

# Posted By Russ Johnson | 9/17/07 10:34 PM

When it comes to being a volunteer coach, how hard was it to learn the rules? I figure you probably knew them already - but what about parents (like me) who would want to help, but possibly no next to nothing about the actual rules? Is it just a matter of going to the library to pick up a book?

# Posted By Raymond Camden | 9/18/07 7:31 AM

@Ray - It really depends on the league and age group. My son plays in the youngest group so the rules are pretty simple,

1. Don't touch the ball with your hands.

Seriously, that's pretty much all we teach them in terms of the rules.

There are training classes, either in person or online, offered by a national organization (http://www.soccer.org/) that help the coaches understand what the kids should be learning at what ages.

# Posted By Scott Stroz | 9/18/07 7:41 AM

I learned a lot about myself by coaching.

# Posted By Phillip Senn | 9/18/07 9:10 AM

Great story Scott, good for you (and your son too).

# Posted By Jim Collins | 9/19/07 10:06 AM

dang dude that last sentence made me tear up. way to go! :-)

I think it is a daddy thing.

# Posted By J.J. Merrick | 9/20/07 9:45 AM

You go Scott. My two oldest ar 5 an 6 and they haven't expressed an interest in sports yet. The 6 year old just joined the Cub Scouts and is very excited about it. So I guess this old Dad gets to help out. Watching your kids do well is the best that can happen to a father.