Soccer Mom

For several moments every week, the only thing in my line of vision is my cleat-covered foot, my breath and the starry night sky. As a child who did anything to avoid sports, especially organized team sports, the irony of these moments is not lost on me. Every Tuesday night, I force my tired, exhausted and over-wrought body out of the house at 8 p.m. and trudge over to Holden's elementary school, where a new, fake-turfed soccer field beckons to me and dozens of other women.

This whole thing began with an email last fall from a fellow "mom" and a soccer player who was tired of seeing all these women sitting along the sidelines while their kids reaped the benefits of soccer. Expecting maybe 20 or so women, she got about 70 - and the numbers keep growing. Off the Sidelines, as it's called, is affiliated with Holden's AYSO region and gives women of all experience levels a chance to learn and play soccer.

I have never, ever played soccer in my life and felt lucky that I could even recognize the black and white spotted ball as the correct one for the game. But in the last six months or so, I've learned the rules of the game, some strategies and how to head, chest, knee and kick a ball into the general direction I wish it to go.

It hasn't been easy. But, by far, the hardest part is forcing myself out of the house into the cold when all I really want to do is curl up in my jammies in front of the TV and enjoy the couple child and work-free hours of day I have. Once I'm out on the field under the lights, though, I'm thrilled to be there.

For an hour and a half I don't have to think about anything but soccer. From our warm-up runs and stretches to the drills to the scrimmages, the only thing on my mind is my feet, the ball and the goal. I don't wear a watch and am always surprised to hear the 15-minute warning has come so quick. Nose running and cheeks burning rosy, I charge forward repeating my mantra to myself: "Go! Go! Go!" No thoughts of kids who hit or deadlines - just me, the night and the sport.

Besides the obvious health benefits of regular exercise and the opportunity to learn something new, there's something else I think of while lying on my back on the damp "grass" and stretching my calf with my foot up in the air: I look around, and see all these other women doing the same thing. Most all of them are mothers who live in our neighborhood with kids who go to the same schools mine do or will go to. We're so close to home I can see the field lights from Holden's window and, as I run down the sideline dribbling the ball, I can look up and see Riley's pre-school classroom. It's the first time since my childhood that I feel a real sense of "community."

This feeling comes not only from these weekly scamperings, but also from being a part of the local school - where I'm involved on the advisory board at the Child Development Center (Holden's afterschool care and Riley's pre-school), take part in PTA activities and Kevin and I both regularly volunteer in all the kids' classrooms. In the past year, Kevin has taken photos for Riley and Holden's classes and attended the big 100 Day Celebration at kindergarten, while I've talked about Hannukkah and Passover in Holden's classes and accompanied Riley's class to the pumpkin patch for Halloween.

Through each of these activities, we've got to know our kids' friends and are slowly learning who their parents are. Along with birthday parties, T-Ball and regular school drop-offs and pick-ups, we're finally placing faces with names, and vice versa.

In addition, we have 26 new neighbors in our new townhome complex who we are getting to know. Most have young children (younger than Holden and Riley), but I imagine when all these babies start riding their bikes, Holden and Riley will be leading the charge along the driveways. Hopefully, this will be while their parents and us sip margaritas on the patio! But HOA meetings and other celebrations have given us a chance to meet and interact with our neighbors in a way we never have before and, as we set down roots in this new community, we are hopeful we'll intertwine and grow with everyone else's.

This may all seem cliche what with the middle age women seeking athletic outlets, the soccer mom tendencies and the PTA meetings ... but we're learning that there is a reason people take part in their communities. It's grounding. It's nice to belong. And we hope that, as the kids grow, they really get a sense of what it's like to be a good neighbor, friend and, of course, athlete.