Why Endings Are So Hard.
This was a week filled with endings.
School ended on Thursday, which always makes me a little melancholy because it means my boys are another year older. It could have been worse, and next year will be. One will be a senior and the other will be in his last year of middle school. Those are both much bigger endings.
And another ending. I finished my revisions on Grounded!. It’s a relief to have reached that point, but I already miss my time in the imaginary world of Grace.
However, the biggest ending this week was that we left the youth soccer club we’d participated in for the last thirteen years. It feels like the end of an era. My oldest son was ten when he started playing there, and went on to play in college. My youngest is now a U14 player, so he has a lot of years of soccer ahead of him. My middle son plays another sport at an elite level.
If you’ve participated in competitive youth sports, you understand why this is a big deal. If you haven’t let me just say that we’ve committed an incredible amount of time to this. With two playing right now, it’s at least two hours a day, including weekends. Frequently, it’s been more, and rarely it’s been less. This means we’ve spent (ballpark) about 10,000 hours on this. Or 250 work weeks. Or about five years of our lives.
Seeing it written down like that makes me tired. 
There was a lot of drama, and anger, and politics that came with the change. Basically, the Reader’s Digest version of what happened is this: new leadership wanted more control and (I’ve heard) changed the election process to exclude the families, putting the control in the hands of the coaches. Then, at the end of this year’s season, they systematically eliminated older coaches who had an established track record of success and a loyal following, presumably because these are the people who could challenge them under the new rules. They assumed parents and players would remain with the club, especially after they seeded a few rumors about the coaches who had left.
Ballsy? Absolutely. Risky? Well, as turns out, yes.
The club is now about half the size that it was, and most of the talented players followed the talented coaches. In just over a month, a new club was formed, tryouts were held, and teams were selected. This seems like a monumental undertaking, but when people share the passion for a common goal you’d be surprised at what can be accomplished.
I’m still hopeful that everyone might come back together, but it’ll require leadership changes and it doesn’t look like that’s a possibility for the next season. It’ll feel strange to practice at a new park, and to watch a game cheering for different colors. Still, there’s a metaphor in there somewhere. Or maybe a really good plot for a future novel – one that isn’t about youth soccer, but rather some dystopian society.
Anyway…
The last thing I want to say about endings is that they also signal beginnings. And my fresh starts are all fun. Summer vacation—no explanation necessary. A new novel—this is my favorite part of writing because anything is still possible. A new club—talented players plus talented coaches plus good friends means I have a hunch we’ll have a great upcoming season.
One last beginning—and yes I know it’s shameless self-promotion—I just began a giveaway at Goodreads for Grounded! You can enter here if you interested.
