Wet, cold, rainy, windy: perfect conditions

Having already agreed to spend my Sunday afternoon accompanying Ottawacker Jr. to his goalkeeping sessions (Spring is pre-season, so all I do is accompany Ottawacker Jr. to goalkeeping sessions), I was a little miffed to find out that it resembled nothing so much as a winter's day in England: wind, rain, cold, puddles... it's how I remember football from my playing days. As a spectator, it is cold and vile; as a player, it is great; as a goalkeeper, it is heaven.

And so it transpired. Having already done the U12 group, Ottawacker Jr. was promoted to the U12-16 group. This meant he had to do the session immediately afterwards. "Do you want to do it?" I asked, half heartedly. "Yes," was the answer, before the question was even finished. So I stood and watched for another 90 minutes.

Briilliant though, and he was so happy. And completely unphased. Where does a kid - actually, where does anyone - get confidence like that? Going into a group where the youngest is 3 years older than you, and behaving completely normally, competing well, and acting as if you belonged. I have to say, the other kids were fully accepting, and it is a testament to them as much as to him.