I'm Not Biased, but I'm Surprised

October 22, 2017 1:16pm CST
My six year old is an amazing soccer player. She's my 5th child to play soccer. So I've watched the variety of skills within my own family and she's the best. She's had that natural inclination from the start. You can put her out there playing around with her 15 year old brother and she stands her own. I'm her soccer coach and have been for a few years. This year we are on an all-girls 1st grade team where most of the girls have some talent. Of the 8 girls, I'd say only one or two don't show much talent, but they are young. They have promise. There are two girls who are especially fast, but neither of them think much about being a team player, neither of them ever really pass. There is one girl whom Ella has a pretty good system with. They pass to each other, allowing one to score. It's awesome to see. There's one girl who definitely shows talent and has a dad who often (annoyingly) is coaching from the sidelines, so I think there's some "family" soccer. The last girl is the youngest, but seems to have a good drive when she tries. Of all of them, there are 3 that to me show that natural inclination, one of which is my girl. Of the three, there are two that show happy, good sportsmanship, at all times. One of those is my daughter. So this year our soccer is having an all-star team (which i think is kind of silly). The coaches are supposed to nominate, but I felt odd nominating when I truly do see my daughter as one of the best players. So I had the parents vote. They got to vote for their top 3. I can nominate 2-3 players. It was totally unbiased. I counted the votes in front of another parent to show fairness. When all the votes were counted, I was shocked that the only vote my daughter received was mine. When parents had the chance to vote for 3, I thought it would be obvious to most of the parents that she's amazing. Again, I'm not biased. I've watched all of my kids play soccer. Not all of them would have been considered amazing at soccer. She is. I didn't care if she didn't win. I knew with the number of good players, that she may not. But the fact that she didn't get a single vote (other than mine) made me sad. And it also made up my mind about something. I've been contemplating stopping coaching soccer after this season. But the main reason I do it is so that there is fairness. I want my daughter to have a fair coach in this recreational league who plays all players equally and gives every player the chance to play every position. That's what our soccer program is about. I've seen my other kids get their zest squelched by unfair coaches. So seeing how these parents don't see her abilities makes me realize that due to her shyness (that's my guess, she's kind of quiet, though she is a go-getter on the field) that maybe she would get overlooked. I dont' have huge soccer aspirations for my kids. But I want them to enjoy it. I want them to learn and have fun. She doesn't even know about the vote. But I'm really troubled by it.... And my decision to continue coaching has been made.
10 people like this
9 responses
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
23 Oct 17
i truly hope the other parents didn't have "agreements" with each other on voting each other's kids. i hope you find a great coach for your daughter.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112877)
• El Paso, Texas
8 Jul 19
It's all about politics isn't it.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
9 Jul 19
@rebelann some are too competitive
1 person likes this
• Eugene, Oregon
23 Oct 17
Strange that more people have not noticed her natural ability. I am sure she shows in the games. Glad that you are coaching her.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
22 Oct 17
That would be heart breaking for me as well, knowing how good she is but because she's on the quieter side she gets over looked. =( That's sad and unfair, I'm sorry.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
22 Oct 17
Perhaps the other people discounted her just because of her age, but it's very frustrating for you.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (339939)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Oct 17
That is really sad - and must have cut like a knife at the time. Hopefully her talent will enable her to continue doing well and she'll find her rightful place as time goes by.
1 person likes this
• Boston, Massachusetts
22 Oct 17
im so sorry to hear this. that really sucks and must have been so frustrating
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
23 Oct 17
Votes aren't usually fair. Voting is really more of a popularity contest than based on talent. In our baseball league the coaches pick the all star players. None of my kids have ever been asked, and I'm okay with that.. baseball isn't our game. Soccer is. I've thus far had 2 varsity soccer captains in the family. My oldest was captain for 2 years, my next is a 10th grader and he was captain this year..
@Happy2BeMe (99380)
• Canada
22 Oct 17
That is very sad that the others did not recognize or acknowledge her talent. I can only imagine how much it bothers you. She obviously has a great talent and a love for the sport. Some are just natural when it comes to doing something. I have seen in happen many times in sports where children who were clearly better were overlooked. It is not fair.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (35608)
2 Nov 17
Well, the positive thing is she is your 5th soccer player in the family. A great achievement that they followed one another into the same sport! It is a shame that she was overlooked in the vote for All-stars. In any event, Michael Jordan, another talent who was overlooked in H.S. had this to say about sports, "Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game. - Michael Jordan Great advice to follow...