There's No Place Like Home

After a really rough start,

Elle's U11 team ended up taking 2nd place in the Kansas City Champions Cup Tournament in Overland Park.  This is the first time I have seen Elle really shine and be so confident playing up with the U11 girls.  She dominates in her U10 age bracket and has really been holding back on her new U11, D1 team.  She shys away from the bigger girls and seems a little intimidated.  This tournament, Elle came out very strong and played strong the entire tournament.  At half time, her coach had her stand up and had the rest of the team give her a round of applause.  He said that was some fantastic soccer she was playing and blew a kiss into the air.  I would have to agree.  She plays a very tough mid-field and is probably one of the fastest out on the field.  She can throw those little hips right in front of an unsuspecting player and take a ball faster than you can imagine.  She assisted a good number of the goals scored over the weekend.  Her excellent play earned her her first starting spot  and a game as team captain with the older girls.  Way to go, Elle :)

 

 

Sam's 1st track meet of the year and more soccer

Sam ran the 100, 200, 4x100 and did the long jump in his first meet of the year.  He was placed in the 1st heat against the fastest and biggest runners.  Look at the guys on either side of Sam.  Sam took last place in the 1st heat of the 100 by just a few steps.  I'm convinced that if he grew a foot or so, he might have beaten them all :)  I keep telling him he has to compare Sam to Sam and not to anyone else, which isn't exactly what Sam wants to hear.  He took 4th overall in the 200.  His relay team took 1st place by a good 25 yards.  He's a good little jumper but failed to score as he "scratched" by stepping over the line before jumping.

Half time of one of Ashlynn's three soccer games this week.  Watching soccer isn't nearly as much fun for Elle as playing.

I forgot to take my camera to this game, so here is a lovely phone picture.  Ashlynn's team played against Blue Valley Northwest, where two of her club teammates play.  The girls in black are on Ashlynn's school and club team.  It was fun to reconnect as we take a break from club soccer during the high school season.  The score ended in a 2-2 tie and Ashlynn assisted both goals. 

Game three of the week ended in a 5-1 ONW win over St. Thomas Aquinas High School.  Ashlynn scored the first goal off of a corner kick.

Fun on the field

How did I end up with three children so passionate about the same game?  Who knows.  Whatever the reason, soccer consumes much of our time and the kids live their lives around practicing, playing, watching and improving their game.  So when one of them has a game, you will often see the other(s) with a ball on a nearby field.  I finally had to capture on film what this boy does for fun.  He has never used his flip throw in a game, I suppose because he is nervous that it will go wrong or that a regular standing throw-in would go further than his flip throw.  But he's getting better and better at it.  Some day he may use it during a game, but in the meantime, it's just something fun to do on the sidelines while your sister(s) are playing.

Here is the series:

Elle is playing on two D1 teams now.  One is U10 and one is U11.  We added the U11 team so she could get a little more competition and strengthen her game.  She loves it.  If I ever need to punish Elle, I can threaten to take away soccer practice or games and that will just send her right over the edge.  She and her U11 team won the Gold Division of the Emerald Cup Soccer Tournament this weekend, beating a very mouthy Tony Glavin team from St. Louis 6-1.  Here is Elle with her best soccer buddy, Graci.

Ashlynn is enjoying High School soccer at Olathe Northwest.  Ashlynn tried out and made the Freshman/Sophomore (C) team.  She was disappointed not to make JV and we thought she was good enough to make it, but she has adopted a good attitude about her current place on the "C" team.  She is a starter and plays most of the game.  The girls on the "C" team are for the most part, an extremely talented group of girls and have so far won the two games they have played 10-0 and 9-0.  The have tied the JV Team each time they have played.

Ashlynn scored the 2nd goal of the game off of a corner kick.
 

 

New thoughts on an old picture . . .

Ashlynn's First High School Soccer Game

There were so many goals scored in this game, it's hard to keep track of who scored which goal, but Ashlynn scored either the 5th or 6th goal with a left-footed shot.

First Spring Games for Elle

Elle had her first two outdoor games of Spring Soccer with her Attack team.  They played against two very talented D1 teams without their regular goalie. Elle and Emily each drilled in a goal to tie (2-2) the first game against a Quest team with girls the size of 12-year-olds and lost 3-0 to a much improved and very quick Blue Valley Soccer Club Team.

Happy 10th Birthday to my Elle!

It's been so long since I posted a blog entry that I almost forgot how to log in!

Just to sharpen up my blogging skills, I thought I'd try posting.

Congratulations, Sam, on making the State ODP Soccer Team. Looks like we'll be traveling to Illinois this summer :)

Happy 13th Birthday, Sam!

Olathe Northwest

The E-Comm Entertainment team at Ashlynn's High School created and produced this video in one take last week.  It is fun and pretty clever.  The first gal with glasses that comes dancing down the hallway singing  is in our ward and was one of my YCL's at camp last summer.  Ashlynn says mostly the upper classmen are the athletes and music students that were filmed.  She says she is, "in the gym somewhere".

Enjoy!