I started playing rec league soccer about, oh, I guess just over a year and a half ago. There were a few reasons why I did it, one was to keep in shape. It’s so much easier to be motivated to run when you have a team that expects you to do so.  It was something that @ragingpandabear and I could do together.  Another reason? I enjoy competition.

At first I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do – I played soccer for a year when I was about 12…that was over 12 years ago! (And, back then I hated it. I didn’t like running…boy, how things change!) Since I didn’t like soccer when I played, I never really bothered to learn all of the rules, so coming into it now — it’s been a journey. 

I started playing with a great team that played on Tuesdays up in Redmond. They were very patient with me, and they taught me a lot. Unfortunately, after a couple of months I was unable to play with them as their games started coinciding with the classes I started taking (Japanese, for those of you that don’t go that far back in my blog readings). A friend of mine told me his brother’s team was always looking for girls, so I looked him up on Facebook. Sure enough, they were willing to have me, and Chris and I started as subs. (I’ve since earned a genuine place on the team – I pay and everything! *wink* )  We started with outdoor soccer, and have since played indoor as well. Currently, we play twice a week, and I love it!

We play at Starfire. We’re not a high level league, but I think our team is improving all of the time! (Of course, they all are much more skillful than I am, being a newbie and all…)  There are still things that I need to learn…and some of them are pretty important. Which things, you ask? Oh, minor things like dribbling and shooting. My ball control is mediocre at best, but I’m getting better and better at defense, which is where I am most comfortable. I’d like to eventually get up top and score though! (The one time I did score was indoor, and it was a shock to everyone…including me!)

I’d love to get more practice in, and that’s something I’m working towards. I also need to actually become more disciplined about running, so I can get faster and stay on longer!  I’m all about the contact part of the sport. If you bump me, I’m going to bump you back, but harder. If you trip me, I’m on you. If you think tackling me or pushing me down will stop me, I will get back up! I’ve gotten a little bit better in controlling my outbursts, not being so angry as I’ve gotten a little bit better. I hope to become better still, but I don’t know if I’ll ever lose that competitive edge. In fact, I hope I don’t. If I do, I’ve lost the love for it!

Now, for the guys I love to watch:

There is nothing we like better than to be able to go to the Sounders FC matches, or to watch with friends. I am very excited about the new additions to our team: Nkufo and Fernandez. I didn’t post everyone that I love to watch – we’re missing a few. But that would be a whole picture post…and that’s probably not why you’re here. (Why are you here, anyway?) For a blog that is all about the Sounders FC…check out this site. Happy reading!

Tags: Rec Soccer, Sounders FC, Starfire

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 11:12 PM and is filed under Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.