Trares
The mystery has finally been solved.
Finding an answer had taken weeks, with some frustrating emails, phone calls and conversations in between. But at long last, Anthony had his soccer jersey.
We had signed him up over the summer to play in a weekly YMCA league. His love of the game had been growing every year, and though his main season was in the spring, we wanted to give him more opportunities to learn and play in the fall as well.
Finding the right fit was a challenge, though. Autumn is our busiest time of year as a family, with weekend commitments, short getaways and family traditions that we’d be loath to miss. Anthony’s normal spring soccer league offered a fall version, but the times of games and practices were unpredictable.
So we searched around, and the YMCA offered the perfect fit — a Tuesday evening session. He’d go once a week from late August until October, spending half the time working with coaches and the other half playing a game.
There wasn’t a ton of information about the session, but we confirmed that we were signed up, and got ready for our first practice. That night, while the kids kicked the balls through cones and zoomed passes to one another, the YMCA organizers held a parents meeting, just explaining what the season would look like.
All of the details were pretty straightforward: when the sessions would be held, how the practices and games would unfold, what to do if it looked like inclement weather. Oh, and one other detail — if our child had not been in a Y program before, and didn’t have a uniform, we had to order one.
Easy enough. They gave us a link to the company the YMCA worked with. As we sat there watching Anthony practiced, I placed our order for a teal jersey and a pair of soccer socks. We were told it would be shipped in three to five business days; we’d probably get it before the next practice, and definitely before week three.
The jersey didn’t come before that next practice. It didn’t come the week after either. With the season winding down, we started to get concerned.
Emails to the company’s customer service page were unreturned or answered with a message saying they were backed up and working on it. Calls to the customer service line were equally unproductive. The YMCA officials vowed to help us, but as it was a third-party vendor, they were limited on what they could do.
My wife and I were peeved that Anthony was one of the only kids without a jersey. He may have been bothered by it at first, but at each practice, he forgot about what he was wearing and instead focused on what he was learning. The instruction was outstanding; Anthony learned skills he’d never done before and felt more confident on the field.
During the games, he rotated between playing forward, defender and goalie. Each one offered an opportunity to try out his new skills, and he found that he loved defense, taking the ball away from oncoming players and passing up to his teammates on offense.
As the season wound to an end, we were resigned to the fact the jersey (and the socks) weren’t going to come. The situation left a bad taste in my mouth.
Then, lo and behold, an email came last weekend. Our order had been found, and the jersey was on its way. It should get there on Tuesday, just hours before the second-to-last game.
When the package arrived, any bad taste washed away. Anthony donned his new teal uniform and knee-high black socks, finally ready to fit in with his teammates.
And he did. That night, he seemed to run and kick with a little extra.
Case closed.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
