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Health & Fitness

What Did I Get Myself Into?

Dads do crazy things for their daughters — playing with Barbies, braiding ponytails and (gasp!) coaching soccer even if they've never played the game.

I would do anything for my 5-year-old daughter Ava. I'd play with Barbies. I'd go to prison. And now, apparently, I'm coaching her AYSO U6 soccer team. I've never played soccer. And I've never coached anything. This should be ... fun?

I was a little bit late signing her up for soccer, possibly landing her on a waiting list, but she really wants to play. AYSO is a volunteer organization, so parents need to take on a role to make the league go. I originally volunteered to referee — I've done that before and it's kind of fun. You get a little bit of a workout in and I enjoy the responsibility.

But I received an email from the league commissioner, begging for somebody to volunteer to coach. There were enough girls for six teams, but there were only five coaches. Since Ava was a little late getting registered, I knew she was probably in jeopardy of not getting on a team. Plus, five teams is an odd number — that sounds like too many unscheduled off days or too many doubleheaders waiting to happen.

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I asked my wife what she thought, because I was concerned about Ava not being able to play. I was willing to do it if necessary, but only if necessary! She told me it was OK, as long as it was necessary. So, I emailed the commissioner.

I've never played or coached soccer. I've never coached anything, really, although I've played sports my whole life, so it's not like it would be completely foreign. I don't know the deadline for identifying a coach, but keep me on your list. If you get somebody else who is more qualified to do this, by all means take them. But if it comes down to you needing me to coach a team in order for a group of kids to be able to play, then I'll absolutely do it and take the responsibility extremely seriously.

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She got back to me:

Thank you so much for your offer to coach!  I see that you have previously signed up to referee, and we are also in need of referees, so I'd like to keep you there, if possible.  I have a couple of weeks to form the teams, so I will keep you in mind as a coach.  If we do need you to coach, I will let you know before the July 23 coaching course at El Toro High School.  Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for supporting our girls!

Uh-oh! I replied:

You were supposed to tell me you already found a coach and you don't need me! Ha ha ... whatever has to be done, I'm willing ... anything for my daughter!

And then I waited for good news. She emailed me last week with good news.

I have some good news for you; we will be forming 6 teams for U6 Girls, and since you were kind enough to volunteer, you will be a head coach!  Please don't worry about your inexperience; free training is provided by our region and you will have an assistant coach to help you.  The next local class is July 23 at El Toro High School from 9:00 to 12:30.  This will include both Safe Haven and U6 coach training.  To sign up, log in at eayso.org (where you registered as a volunteer), click on "enroll to take a class", then find the course.  You can narrow the search by selecting Section 11, Area L, Region 85.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I am so glad you volunteered to coach, and I hope you have a great experience!

Wow. Good news. So, I have my seatbelt fastened. I'm ready. I can do this. I can handle a dozen 5-year-old girls. I'm ready for the Ladybugs. In a way, this reminds me of something I did last year. In 2010, I ran 61 full marathons to raise money and awareness for a charity I'm a part of called Train 4 Autism. Just like last year, there was an opportunity to help out, I ran it by my wife before making a decision, and then I found myself locked into a daunting commitment. All of a sudden, just like last year, I'm thinking, "What did I get myself into?!?!?!?" The difference is that running 61 marathons scares me a whole lot less than coaching a soccer team!

So, here I go. My coaching debut. I have my first training workshop this Saturday. Pray for me! Shoot, pray for the kids who will be on my team! One of the players on the U.S. Women's World Cup Team, Amy Rodriguez, is from Lake Forest and went through AYSO Region 85, which is the region I'll be coaching in. I fully expect in about 15 years for one of the kids I coach to give her ol' U6 coach credit.

First things first, though. I need to survive this fall!

Check out my website at http://www.operationjack.org and follow me on Twitter at @operationjack!

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