Days with the Dorans

Life has been a whirlwind lately, and everything seems to be the Joey show (as it should around graduation) but we still have some cool things happening with the others! Sean had a game today and it's so much fun to watch him. Jeff calls him the disruptor because he always wants to STOP people from scoring- even more than he wants to score. The boy is a born defender!

Z has been playing soccer with his old team but indoor. I love this group and these coaches! We got to see them win when we got home! I love that they're called the Knights- just not THOSE Knights.  

  I'm glad to see that Z is still playing some kind of soccer. He didn't want to try out for WLN but thankfully his old coach/ team still does indoor in the winter.  Thankful to be able to watch and that he can get out and get some exercise in these crazy times! It's hard to take pictures in here but I can try for some video...

  With one last Sean game we were determined to get a few pictures! The problem is the field is HUGE and we like to sit up on a hill at his home field. We actually love it! It's shady, and you can really see everything open up. We used to sit up here for Zach's games too. For his last game the sibs were in attendance to show support and so was Nana... Papa was at a card show or maybe watching the Wolverines... I can't remember which but I do remember giving him grief about it. Sean had a great season in defense and was a real disruptor! 

Well, Ali had probably her last season with the Sharknados. It has been quite the ride for sure. I didn't take many pictures (it's hard on that big field) but it has been great seeing her play with these girls and coaches! Most of the team is graduating and the spring gets a bit nutty. Yay to Nana who snapped this picture. Similarly I was awful at taking pictures of Sean. I can't even tell you which kid he is in the picture! I just remember sitting up on the hill watching him and texting the others since Jeff was on Ali duty and I was with Seany. He is a blast to watch though! I think Covid has had an effect on my picture taking. I need to do better! I also need to add that Zach opted not to try out for soccer at WLN and his coaches didn't take a team in the fall because of the high school soccer season.

Though Zach doesn't play for the Jags anymore, I feel like this team is better! They play so well together and have beaten travel teams! They won the championship which was exciting! Some of the players on his team I had in class which makes watching them extra fun. I can't believe that they are heading to HS next year. I think that this may be Zach's last soccer season but time will tell. Ali is still playing in high school and this is such a fun rec group! The Sharknados will always have a place in my heart!  

  Just my soccer studs working on shooting. They couldn't hit the orange areas. It was fun!

It's Indoor Soccer Season and we've been spending our weekends watching two of our favorite soccer players. It's crazy because sometimes Ali will have games that start at 10:30 getting us home at midnight. It's crazy, but she is older now I guess.  Zach is playing for the same coach again and boy are those guys good. They are so fun to watch and went undefeated! The only time they didn't win~ they tied and it was against themselves... The outdoor team was bigger so they split it up to make two indoor teams! Zach did score on the shoot out too. HERE are some highlights of him playing. Ali is fun to watch too but the team in general can be a bit painful to watch. Unlike Z's team who won every game, Ali's team has lost every game. Some were better than others but I know it's hard for our competitive girl. Many of the teams are the high school teams or club teams that have played together for a long time. Ali has decided not to go out for the soc...

 Sean started out this season not super excited. He aged out of the academy league and didn't want to go travel. He didn't know any of the boys on his team and was (I think) the only 4th grader with all the other boys in 5th grade. Thankfully, that changed and he ended up having a fun and exciting season and these boys went undefeated and were so much fun to watch! Sean had a couple goals but for the most part loved playing defense. It's still so fun to watch him play and see him kind of chill and then get into the zone. He's really good at staying in position and reading plays. It still blows our mind since he can be a bit scattered in other areas of life. His last game was a rainy mess but we were excited that they won and it was fun listening to the parents of the other team talk about how good our team was (they were talking about their stats and things). I should also mention that I got to play soccer with this team- they did a parents vs. kids scrimmag...

 So much fun watching this kid play this season and this team was A BLAST to watch!! They really were good and they remained undefeated all season with no one coming close to them. Zach played well and got a couple goals. I think everyone on the team did which was fun. At the end of the season they really worked on feeding one of their players the ball so they could say that everyone got a goal. It was a great team! The last game was REALLY weird- cops were called and everything. In the middle of the game the Dearborn coach decided that we had illegal players since a couple of our boys are really tall. Talk about poor sportsmanship!!! This is a travel recreation league and the tall boys weren't even our dominant players and the score was not even close. They were taking pictures of our boys and wanted birth certificates (again in the middle of the game). It got ugly and thankfully the refs called it and we got the heck out of Dodge as the cops were pulling up. Still a g...

I love watching Ali Jane play! She had a great season and I feel like the team is getting better despite not really practicing much with all their nutty schedules! She scored a lot of goals and had a lot of fun. She's still unsure about trying out for WLN's team. They have a reputation for not being the nicest group. One of her friends made the team last year and doesn't want to try out this year and my friend, whose kiddo goes to Lakeland, also said that they have a bad rep- still... who knows, maybe that will change. Regardless though I know she'll always play for Beav and Matt and we have a blast cheering on that group! Great season, Al!!

Kind of bummed I didn't get a picture of the Sharknados this season but they were kind of plagued with injury so it was rare to have the team together. The Littles both had great coaches and I'm so proud of how well they played. Sean will have to go back to playing travel rec next season. We're praying we get coaches as good as Zach and Ali Jane had!

 Sean is so funny. He didn't want to play soccer and then he did. And then he didn't. He is so indecisive about EVERYTHING. He did end up enjoying it!! Loved practices with Coach Jordan (a coach he's had and liked before) and learned and improved a lot!  It's fun to watch Sean. He is so all over the place in real life but during the game he gets on a laser focus and is all in. He is a great little defender (which he prefers) but he also did wonderful on offense and got some great goals! Proud of him. He tells me he may want to try tennis or even running next year (I do NOT see him as a runner- but we'll see). He did tell me he'll be returning to the soccer field. Wherever he goes, you'll find us there cheering him on!

 Not quite sure what to say about Ali's soccer season. She's a fun player to watch but I know she gets frustrated. There were injuries from her teammates and since most of them are in high school, they often have other commitments so may not make practices or games. I'm not sure what Al's soccer future will look like. She does love her coaches and playing with the girls and she's so fun to watch! She's on the fence about trying out for her HS team. Time will tell what she decides but whatever she chooses and wherever she may be (field, court, stage, track), I will be there cheering her on!

 Z had a choice this year to either go travel soccer or go back to rec. He really wanted to try other things in middle school so opted to go rec. His fall season didn't have the best players but the spring went much better and he got on a team with some of his former teammates. One of his former player's dad was trying to get Z on his team. He is helping a rec coach who was really good. Thankfully we were able to get on his team in the spring. It was a much better experience. Z was a bit out of shape when he started but after a bit he got back into the groove and ended his season strong. I think they wound up second in their league which was good. The coach puts the kids in tournaments (but it was memorial day and we couldn't go because Joey and I are running). They did beat a Jags (travel) team and I felt REALLY good that they are getting good coaching and play for a small fraction of the price we paid for Jags. Z has decided to keep with rec ball next ye...