Glitter Force

Last fall when Clara did outdoor soccer, Hannah wasn't old enough yet, so Clara was by herself on the team.  Hannah did indoor soccer in the winter.  This fall, Hannah said she wanted to do soccer with Clara, so we registered them together, and they were able to be on the same team.  Clara has definitely done better than she did last year, as she's a year stronger than last year, so she can kick the ball better, and she generally has more interest.  Hannah only barely has enough interest to play.  If she's on the same shift as Clara, she'll do it.  If not, it takes some convincing.  She just doesn't seem to have much drive to play.  In the spring, we'll have to see if she wants to play again.  If not, we won't push it, and she can sit out that season, and maybe she'll have more interest in it later.

This year's team is called Glitter Force, which all the girls love.  There is a team cheer that Coach Marc does before each game ("Pump, pump, pump it up!  Pump that Glitter Force Spirit Up! Win, win, win the game! Goooooooo, Glitter Force!!!").  Hannah really likes the cheer and has memorized it and now sings it at home.  I've included some pictures here of a few different weeks, including the unfortunate scheduling where their team picture was on a day where Hannah was already committed to going to her classmate Claire's birthday party.  Coach Marc was really great.  You can see him in the hat and black shirt helping Clara with a drill in practice, which he did a good job of making fun for the girls. You can see in the two game action pictures one time where Clara kicked the ball, which wasn't often, and another one showing the two of them lagging behind the rest, which wasn't uncommon.  But they both always tried when they were on the field, and they stayed with the team.  Hannah might have touched the ball once during the season, other than on direct kicks.  She did a good enough job when she was supposed to be on the field, but she was always excited to get subbed off to come and see me on the sidelines, as you can see from the picture where she's running towards me.  But I'm proud of her for sticking with it despite he lack of interest.