A Day with Doug - A Rareity

Today I was fortunate enough to spend the day with Doug.  It was the first Saturday in quite awhile that he did not have a soccer game.  He gave the girls the day off from practice as well, so that he could be a Dad and husband.  I loved it.

We started bright and early at Cameron's soccer game.  Doug coached them to a 2-2 tie.  We agreed at the end that we were thrilled to tie.  The other team had at least 20 shots on goal and only converted on one.  The second goal came on a penalty kick when one of our players tackled an opponent in the goal box. Our team only took three shots on goal and converted on two.  We usually come out on the short end of that stick, so we were extremely happy with the outcome.

As soon as that was over we hustled to the van for the two hour trip to Merrillville.  The tennis team had an invitational today.  We pulled in as Cal was starting the second set in his first match.  The two players battled back and forth for the next hour.  Cal came up a little short, losing the first set in a tie breaker and again in the second 4-6.  He played well, however, and we were glad to watch a good portion of it.

The boys were given about a half hour break between the matches.  We visited with several of the other parents and watched several other matches start before Cal played again.  Cal started off slow in the second match and was down early.  He was clearly the better player, but just couldn't get his game going.  That changed quickly when his opponent started yelling at him about the score of the game (Cal was correct.)  Cal had to win an extra point to win the game, but it seemed to wake him up and he proceeded to win the next four games.  This only frustrated his opponent more.  He called several of Cal's shots out that we felt were good.  Cal questioned him, but he wouldn't budge.  It all seemed to work in Cal's favor and he was able to win in an exciting third set super tiebreak.

This win put Cal in the bracket for fourth place.  He played well, but came up a little short.  Doug and I were proud of his play and enjoyed watching it together.  As we drove home I told Doug that I was glad that he coached high school girls soccer.  I know he has made a difference as his girls have improved and he has started a middle school program.  Overall, however, I have really missed having him home.  It was nice to spend the day with him watching our sons games.