From the Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
The house-league soccer season is beginning to wind down here in Wallaceburg and, looking back as a coach working closely with the players, I can see certain things that stood out to me.
First, there was the desire to win.
I know, I know, winning isn’t everything, but having a healthy competitive spirit leads to greater effort, and that is a good thing, in my estimation.
When kids have something to shoot for, they will push a bit more to try to make it happen.
Secondly, there was comradery.
Soccer is a team sport so one person cannot do it all alone.
You need your fellow players.
One team had a boy who had great difficulty running, yet he was cheered and encouraged by everyone on his team, and even the team that was playing against him.
His coach later told me that this young man was a reminder to him about keeping priorities in the right place.
I couldn’t agree more!
Thirdly, there was the encouragement of parents.
Each week parents came with their lawn chairs and cheered their kids on.
As a boy playing little league baseball growing up in Windsor I can’t tell you how much it meant for me to have my dad cheer me on in my games.
It is why I still love to play sports today.
Finally, there is the fact that every kid is different, and that is something we should celebrate.
Some are eager beavers and others need a fire lit beneath them to get them to move.
Yet here they are, playing together on the same team having to work together to accomplish the same goal.
It’s not always poetry in motion but it is remarkable how each one contributes, in some small way at least, to the final product.
Kudos to the Wallaceburg Soccer Association and their committed team of leaders and volunteers for making such a great experience available to the kids of our community!
