A mother's pride, a mother's guilt

Uni High isn't typically known for it's athletics. It hasn't had a football team since the early part of last century. But for the second year in a row, the boy's soccer team has made it to the state sectional championships. Last year was exciting for our family because Bethany's boyfriend Michael was one of the star players. It was also the year that Carter broke his wrist requiring surgery and sitting out for the entire soccer season. So THIS year was a big deal for Carter. In preparation for the season he and some friends started playing pick-up games with U of I students during the summer. He got new cleats. He dribbled a soccer ball around the house and showed off his moves to me and whoever else would watch. I'm guessing the other players did similar things because the team played pretty well this season, even though there were a lot of new and younger players.

George and I dragged the mini-muffins to as many of the home games as we could. At first the games were a little boring. If you've ever watched a soccer game, you know what I'm talking about. But then we got to know each of the players by name, and we would marvel at the intricate footwork, the way these boys could go from 0 to 60 in just a few seconds. And, of course, I just loved seeing my beautiful son play, his lanky arms and legs everywhere. I could tell he loved every minute of it.

Last Friday Uni won the regional title against a school they had beat once before. It was a nail-biting game, one that stayed 0-0 until nearly the end when Uni scored, sort of by accident. Who cares?! Now they're going to sectionals! Yesterday we packed up the little guys, lots of snacks, jackets, etc. and expectantly trekked down to Monticello for the game. It was a little cooler than I had expected and the wind had definitely picked up. We watched the first half, me dancing around to stay warm, Brennan and Logan chasing each other, seemingly oblivious to the weather.

The opponents scored twice soon into the first half. Disappointing. Then it started to rain. And the wind picked up even more. It became pretty miserable, prompting the little boys to hide their heads in our legs and ask to be picked up. By the end of the first half, the rain had become a downpour which flipped the "whine" switch....not the "I'm vaguely dissatisfied, make me happy" whine, but the "I'm so miserable, please help me" whine. I was filled with maternal angst, torn between the needs of one child and the needs of the other children. We went ahead and skedaddled back to the van, thinking "they're probably going to lose."

Well, they did. The final score was 3-2. One of those goals was made by CARTER. I missed my son's great moment, the one where he helped save his team's pride by keeping the game from being a shut-out. The one where all his athletic effort and focus culminated. Big sigh. Laced with lots of guilt.


On the left you can see him (white jersey) scoring with a "header." Those are really hard to do. On the right, the goalie and Carter after the game. ( got these pics from the Uni website.)

Thank GOD he's a junior and has another year to play. Perhaps next year we'll invest in rain gear for everyone. And stay no matter what.