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| Is true REC Soccer Dead in Durham? |
I'm always asked the question,
"BARON, what do you consider REC Soccer?"
For me, REC soccer (Recreational Soccer) is a game where anyone can join. I don't mean mixing the sexes, that's entirely different in my view since the rules are augmented with the inclusion of the sexes.
And when I say everyone, I mean anyone! The males 18 years and older. Men of any skill level.
So far...so good.
But here's where the Baron deviates from the norm.
In a TRUE REC LEAGUE, the teams need to be balanced.
The whole idea is to have fun, remember, we're not here to win trophies or accolades.
Those are secondary to our efforts to play a game which we love to play.
When I say balanced, I mean that each time you play, whether you're new to the game or a seasoned and former pro player, the game is close. True competitive soccer as one wise man on my team put it.
True competitive soccer is when you're allowed to learn. When you're allowed to screw up during that learning process. A human improves through mistakes, not due to a lack of them.
What is happening in our region is that semi-REP teams are infiltrating the REC leagues and easily handing out loses to their opponents.
Getting beaten 12-0 is not fun. It's demoralizing and sucks big time!
You question whether or not age and lack of fitness have barred you from every playing something that you love to do.
And that's where I get to tell people this.
"IF you're a pro athlete, or have been practicing for decades and feel that you don't have the stuff anymore, well, that's age. Because you hit your max, and age does influence it. But if you never hit your max, your age shouldn't be an inhibitor. You can learn new tricks (contrary to the old dog and new tricks story) and improve yourself. The human body is a wondrous vehicle. And like any vehicle you need to feed it the right fuel and maintain it."
Instead of conceding to bollocks style excuses, I prefer to play with guys of any age who enjoy a night out sweating and having a post game BBQ. And I hate the leagues that don't recognize that it's not an age thing. There are men out there who have few skills...and they're fine with that, because all they want to do is kick a ball around and interact with other men.
And that's my sole intent in running soccer and recruiting more and more interested people into my teams. And as long as I have the numbers, I will continue to chase that dream.
Guys, thank you for the memories of the summer of 2017. In years from now I won't remember the scores, but I'll remember the BBQ's, the camaraderie and the jokes. Most of all, I'll remember the good times I spent with friends.
STATS
September 10th
1. Nelson
2. Justin
3. Jordan
September 17th
Baron's Three Stars:
1. Justin
2. Sean
3. Lloyd
Jordan (A)
Devon (G)
September 24th
Baron's Three Stars:
1. Brad
2. Trevor
3. Jason
October 1st:
Baron's Stars
1. Brad
2. Sean
3. Leo
Honourable Mentions:
Aaron
Tom
Jason
Trevor
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