D.O.C. Message - Down time...take advantage of it!

The summer is an opportunity for families to spend time together and for soccer to take a back seat! PLEASE let it take a back seat! Soccer is a very important PART of life to many of us. But it is not the most important part. The summer is a great time for coaches to relax, players to get rid of their tan lines caused by long soccer socks and for parents to drag their children to where THEY want to go instead of a soccer field 200 miles away.

As my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in Fairview, Utah last month there was not a soccer ball in sight! My brother (pictured with me in the cabin we stayed at in Utah) and I spent very little time discussing soccer. My brother recently was hired as the Executive Director of Utah Youth Soccer Association. We briefly discussed the miserable season Real Salt Lake is putting us through and then never brought up a single soccer topic again. Instead we discussed our parents retirement, the character differences between all of my nieces and nephews, drove four wheelers, sang karaoke, played pool, fussbal and horseshoes (FYI in 20 games, I never lost...love the shoes!) We spent time trying to convince our sister who lives in Barcelona with her Spaniard husband to buy a home in the U.S. so we can get them to live closer to us. We had family and friends from all over the world visit my parents in this very remote town in Utah. It was such a blessing to see so many faces and share old stories as we created new memories.

The summer is a time to spend with your family and friends, forget team training sessions and go on vacations for a weekend, or go to a summer camp with some friends. Myself, being a soccer junkie, I hope that each CBFC player has developed a passion for that soccer ball so when he/she has no friends or family around to make memories with you, tey will head outside with a bottle of water, strap thier boots on and try to keep that ball in the air as long as possible.

Now that IWCC camps and CBFC tryouts have concluded it is time for me to go home to California, spend 5 days with my parents. No plans, no expectations, just time with my mom and dad.

Most of you believe that to me, "soccer is life." The truth is, soccer is nothing if you have no one to pass to. Sometimes we all get so involved with so many things and fail to recognize what is truly important. So lets all make sure that we are using our down time this summer to spend with family and friends.

I leave you with a quote that, as far as I know, I made up. I cherish it and hope that it makes sense to each of you.

"Soccer is life; make life beautiful, just like the game."