Kicking it Freedom Style

To kick off our holiday weekend we spent Friday afternoon and this morning cheering on Abby's new Competition Team at the Freedom Festival 3v3 soccer tournament. This was Abby's first elimination tournament and the first time the newly formed team competed together. They had a practice on Monday and then during the summer monsoon storm on Wednesday and that was it- they met on Friday evening for the first three games.

I couldn't believe how well they did!! They were playing other clubs that had been together all year and we went out and smashed them 6-1, then 4-1 and ended out the night up against the other undefeated team of boys, a 2-2 tie put them coming out of the qualifying rounds in the #1 spot!!!

The excitement was palpable- the competition fierce and it was really fun!

This morning the girls showed up full of nerves but ready to meet the other three teams rounding out the top four in this semi-final round. Being the only girls team to advance they were up against the boys! We shouted out girl power and hit the field.

It was a much more physical game than yesterday and they played really hard, but fell to this team in a 1-0 defeat.

Abby hasn't lost a game in over two years. She was DEVASTATED!! She couldn't believe they had played that hard and held them to only one goal and they LOST! They had many shots on goal but non of them would go in, it just wasn't their day. Tears were trickling. This loss turned out to be a good practice of sportsmanship and being able to pick yourself up, brush it off, and be ready to fight again another day.

She wasn't much consoled to know that they were the top girls team in the tournament and 3rd over all- but I suppose that fire and winning spirit is what makes a champion in the end. Now that she knows what it feels like to be eliminated, she will fight harder not to feel it again.

Also I learned that going out for Chinese food and ice cream after will sooth all wounds!!