E-level becomes AIYEE-level

I'll be coaching my 9-year-old daughter's soccer team this year. This'll be about the fifth time I've coached her (I had last year off). Since I earned my "F" level license about eight years ago when my oldest daughter started soccer, I thought that I had better hone my skills. So I decided to up my license to an "E" level which meant going to a clinic. That's one evening of lecture and two six-hour days on the field. At first I thought that the last day would conflict with when we're taking my youngest to summer camp, but the coach/trainer also had a conflict on that Sunday. So he decided to double up on Saturday: 12 hours. Well, realistically he figured we'd get through the material and training in about ten hours. It worked for me as it freed up Sunday for traveling to camp.

A couple of days prior to the clinic I had a chance to buy some gear I'd be needing as coach: cleats, athletic shorts and a couple of shirts. Not being an athletic guy normally, this was all new to me. I decided to wear my cleats to the field workshop on Saturday. I was a little nervous about that as this would be the first time I'd wear them (actually the first time I've ever worn any cleats) and I wasn't sure how my feet would feel at the end of a ten-hour day. Turns out, my feet weren' the issue. About fifteen minutes into the opening warm-ups, a felt my left knee kind of "pop". Just a little. But I knew it wasn't good. It was sore the entire day and really interferred with my level of participation. I may not be good but I like to make a go of it anyway and get some experience doing the drills I'm going to be asking of the team.

After practice, Missus Koko and my daughter pick me up and we go off to Old Navy to pick up some stuff the wee one (not so wee anymore, though) will need at camp. No way can I take standing around with that knee. I bide my time at Baskin Robins (Mmmm, Banana Royale). By the end of the day, I'm using a cane to get around.

And practices start the following week.