Sports: Adam Plays Soccer

Adam was getting ready for the soccer game. He was nervous because he was new on the team but the coach told him that is was time for him to get his feet wet. He knew this was soccer, but the day was dry and he didn't expect that he would get wet feet. Adam knew that there were four other brand new players on the team but he had been practicing very hard so that he would have a leg up over some of the other new players. He was so nervous that his coach asked him if he was getting cold feet. He didn't understand his new coach because his feet were nice and cozy since his mom had bought him new socks.

He had made certain that he got to the game very early and had just been kicking around and killing time, waiting for the game to start. Adam said he could kick himself because his mom forget to bring his new team jacket to the game. He was so proud of his new jacket. He decided not to kick up a fuss over the missing jacket as he wanted to concentrate on being the best of the new players. He had wanted to kick start his soccer skills so he had taken part in an all summer soccer camp and none of the other new players had attended.

The game had started badly and they were already down 2 points when the coach told him it was time for him to get on the field because he said they needed fresh legs. Adam didn't know what that meant but he was ready to jump for joy and the idea of being able to play. As he ran out onto the field the coach told him to break a leg. He said this with an encouraging smile on his face but Adam didn't think it was very nice of the coach to want him to break his leg. He also told him to kick butt, but Adam knew that you couldn't go around kicking other players on purpose. The coach saw the puzzled look on Adam's face and realized that he didn't understand break a leg and kick butt were just expressions. So he called out to Adam and told him that he was just pulling his leg. This left Adam even more confused.

The first leg of getting onto the field was to report to the team manager and ask him who he was replacing. After he reported he started to run out onto the field too soon and he almost jumped the gun. When the player he was replacing left the field the tired player told Adam it was his turn to have a kick at the cat. By now Adam was so confused he wasn't certain he was even going to be playing soccer but some weird game where you kicked cats. He saw that the soccer ball was moving down the field at a good clip so he took up his position by dropping back into a supporting position. A player on the other team started making fun of him to try to distract him from the game. The other player called him twinkle toes and told him he looked like Big Foot and said I can run circles around you. All this strange language and being made fun of confused Adam so much that he ran over to the coach and asked him what was going on. The coach said, I'm going to put my foot down Adam, stop acting so silly get back on your feet and get back into the game.

Finally Adam decided that he did know how to play soccer, even if he didn't understand all the weird language everyone was using. He ran back onto the field and played brilliantly. He scored two goals to tie up the game. The coach pulled him off the field and told him it was a kick to see his newest player playing so well but that it was now time for him to kick back before he kicked the bucket. He also said, "Adam, you sure landed on your feet , when you first went in and then came back off the field to talk to me, I thought that it was a mistake to put you in the game today. You sweep me off my feet when I see you pass." The final score of the game was 3 to 2 for them and Adam had been the main reason the team won the game. He was thrilled and on the ride home his mom told him that she was making a special dinner for him and that he and his dad could go surfing and hang ten while she got dinner ready. Joining a new soccer team, saving the game and to boot getting to go surfing with his dad while his mom made him his favorite dinner. Wow! What a day. He hoped his mom would have a lead foot for the trip home because he couldn't wait to get to the beach and get out on his surfboard. Maybe while he was surfing he could ask his dad about all the weird talking that he had heard today. Maybe his dad could explain it all to him. What a day!


Idioms in the story:

get his feet wet a leg up cold feet kicking around killing time kick himself kick up a fuss kick start fresh legs jump for joy break a leg kick butt pulling his leg first leg jumped the gun kick at the cat a good clip dropping back twinkle toes Big Foot run circles around you put my foot down back on your feet kick kick back kicked the bucket landed on your feet sweep me off my feet hang ten to boot lead foot