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THE MORAL OF THE STORY
By Gloria Averbuch
Athletes and coaches have a lot to offer us. I learned this last night as I sat among the crowd at a Sky Blue FC game and listened to Head Coach Kelly Lindsey give what was billed as a coach’s "chalk talk." This woman, a former professional player herself, is young enough to be my daughter, but on this evening, she was wise enough to be my sage.
Most of the audience was young aspiring soccer athletes, with parents and coaches among them. After warming them up with a few cheers, Coach Lindsey reminded them that every one of the professional players on the field started at the age these children are now.
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Then, she asked them:
"Who wants to have a perfect touch every time the ball comes to you? Who wants to block every move or shot from your opponent? Who wants to score a goal every time you have the ball?"
"Well, I don’t want to be a "downer," but I have to tell you, that’s never going to happen. There is no perfection in this game."
She went on to quote the motto, "Control the controllables." She told the group, " You can’t control a lot of things as a soccer player, but there are two things: your attitude and your work ethic."
"Watch the game this evening. When our players make mistakes, what do they do in that moment? Do they put their heads down, or do they go on, and work even harder?"
What Coach Lindsey was teaching us all is that ultimately, the game of soccer is just like the game of life. And that we, as parents, can be the kind of people she told the group she herself aspired to be as a player.
"I wanted to inspire someone in the crowd. I wanted to work so hard, that someone would see that, and be affected."
She concluded by saying, "I might never know who that person would be, but it was enough to know he or she was out there."
The only difference for us is that as parents, we do know who our audience is when we aspire to be that kind of hard-working never-say-die role model: they are our children. And on this evening, Coach Lindsey reminded us all of a lesson we parents can teach them.
Sky Blue FC of Women’s Professional Soccer plays its next home game on Sunday, June 28th at 6pm at Yurcak Stadium at Rutgers University. Half price group night. Family or individual ticket packages, which include hot dog, chips and soda with the price. The following week, join us for our July 4th match with the Boston Breakers at 4:30pm and enjoy a hot dog on us! Free hot dogs for first 2,500 in attendance. Great ticket deals are available at www.SkyBlueFC.com or by calling 1-888-SBFC-TIX.
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