I didn't like what I saw on the field from the U8 Sharks yesterday. I don't know yet what I should have done differently to motivate them but I know I didn't get the best out of them. The kids were very energetic when they took the field. The bench was lively. But by the middle of the second quarter it was clear that something was wrong. The kids seemed to generally be having fun all game. There was lots of laughing and talking on the field and the bench which is good but there was still a lot of timid and disorganized play. It's puzzling. I made it as clear as I could to the Sharks after the game that I'm not concerned about the score. What I want to see is quality play. I want to see them committed to the game and to each other. But yesterday each group on the field looked like seven individuals most of the time. Maybe yesterday should just be filed under "experience" and let go.
There were moments:
Addie was great in goal. We asked her at the start to remember to look for Conner on one side whenever she needed to get the ball out and she did that consistently. They worked that very well together, with Addie even pausing to direct Conner into position at one point. And all of the kids did have moments where they bravely tried to use their skills to possess the ball rather than just kicking at it. Jaden was tremendously tough, coming back into the game after taking a brutal shot to the nose. She set a good example for her team and they should be proud of her.
The U4 and U6 teams played well this week and everyone was making some visible progress. Small steps.
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