The Last Year: A Mom's Heartfelt Journey Through Her Son's Senior Year of High School
Part III
My son has been playing soccer since he was 7 years old, so this last season feels like a punctuation mark on a long chapter of his life. I've spent countless hours sitting on the sidelines, in recreational, competitive club, adult league, and high school soccer. Countless hours have been spent cheering him on, trying to contain my "Mom" emotions while watching him on the field and in the past several years in goal as keeper (which brings a who different level of anxiety). Now as I watch him as he enters his final games, I am both proud and heartbroken. Every play is a reminder that these moments- these final games- are fleeting.
It is funny how something like a soccer ball/soccer goal or even just the site of the pitch in the fall evenings with a sunset falling behind it can trigger so much emotion. It's not just the sport; it's the end of growing up, learning, and yes, making mistakes along the way. He has grown so much in confidence, learning to be part of a team, enduring physical blows as goal keeper, increasing his mental toughness when players blame him for a missed goal (though he is the last line of defense of an 11 man team) and learning how to be coachable and how to lead and follow.
He has been coached by some phenomenal coaches and quite frankly some crappy ones. Both types however have taught him lots of things. The phenomenal coaches, Coach Shields, Coach Miguel, Coach Guessly, Coach Carty, Coach Ryan (just to name a few) along with GK specific coaches not part of clubs like Rolando, GK Coach Chris from Rose City GK, all provided learning opportunities, repetition, mental toughness, and instilled a love of the game in him. He has learned perseverance, leadership and having a voice. As a keeper you are the eyes and voice of the team. You see the game in real time and guide players with your voice. Some of these coaches offered the notion to "work hard, dream big" something that served him well over the years. We are forever grateful for our experiences with these men. Their impact does not go unnoticed.
However, not all of the soccer teams and coaches have been so positive, but that doesn't mean that there were lessons learned there. Our son has learned what is right and wrong, what a team truly means despite coaches who only play favorites, or play politics. There were lessons in humility, when to speak up and out about the things and when to make a decision that best suits your needs and what you are willing to endure. All of these lessons are life's lessons and have helped to build up strength and independence that our son displays today.
As he has already transitioned from competitive club soccer to his final year of high school Soccer. I am already missing the weekend morning games (loving that I can sleep in), the crisp air and windy days, convo's with other soccer moms and dads on the sidelines and the car rides home. AND now our final season is here for high school
Each game feels like a metaphor for his life: trying, failing, learning and succeeding. And even as he blocks his final goals, I know I will miss the cold fall evenings, the sunsets on the pitch during a game, the whistles blown at half time and the after game hugs. The moments are small but deeply meaningful.
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