Monday, August 11, 2008

First tournament

Kellen's new soccer team played in their first tournament this weekend. And in some kind of miracle, the weather cooperated for three of the four games, with temps *only* in the low 90's and overcast skies. The fourth game, well, we pretty much all melted on the sidelines, one kid got a bloody nose he was so hot (I didn't even know that was possible) and the poor head referee got overheated and just wandered off the field in a daze. We all thought he had called for a break that none of us heard ... only to watch him stumble to the water tent and basically collapse. When the game was over and we got back in our van, the inside thermostat was at 106 .... needless to say I perspired just a wee bit that afternoon, and I wasn't even running. I have NO idea how the kids did it.

I'm also realizing more and more that although this might be a "B" team, and the parents are indeed pretty laid-back, I'm definitely going to have to take the time to learn some of the ins and outs of soccer. The other parents were yelling encouraging things like, "Great diagonal!" and "Set up the cross!" and "Offsides!" while I sat in my chair and thought, "ooooh, I like the angle-y line on their new socks ... pretty!"

I also discovered this weekend that no matter the tips and techniques you might be learning in photography class .... no matter the nice, new camera you just purchased .... no matter how much you might *want* to take pictures of your son and his team mates, if it's an evening game, and the sun has gone down, and the stadium lights at your end of the field aren't working, well, your pictures are probably going to be lousy.




See? No amount of shutter speed in the world can overcome dismal lighting conditions like this.



Or, maybe it can, and I just haven't learned that trick in class yet. But in the meantime? My pictures? Laughable.



So you wait until the next day, when the team in playing in daylight, and you can get much better photos.



Maybe even some that make you laugh.


They won two of their first three games and made it into the semi-finals, where they were beat 5-2. Considering the semi-final team they played against had been together since they were six years old, and our team has only been together about a month, we all thought it was a pretty respectable finish. Best of all, Kellen had fun.

In the meantime, does anyone have a "Soccer for Dummies" book I can borrow?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Offsides in soccer.

Basically, if the offsides rule didn't exist, there would be a player of the opposite team standing next to your goalie waiting for a pass.

So, if you are a forward or a midfielder, you have to stay behind the players on defense.

If a player on offense gets a pass from his teammate, and he was passed the last defender when his teammate kicked the ball, the player is offsides.

Clear as mud? I learned to play soccer in my 20s.

By the way, Kellen has my utmost respect. I won't even go outside if the temps are above 100 unless it is to submerge in water.

Becca said...

Way to go, Kellen! It sounds like he did great! BTW, I really like his hair. So shaggy and cute! (um, I mean manly and handsome)

Jessica Ryan said...

that last photo is phenomenal!

Alisa said...

Congrats Kellen! The biggest lesson I learned in photography class is to just keep taking pictures. One out of the three million will be a keeper. I love taking soccer pictures. I just wish I was good at it.

The Traveling Yogi said...

It took me a while to get the soccer rules down and I still get confused on some (mostly whether it's a goal kick or a corner kick - I never can remember which one comes from which team kicking the ball out). Dalton played in a 3v3 tournament this weekend in 102 degree heat. I feel your pain. I was under the tent most of the day and still got sun. Uggghh. But, they did qualify for nationals which is at Disney's Wide World of Sports in January. Time to start doing some travel research!!

Anonymous said...

Ummm....soccer. I have nothing for you. However, in my (VERY LIMITED) experience, I have found that you can increase the ISO to 800 or 1600 and it allows you to shoot a bit faster in low light.

I am taking a photography class as well, but my pictures aren't nearly as good as yours! Hope that helps. If you already knew that or that was too rudimentary, well, sorry!

Love your blog. This is my first comment.

Anonymous said...

I dunno about the quality of your pictures, my friend - but the last couple only make me want to make a HUGE batch of mashed potatoes and then Fed-ex them straight down to you with instructions to make your son eat them all himself, with a pound of butter on them; and to chase that down with lots of the highest-fat-content-ice-cream that you can possibly find - becuz we need to fatten that boy up!! Or, alternately, slow down his over-active little metabolism. I've got an idea - he can trade metabolisms with me!!! Yeah, that's the ticket! I'd be happy to loan him my (useless!!) metabolism - that would fatten the child up in a hurry!!

Natalie said...

You need to watch Bend it Like Beckham and crack up when Keira Knightly's "dad" is showing her "mom" about offsides: "Don't tell me. The offside rule is when the French mustard has to be between the teriyaki sauce and the sea salt."

Makes me laugh every time.

queen foodie said...

Believe me, you can't need that book anymore than me. Could you also ask your readers how to deal with a 4 yr old that is the worst sport ever and then refer them over to my blog with their tips.

Dayna said...

My 6 year old little girl is playing soccer for the first time this year, and the coach asked if I was willing to be an assistant - I replied "Only if I can just stand next to you and repeat everything you say."

I know NOTHING about soccer, in fact, so little, I don't even enjoy watching it. It's only because I love my daughter that I will be at her games (because, frankly, I'd rather pull my nails out one at a time).

Donna said...

Anon is right--the only other way to compensate for that low light is to raise the ISO (film speed) this WILL however, make your pictures grainier, with more noise. Some of the problem comes with the speed of the zoom lens.

And while I am sure there is a soccer for dummies book, I know for certain that there is a Canon Digital Rebel for Dummies book because it is sitting on my front seat. I will be reading it during down time at work, along with my Scott Kelby book on Photoshop Elements! If I figure out the ISO procedure, I'll share!

Anonymous said...

Good Lord, how does Kellen bend that way? He looks like a rubber-band man!