Lafayette Soccer Coach Exemplifies What True Sportsmanship Is

(Lafayette, Louisiana) - A youth soccer coach in Lafayette should be applauded for what he did at the end of a youth soccer match at Moore Park.

My 6-year-old daughter's pretty good soccer team kicked off its spring season this past weekend, and the team they played was a bit younger and not quite as advanced.

From the start, you could see that one team was way better than the other, but that didn't stop both teams from giving their best. As my daughter's team continued to score goals, you could see that the little girls on the opposing team were defeated. Their posture and facial expressions seemed to say it all.

As the match went on, more and more of the girls on the opposing team wanted out, and that is when my daughter's coach stepped in as the match was approaching the end.

Coach Underwood stopped the match, told his team to stand behind the goal, and called for every kid on the opposing team to line up. At the time, I didn't know what he was setting up, but soon I realized he was about to lift the spirits of those kids who felt defeated.

The coach for my daughter's team told each kid on the opposing team to kick the ball into the goal, and when the opposing team scored, each kid on my daughter's team was instructed to cheer for them.

Not only did every kid on my daughter's team cheer each time their opponent scored, but every parent watching did too. I share this with you because too often we see the negative side of youth sports, such as parents arguing with officials and even fighting with each other.

Well, that was not the case this past weekend, as Coach Underwood lifted the spirits of the kids on the opposing team and even the spirits of their parents. Too often, we take youth sports way too seriously, and seeing what Coach Underwood did for those kids, who felt defeated, made me proud that my child is on his team.

I hope that all of the kids who were playing against my daughter's team walked away feeling accomplished as they each scored a goal, and furthermore, I hope that more parents would be as kind and as mindful as Coach Underwood was when he saw a few young girls feeling like they weren't good enough.

This is what sports are all about. And I know that single moment when each little girl scored and was cheered will stay with them throughout the season and motivate them to be the best they can be.