To date. my dreams of the Briar Soccer Club have not come to fruition. However, I have instead the Solo Soccer Club. In this club, I run around a brambly and poorly maintained field in a nicely maintained park on my own. Dribbling solo for twenty minute stretches, practicing fancy ball handling moves, and eventually kicking the ball against a wall to practice shooting tend to be the activities of this club.
Once, I took a break to swing on a swingset.
It’s a pretty awesome club.
As I am the only member, I tend to turn to the other athletically inclined folks who are also using the park as a source of distraction, or to ebb my curiousity about other human beings. Thus, I have seen a few strange things on these club meetings:
1. Whistling Kid — A youngin of about the age of 8 was standing near a fire hydrant, toeing the ground and whistling “Jingle Bells.”
2. Verbally Abusive Father — A man, playing a small game of softball with three boys between the ages 8 and 11, continually yelled at only one child, mocking him, berating him, and harping so much on the kid I almost went over and told the kid he was a good person, despite not catching every ball in the outfield.
3. The Dog Whisperer — Another man brought his dog to the park while he practiced some volleyball by himself (Solo Volleyball Club, I suppose). The fluffy white dog bounded away from him, and after calling, “Come here, Spencer!” a few times with no response, the man changed to, “Come here, Stupid!” and the fluffy white dog ran right to his side.
I do hope to find some soccer companions soon.
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