The kid’s broken right heel.
The Fall 2021 soccer season came in with a rush of chaos, excitement, and fun. The kiddo made the gold travel team and his middle school boys’ team, where he is one of four sixth-graders. We had our first tournament, the Labor Day Shootout, and it was nice to be the home team (minimal travel). While they played well, they lost. The tournament was after two weeks, maybe, of practices. Learning and building, you know?
My parents kept the kiddo after the second Saturday game. We had a wedding to attend. The next day, my mom said that Connor could barely walk and that he had said his foot hurt. We asked. He said it was the new cleats. Fast forward to two weeks later, his foot still hurt. Fast forward to a foot specialist doctor. We thought it would be “inserts are needed.” Instead, it’s a broken heel.
On the mend
Soccer is taking a backseat while he heals his heel. So, the focus is on school. And fishing. And trying to get him to stay in his boot.
He also dresses for games and attended all the middle school games and has, so far, attended his Fusion games. We have a tournament this weekend (away) and don’t plan to travel to that one. The energy at the middle school games is much different from that of the travel team. Maybe it’s because the players are from three different grades, but it’s faster-paced and so much fun to watch. Maybe it’s the different levels of play. The older kids can do headers (technically, age 12 and up). But the game was just so much more energetic. The older students really took the younger ones under their wings.
Middle school conference champs
His middle school team won their conference championship for the first time since 2008. His other team is getting better. Players are learning new positions, and I’m struggling with that idea (why move them when they’re comfortable where they are?) but also learning that the coach knows better than I. I will be excited to see him ease back onto the field when the doctor clears him.
One eighth-grader player has a younger brother who also plays. The fourth-grade brother said he wasn’t sure he’d play in middle school. The eighth-grade brother said, “Why not? You’ll have eighth-grade Connor.” And the fourth-grader seemed happy about that. We’ll see.