Soccer

Let it be known to everyone everywhere: I do not like soccer.  As a kid, I used to play, and I was a pretty awesome goalie.  That was way back in 2nd grade, so clearly, that is valid because that is some competitive well played stuff, where I had a fair amount of shut outs (in my mind).  Granted, my team was so good that I would sit down a lot in the box because the ball was never on my side of the field.  I also did handstands on occasions and would work on my pull ups.  Moving on...I played one more year and called it quits.  I just wasn't a fan, and I'm still not.  When everyone wanted to play soccer on p-days during my mission, I would long for a real football to play with...and then on defense I would run at people with the ball and maybe knock them over.  In horrible spanish I would say i don't know how to play and plead ignorance.  It was awesome what I got away with, so I felt better about playing soccer those days.

For as much as I don't like soccer (let's say on a scale of 1-10 it's an 8 or something), there are certain trump cards.  If anything on my like scale is an 8 (or whatever I rank soccer on my hate scale) I will watch in support of the things I like.  That list includes, country, family, friends, high school, Mexico, championships, and girls wife.  **In high school it would have been girls, but now that I'm married, it's one girl**

Country - During world cup and Olympics, I like soccer.  And then when the U.S. rips my heart out, I wonder why I let them trick me - again.

Family - All my brothers have at one point played soccer.  I wasn't so supportive in little league, but I'm better now that I appreciate family more than I used to.  This could apply to being supportive of a good friend, and it definitely helps when said friends and family play for Dixie High School.

Mexico - I try and keep tabs on Puebla, but I'm slipping.

Championships - I was cheering for Real Salt Lake when I heard they were playing for the championship.

Wife - If she wants to go, we will go, or if she is every playing (I don't know when that would ever be) I would go be supportive.

So anyways, a couple of those conditions were met this weekend. My brother (1) plays for Dixie High School (2) and this weekend they played in the semi-finals, and then played for the championship(3)...and my wife wanted to be out in the sun (4).  So I went and watched.  Maybe I've been so closed minded for so long, but I didn't mind actually watching the game for the game.  I respect how much soccer players run, but I never respected the strategy of trying one side of the field, going back to the defense and trying the other side of the field, back to the defense, etc.  Perhaps as a former offensive linemen I like trying to ram the ball down someone's throat a little too much to properly enjoy soccer, but I thought Dixie was well coached (good job Myers) and executed well.  I doubt I will start to care more about soccer after this, but I did enjoy the last two days of soccer.  So thank you DHS for letting me enjoy soccer, and congratulations to the team, to Coach Myers, and to my brother Konner (who played a lot and well for a freshman).

He let me know after the semi-final win that he would be the first one in the family with a state ring...I might let him actually get the ring before I kill him for that, but we'll see.