high school soccer coach apologized after letting a player score 17 goals against winless team

[Journeyman]

5. When my daughter was 5 years old or so she played soccer on a co-ed team . . .

There was one young boy who was a natural athlete, far better than anyone else on the field.

In a matter of minutes, he scored three goals against our opponent. The coach didn't want to take him out of the game (how can you punish a child for being very good at the skills you're trying to teach them), so he pulled him back and had him play goalie.

Moments later, as the opposing team drove toward the goal, this kid not only blocked their attempt, he took the ball away from them, dribbled it smartly across the field and scored another goal.

Coach called a timeout while he huddled with the other team's coach and the kid's father. The solution they came up with was to switch the kid so he played for the other team. There he quickly scored another four goals, evening the score between teams.

As we broke for half time, and the kids gathered around for a snack and a pep talk, the kid's father walked away with him, patiently explaining how he was too good to play at this level and that the coach thought he'd have a greater challenge if he played with some older, bigger boys.

Sometimes, there's a lot to learn from little kids and how we should treat everyone.