Youngest daughter plays on a community soccer team while middle daughter plays on a travel team. The difference between the two leagues was crystal clear on Tuesday night's games.
Youngest daughter's community game started ten minutes late because the opposing team was trying to get enough players to avoid forfeiting. They didn't, so daughter's team won by default. But they decided to play anyways, matching team numbers so that they fielded 6, then 7 player teams.
Knowing there was no pressure to win, they had a great time, clearly enjoying the game. And while they were a little less competitive than usual, they still worked the field. They just enjoyed it at the same time.
Older daughter's travel team game was a very different experience. They are still playing to determine their seeding, so it was serious. After it was all over, she was annoyed at some of her teammates actions, and the whole game was played far more seriously than the earlier one.
It wasn't quite as serious as the one going on behind us on the next field - two adult teams - where the ref finally had to threaten the coach with a yellow card to get him to stop questioning the linesman's calls. But the girls' game was still so much more serious than the earlier game where there was no pressure to win.
As a parent, I wish there was a way to get the girls to relax and play all their games like the score doesn't count. They have so much more fun that way!
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