That´s using your head

One of the projects required of every training town is to start a youth group and do a project during our 11 weeks of training. After a few failed attempts at different projects, the group decided that with the time left (4 weeks or so) they wanted to start a soccer league and have a tournament. So they got everything organized and got 12 teams together with about 2 days. So our youth group went from about 3 kids at its lowest point to roughly 70 now. We play twice a week at the local baptist church which has a basketball-soccer court. The court is a little small so we play with 3 players in the field and a goalie for each team, and we use a size three ball. Oh yeah, and on 3 of the four sides its surrounded by 20 foot tall fences, its kinda like a mix between a steel cage match and soccer. The kids that play are between about 13 and 18, except for Tony and I. But dont worry its not like we are better than these kids... i now understand better way the US struggles in world soccer, these kids are good, or maybe its the fact that ive never played organized soccer. Either way, after two games the team that Tony and I play on has 1 loss and a tie. We even have a ref who gives out yellow and reds cards (and there´s usually a few every game), hes a teacher for the school and he comes and does it for free which is a great help. The highlight so far for a lot of the 60 or so people watching was in our first game, when with in the first three minutes i had the ball kicked directly into my nose. Its one of those ¨oooooh¨for the crowd type moments. Surprisingly there was no blood and i dont know how my nose didnt break, but after a few seconds i was able to mumble to the ref ¨listo¨and i played the rest of the game with a very numb face. We actually have our third reg. season games tonite depending on if it rains or not and if we have power.

Paul, thanks for the continued mailings, i cant find your new email address so you will have to send it to me again.