Soccer Camp

This summer was Owen's very first time playing team sports.  I thought soccer would be great for him to try and a fun way to incorporate Colombia's most loved sport into our household, so I signed Owen up for Mini-Kickers soccer camp at a nearby park.  It was the perfect program for him with two 30 minute practices each week.  His coach was John Swallen, the former goalie for the Minnesota Thunder.   Soccer John, as the kids called him, did a great job with the kids (he has much more patience than I do!) and Owen just loved him.

On the first day of soccer, Owen wanted to wear his Colombian jersey.  I thought that was a great idea, even though it's a bit on the small side (after all, we did buy it when he was just 1 year old!)  He looked so cute all dressed up for soccer practice.  Hopefully we'll be traveling to Colombia soon to get him a new jersey, since I doubt he'll be able to squeeze into it next summer.

Owen watching his coach

Owen learning how to dribble the ball

Owen did a great job listening to his coach and learning all the basics of soccer.   At the end of practice, the kids would do a short scrimmage.  Owen preferred to play goalie during scrimmages, but Soccer John was able to coax him away from the net every once in a while.

Owen was a bit on the timid side when it came to stealing the ball away from the other team (and boy, were the girls sure aggressive!)  But he just went with the flow, happily running around on the field.  Luckily my little guy didn't seem phased when someone else would swipe the ball from him (unlike one poor little boy who would scream out in frustration!)

Soccer John with Owen and a teammate

Owen scores and the crowd does wild!

Owen at the end of soccer camp

Owen had a great time playing soccer this summer and was always happy to go to camp and learn all he could from Soccer John.  It was a wonderful experience for him and so much fun for me to watch my little guy running around on the soccer field like such a big boy.