On a very chilly November afternoon, a team of volunteers from October Three put on their coaching shoes and took the field with Urban Initiatives players from Jenner Academy, Ward Elementary, and Walsh Elementary.
After a quick warmup with Ward’s players, the teams and October Three volunteers split up onto separate fields and kicked off their first games. As soon as Coach Patty blew her whistle to start the first match, balls were bouncing and kids were running at full speed. “They’ve got a lot of energy today!” said Brian Fox, an Urban Initiatives Junior Board member and October Three employee, as he jumped out of the way of a Walsh student who was speeding down the sideline.
One of the afternoon’s high points came just after the teams returned from their first water break. Seven players from Walsh were preparing to face off with five students from Ward. “Wait a minute,” said Nathan, a third grader on Walsh’s team. “We’ve got way more players than them. Let me put on a blue pinnie, and I’ll switch teams.” After returning to the field a minute later, Nathan ran over to the Ward players and introduced himself to his new teammates with high fives and a huge smile on his face.
As the day’s final games came to an end, the players and volunteers sat down for “Circle of Love”. “I like how you passed to everyone on your team,” a Jenner student said to a Walsh Player. “You did an awesome Messi,” a Ward kid said to a player from Jenner. “I liked how you got right back up and chased after the ball when tripped near the goal,” an October Three volunteer told a Ward student.
Urban Initiatives would like to send a big thank you to the team from October Three. We had a ton of fun playing with you, and we’d love to have you join us again!