FUTBOL IN LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles is lately showing me a fun, peaceful face – knock on wood. Not only had I the chance to enjoy a great little place in Manzanita where I reconnected with my bee friends, the squirrel and a couple of chirpy hummingbirds – not to mention the skunk with a cat brain that wanted me to pet her... Between work and lack of hiking partners my weekend desert forays had become more sporadic and I was getting bored: coffee and newspaper was great in the morning, but that only got me covered for a couple hours. And spending Sunday watching TV was out of the question: this is LA, not Buffalo.

So I started to take walks around the neighborhood. I got to know every kook and crevice on the sidewalks; some residents even said hi as we crossed–usually the ones not walking a dog: interesting question for a psycho-sociologist.

One day I heard people yelling from the soccer field across the street and went over to check. There was a game going, people around my age, perhaps a little younger. I hadn't played soccer in a long while – I think it was New Jersey last year, with Pete – but I am always game to kick a few balls. I asked a guy with a D'Artagnan moustache who went by the name of Ethan if I could join them some time. He told me they were practicing for a parents vs parents school game in February (this was sometime in December I think), but that it was cool to join them for practice on Sundays. 

I was asked a few times what grade my kid was on and I had to explain that I am childless but that "I just like soccer and live across the street." I got a couple of confused looks but most people were very welcoming (even the skeptics were once they got over the thing about not being a parent). So I rediscovered playing football. Too bad my progression and getting into playing shape were cut short by a pulled hamstring (my career was almost derailed by an involuntary taekwondo kick from a goalie in a divided ball play – that ended in goal by the way). But it's been a lot of fun. And the best, as almost always in sports, comes not from the practice itself but from the people we play with. The Franklin parents have been great to play with, no-pressure and really open to learning and having fun. The coach, a no-nonsense Irishman with an old school methodology really leaves his (funny) mark. The parents vs parents took place on February 8 and the Franklin group I play with (Foxes) vanquished the Ivanhoe team (Dragons) 3-0 in a great and fun match. I couldn't play (both due to injury and ineligibility) but I did help to coach the goalkeepers, mostly Koko, a cool Armenian dude. I loved it. I had never actually done any "formal" coaching but I enjoyed it tremendously. I may use that as blueprint for future coaching/teaching. Et pourquoi pas? 

Here are a couple of pictures from the post-game celebration. Nice times. Go Foxes.