On Monday, the Blackboard Ballers had our first game as a team; it was also probably the first time I’ve kicked a soccer ball since junior high. I had no idea what to expect from this soccer game, and at the start I truly felt like the little kid in the red vest pictured above (both because I was nervous and because it was cold).

As the ref blew the whistle to start the game, I had a moment of realization where it dawned on me that I know NOTHING about soccer: I did not know the positions let alone the rules of the game. Thankfully, my teammates gave me a quick rundown of the positions and the ‘dos and donts’ of soccer. Although UVic’s rules are slightly different, this PDF of 7on7 McGill Soccer Rules was very helpful helping me solidfy my understanding after the game.

I’ll be honest, I am still confused by the positions of soccer, at least in the 7on7 intramurals soccer, when it seems we are letting everyone run anywehre and everywhere like loose chickens!

The expereince I did not expect to occur duirng this game was having an eleemnt of fear of injury. A fun fact about me is that when I was 15 years old, I tore my ACL, MCL, LCL, and Medial Meniscus; all of which were reconstructed from my hamstring. Today, I really only ever notice my knee when the weather is changing and the tiny piece of titanium makes my knee ache. It has never been a barrier in sports for me. For some reason, during this soccer game, I found myself really concerned about my knee and colliding with another player. It probably didn’t help that they were all men with a foot of height on me though!

Finally, I’ll tell you what you are really curious about. We lost 14-8… not bad!

My goals for the next game: learn the positions, make a really good pass, worry less about my knee, and…. WIN.