Kicks abound with rag-tag soccer team

April 23, 2006

SUNDAY SAMPLER/ Sammye Pokryfki

Exceptional soccer skills can be witnessed in the women's recreational league at the Wasilla Sports Complex this spring. Impressive dribbling, crisp passing, accurate shooting, and tough defense are on display two nights a week.

But not when my team takes the turf.

Then it mostly is pandemonium, with occasional flashes of brilliance from &#8220the children” (six of our players are 18 or younger). &#8220The Bettys” are a hodgepodge team of young and Š well, not so young; athletic and Š um, less so; skilled and Š er, developing.

Our two youngest players are 16, and the two oldest are 52. We have three mother-daughter combos, and there are nine of us who play hockey together. If this sounds like a lot of people for a soccer team, you're right. Our organizer invited anyone who seemed to show even the smallest bit of interest, and to her surprise, we all showed up.

We have so many people on our bench, we can do the wave.

The day before our first game must have been a banner sales day at the Fred Meyer sports department. Most of the team did not own soccer shin guards, and bought what was available in town - shiny pink plastic ones that coincidentally match the bright pink jerseys and striped socks that were passed out at the game.

The laughter started with the first glance at the doo-wop Betty screened on our shirts, and didn't stop until well after the game ended. For the first time in my life, I actually fell down from laughing so hard, the memory of which kept my daughter and me giggling all the way home.

For many of The Bettys, it would be generous to say that our knowledge of the game is minimal. We know the objective is to get the ball in the other team's net - in that way, it is a lot like hockey, so that's a relief.

But the rest of the rules and regulations remain a bit unclear. Which is why, at one point, a player stuck out her arm to deflect a ball, and more than once the game was halted for illegal kicks or throw-ins, much to our confusion.

&#8220Maybe we need a coach,” remarked one of our players from the sidelines. &#8220What period is this?” asked another. The nearby referee just shook his head and blew the whistle again.

Some of our opponents have been fairly serious in their approach. They stay in position, have a system for substitution, and pass to the open woman. They yell instructions, such as &#8220mark up” and &#8220corner kick,” and everyone seems to respond, just like they know what that means.

The Bettys mostly are trying to get a foot on the ball while simultaneously remaining upright and pointed in the right direction.

I've played various sports with all of these women, and have watched &#8220the children” as they competed in high school. So I know we have the ability to eventually figure this game out and narrow the gap between us and the other teams. We all are somewhat competitive, and sooner or later our pride will dictate that we improve our skills.

In the meantime, we're mostly there to have a good time and get some exercise. We may not know all the rules, and our skills might be rusty or lacking altogether. But when it comes to having knee-slapping, smile-until-your-face-hurts fun while playing sports with our friends, The Bettys are exceptional. No coaching required.

Sammye Pokryfki lives

and writes in Wasilla. Contact her at sammyepokryfki@ hotmail.com.