I've spoke about Avery trying out and making the '01
Futbol Club of
Bartlesville (FCB) competitive team. Well, she's been practicing in our crazy, triple digit, Oklahoma heat this summer and doing lots of fundraisers to help with team expenses. But now was their first time to play together as a team! We were so excited to see them finally play! This tournament was called "Beat the Heat" and it was held down in Edmond, OK.
Our first game was Saturday morning at 7am, so the girls needed to be on the field at 6:30am. We left Friday right after school to head down to the hotel so Avery could get a good night sleep. The early morning hours actually work good for our girls, and we won our first game 6-3.
After that game, we were in pretty good spirits and headed back to the hotel for a little swim...
and, for Randy and I, just a little relaxing! The next game wasn't until 7:30pm, so we got in some naps and ate lunch. We also met up with one of our high school friends, Brad Schmitt, since he lived down in the area. At first I was thinking we got a bad schedule, but with the triple digit heat, I was super happy that our games started under the lights and ended under the lights!
Our evening game was another great game that ended with another win, 3-0. One of the girls from the other team actually ended up with 2 yellow cards and was taken out, but I was proud of our girls for keeping their cool.
Ashton and Addie did soooo good at all the games! We sat by our friends, the Revards, and their kids helped to entertain ours! Here they are, all smiles and cheering on their sis!
Since we were 2-0, and the team we would play the next morning at 7am was 2-0, we by-passed the first game and went straight into the finals at 11:30am. I was more hoping for the 7am game because I knew how hot it was going to be but I also didn't realize how tired I was!! It was hard enough getting to the fields by 10:30am! The older B'ville team was playing in the tournament also and my cousin, Mariah, is on that team. They always played at the same time so we didn't get to watch her but I snagged a pic of her and Avery before they went to their own fields to warm-up.
Our last game was a lot more intense! In fact, the other team scored first which we hadn't let happen in any of the games so far! We ended up scoring almost immediately after they scored so it was back to even.
It was a more physical game than the other two but we handled it really well and gave everything back that was being dished out. This is actually a picture of one of Avery's best friends, Kaleigh Revard. After half-time we really picked it up and scored 3 more goals pretty quickly. But then we let up a little and the other team came back with 2 goals. It was getting too close for comfort and I was watching the clock all the time hoping time would run out. But luckily we scored one more goal to ease my nerves and it ended with us winning 5-3.
The girls were so excited to win their first tournament that they ever played in! There were some "hold your breath" moments and some "what were you thinking" moments that still need to be worked out but I'm excited to see them continue to grow together as a team. Way to go girls!!
We were so proud of Avery and how hard she played and hustled and passed the ball! She did amazing! Her head was in the game and she was there to not only play but to win. And we were so blessed to be able to watch it all! We were missing one...
Austin was planning on going until the last minute when his Aunt Julie asked if he could go with them to the rodeo. Well, it didn't take much convincing to get him to go! This was Austin's first time to the rodeo. They decked him out in cowboy attire and he and Tanner got to go try to round up some calves and watch some real cowboys... he can't wait to go again! We miss you, Austin... but thank you, Julie and Derek, for making Austin's weekend!!
Randy put together a fundraiser for the FCB '01 girls to raise some money for their soccer expenses. It was called a kick-a-thon, the girls kicked 500 goals and were sponsored by friends and family.
Avery mailed out a lot of letters and we were so excited and grateful for the response she received! Each donation meant so much to her and it really made her feel loved. We told her that a lot of people loved her and believed in her and she is ready so show everyone that she appreciates the support by playing her hardest! Randy tried to make it a fun event for the girls. He had different stations set up and there was a point system for making goals at those different areas.
He also set up water balloons in the goal for extra points if one got popped! This ended up being a little harder than we expected, those were tough balloons! So Randy changed the rule to get points for just hitting the balloons!
After the girls finished, we tallied up the goals to see who got first and second. Those two places got $5 gift cards to Braums. Avery actually got first place but since Randy was the one who put it together, we gave second and third place the prizes. Randy treated Avery and her siblings afterwards with Braums. :)
Since the balloons had a hard time popping, the girls thought they would take advantage and have a little water balloon fight afterwards! It turned out to be a fun evening! Randy and I truly appreciate the support that Avery received and want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts. Competitive soccer costs a whole lot more than when I played... and it was expensive back then! So we are truly grateful for all those who donated! Here are a few of the girls who participated in the fundraiser: Liza, Kaleigh, Peyton, Avery and Margaret.
