woohoooo!

•••

I am finally a snoburban soccer mom. I actually go to all of my son's high school games. This change was a long time coming. At his games through the years, I used to pull the car right up to the field and read a book during the game. "Did you see my goal?!" he would ask, as I looked up from my reading. "Yes, of course I did! It was awesome!"

But now I go to the games and actually watch. That's because his team is really, really good. A D.C. United pro player and a college coach came to the last game.

Being a hillbilly, I hoot, holler and woohooooo! Where I'm from, the crowds are loud, the cheerleaders are almost professional, and raucous hooting and stomping are expected. Not in snoburbia. Now that the team is way ahead, the crowds are picking up, but the volume barely is. When the ref makes a questionable call, the kids shout, "But, sir! But, sir!" They are trying to win the sportsmanship award (so tongue-in-cheek, yet admirable!).

I guess I shouldn't bring a milk jug filled with pebbles to shake at the next game.

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Comments

[Casey Anderson]

When my son's team moved into a new league, we were warned that excessively boisterous cheering was against the rules and that parents would be banned from attending games if they made too much noise.

The worse part of youth soccer in this county, though, is having to drive to Germantown (sometimes twice in the same weekend!) just to get a field.

[Hot Diggity]

Hmmm.. not a soccer fan, but my pet peeve is selective cheering. Where the cheering is only for Bobby, or Suzie, while the rest of the team goes about their duties in silence.

[Queen of the Weezils]

I don't see much of this part of snoburbia because I don't have kids. But isn't there a happy middle ground, where you can cheer happily and loudly for your own kid without being rude to the other team or the rest of your team?

Even discussing proper soccer cheering etiquette seems oh so very snoburbian. I bet they don't worry about this at the pros!

[Frannie]

They have cheerleaders for soccer?

[kathy]

I hate the emphasis that is put on soccer in snoburbia. Really, how many of these kids actually go on to be pro soccer players? What's the big deal with the sport? The happiest day of my life was when my kids decided they hated it as much as I did.

[Doris]

I'd rather go to Germantown for soccer games because they have BATHROOMS! And soda machines (or a snack bar at the main building). I realize that Olney is closer to Germantown than the heart of Snoburbia is, so it's not as hard for me to get there, but it's a great facility for the kids & the spectators.

[Cavan]

Come to a DC United game. We're VERY loud in the Barra Brava supporters' group. We don't sit down or stop singing the whole game. Everyone I take to a United game rants about how much fun the experience is.

The rules about boisterous cheering at the youth games are to prevent abusing the officials. There are (few but they do exist) parents who abuse officials and escalate the whole game. At a high school, college, or professional game, you're in a stadium so there is a fence where potentially physically abusive spectators are sectioned off from the field of play. Unless you're in the stadium at the Soccer Plex, the spectators are right up on the field. Very different situation when you're talking about crazy, abusive spectators.

[Queen of the Weezils]

I have a personal beef with the Germantown SoccerPlex. We used to live about a mile away from it, and so when it opened we'd go down there to fly airplanes or throw a frisbee or some other thing that required open space. We'd just find an empty field and go for it. One day we got chased off by security, who had been called by parents, because the SoccerPlex is for *soccer players only*. Apparantly, tax-paying Germantown homeowners who actually paid for the thing and have to put up with the to/from traffic problems and the disruption during construction don't deserve access to completely empty and unused fields.

[elliptical reviews]

No offense, but i suggest admin adding a google+ button for easy share!