Soccer and Cinderella

Sometimes life is sweeter than usual, and at my age that often means I am talking about my grandchildren. Pardon me, if I share once again some of the tales and adventures of the youngest generation of my family.

It was Senior Night for Henry’s soccer team at Bainbridge High School. My oldest grandson has been playing soccer for 12 years. Several of his teammates have been playing together for most of that time. 

Mary Lou and I have watched all of the boys grow from toddlers just running around kicking a ball willy-nilly, to a group of teammates who seem to love every moment they are on the pitch. 

They are all in superb physical condition and can do things with a ball I would never have thought imaginable. They are now old enough to do headers, which for the uninitiated means hitting the soccer ball with their head. That worries me a little bit, but that is just the grandparent in me.

They can dance with a ball, using both of their feet to twist, turn and spin on a dime. They pass without looking, using their feet with equal skill. As they have gotten better, and as I have learned about the sport, it is like watching a ballet of sorts, played on a football-sized field at full speed.

Henry played the best game I have ever seen him play. He was aggressive, giving it his all for two forty-minute halves. He was not the only one, but he was the one I was closely watching because he is mine. His two goals, out of eleven scored by his team, were just icing on the cake.  

The next evening, we made our way to the Rose Hill Cultural Center in Dothan where Providence Christian School was putting on their own production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. My granddaughter, Laura, was cast in the role of Queen Constantina. 

She managed the role with confidence, was comfortable in her actions and confident in her voice. I never shed a tear at soccer matches, but I could not help but feel a bit overwhelmed as Laura sang, looking every bit the queen.

This is not Laura’s role at her school, as she loves playing for her high school basketball and volleyball teams. She is a young lady with many talents, and it is not hard for her to wrap us around her finger. 

Our two oldest grandchildren took up our time on this visit, but Will, grandchild #3, pitched a complete game the same day as Laura’s performance. Andrew’s baseball team also won, though it was not as big a deal for him.  Andrew is seven years old.

It was a perfect trip to Dothan and Bainbridge where we got to see all our grandchildren excel while doing the things they love. Is it worth spending so much of our time on the road? You bet it is. 

Soccer and Cinderella. What a combination. What a joy.

o0o

Dan Ponder can be reached at [email protected]