@Neal McCready
So I'll just get the TLDR out of the way before going off into memory lane. Thank you so much for that story. I feel like you'd appreciate the context or reason why your story and the relationship you and Carson have means something to me. So if you are interested I'll explain. But either way thank you for the story and accounting of your and Carson's journey.
I don't know if you remember but I was pretty public here back years ago about my own son playing club soccer and later college. You could take that story you wrote and replace Neal and Carson with Baylor and John. Like Carson, Baylor had an insatiable appetite for soccer and competition. Like you I was just waiting on the year when he was old enough to play football and baseball. I didn't like or understand soccer. But he was so damn good and my goodness did he love it. It was unmistakable. I'd come home from work and he would be working on juggling. He would stay out until I told him he had to come in. Like you I left his path be his decisions. When invited to play club I gave him the options and he made the decision. He gave up cart racing (it's ok I had only invested about 15k into it) and playing with friends. He said he wanted to be a professional player and needed to play with the best and against the best. So we started our soccer journey that remarkably followed one very very similar to Carson's.
From his fire on the field and habit of getting yellows for being too physical to even mouthing off and cursing a ref at a tournament in Gatlinburg and receiving a red card first game of the weekend. I had never been so angry. Here I had driven us 8 hours and spend hundreds and after talking and talking about cards and learning how to tone it down and not turning a yellow into a red he did just that. To me seemingly ignorant or caring about what I had sacrificed for him to be able to play. It was only recently this past year that Baylor actually apologized to me and said now he understands why I was so upset.
Even the memory of Carson wanting to give his meal to someone. Same exact thing happened after a game in Jackson. We went and ate at Chilis and same thing, Baylor hardly ate a bite and I kept on and on and he finally said he wanted to take it to the homeless guy we passed at the light. So I said, "son order that man whatever you want and both of you can eat" I couldn't have been any prouder of him. One of my proudest moments of any of my kids. They're all pretty thoughtful and kind kids.
I'll end with this Neal, because of Baylor's passion and commitment to the game I fell in love with it. I can remember back then you kind of mocked soccer. It's ok I did too and then it seems our sons both gave us a gift we didn't want but cherish. For me it led me to wanting to coach and I have coached hundreds of kids and have even earned a C license to coach and currently even work for RSC in Florence coaching club soccer. I would never have imagined be able to do that. Baylor never had the passion for coaching, he doesn't want to deal with parents. He enjoys trying. So his soccer "career" ended at belhaven a couple years ago but our love and bond for the game remain. I coach and now he comes and trains my team with me and we stand on the touch lines together trying to pass on that same passion and love for the game. What a wonderful beautiful gift Baylor game me!
So you see I understand and know your journey. What a wonderful story and thank you.
So I'll just get the TLDR out of the way before going off into memory lane. Thank you so much for that story. I feel like you'd appreciate the context or reason why your story and the relationship you and Carson have means something to me. So if you are interested I'll explain. But either way thank you for the story and accounting of your and Carson's journey.
I don't know if you remember but I was pretty public here back years ago about my own son playing club soccer and later college. You could take that story you wrote and replace Neal and Carson with Baylor and John. Like Carson, Baylor had an insatiable appetite for soccer and competition. Like you I was just waiting on the year when he was old enough to play football and baseball. I didn't like or understand soccer. But he was so damn good and my goodness did he love it. It was unmistakable. I'd come home from work and he would be working on juggling. He would stay out until I told him he had to come in. Like you I left his path be his decisions. When invited to play club I gave him the options and he made the decision. He gave up cart racing (it's ok I had only invested about 15k into it) and playing with friends. He said he wanted to be a professional player and needed to play with the best and against the best. So we started our soccer journey that remarkably followed one very very similar to Carson's.
From his fire on the field and habit of getting yellows for being too physical to even mouthing off and cursing a ref at a tournament in Gatlinburg and receiving a red card first game of the weekend. I had never been so angry. Here I had driven us 8 hours and spend hundreds and after talking and talking about cards and learning how to tone it down and not turning a yellow into a red he did just that. To me seemingly ignorant or caring about what I had sacrificed for him to be able to play. It was only recently this past year that Baylor actually apologized to me and said now he understands why I was so upset.
Even the memory of Carson wanting to give his meal to someone. Same exact thing happened after a game in Jackson. We went and ate at Chilis and same thing, Baylor hardly ate a bite and I kept on and on and he finally said he wanted to take it to the homeless guy we passed at the light. So I said, "son order that man whatever you want and both of you can eat" I couldn't have been any prouder of him. One of my proudest moments of any of my kids. They're all pretty thoughtful and kind kids.
I'll end with this Neal, because of Baylor's passion and commitment to the game I fell in love with it. I can remember back then you kind of mocked soccer. It's ok I did too and then it seems our sons both gave us a gift we didn't want but cherish. For me it led me to wanting to coach and I have coached hundreds of kids and have even earned a C license to coach and currently even work for RSC in Florence coaching club soccer. I would never have imagined be able to do that. Baylor never had the passion for coaching, he doesn't want to deal with parents. He enjoys trying. So his soccer "career" ended at belhaven a couple years ago but our love and bond for the game remain. I coach and now he comes and trains my team with me and we stand on the touch lines together trying to pass on that same passion and love for the game. What a wonderful beautiful gift Baylor game me!
So you see I understand and know your journey. What a wonderful story and thank you.
