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We have a winner!
I thought of Karsen at my Sunday morning tennis match.
I'm brand-new to tennis, and at one point I told myself, "every time we say 'deuce,' I'm a winner!"
Now, if only I could sell that concept to my beginning U-6 soccer players.
Karsen, in particular, insists that "winning" is when he gets the ball in the goal. The game score means nothing. If he didn't score, he didn't win.
What he doesn't appreciate is that, after three weeks of hugging the bench, he finally got into the game on Saturday. He ran as hard as his legs would carry him, moved the ball up the field and withstood tackles that knocked him clear to the ground. It was a huge developmental leap, and I tried to explan to him that this makes him a winner. I'm not sure if he heard me.
Karsen comes from a family of athletes. I shouldn't let this wig me out, but his dad works for a professional sports organization. It's clear that Karsen has speed, agility and intelligence. He gives me hugs, brings me crayon drawings, and shows more promise with each practice. It's great to think of the athlete he will be with a little more maturity. Best of all, his mother and I have talked, and we seem to be on the same page.
Go Karsen!
Marlene Sokol, Times CoachMost Recent Blog Posts
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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