The Golden Mermaids

In October we finished up our first season of parks and rec soccer. Lana and six kindergarten and first-grade boys dutifully practiced drills, ran laps, learned the rules of the game, and played games on 1/4-sized soccer fields.

It was pretty chaotic some days, but toward the end of the season, the kids were actually starting to pay attention and run plays and pass the ball. It was pretty neat to watch. Lana really enjoyed it and I'm glad we signed her up. I figured that participating in a team sport would be good for Lana, what I didn't figure on, were all the great stories we'd get out of one season of K-1 soccer. Here's my favorite:

Team Name. Really? The Golden Mermaids?
Yep, Lana's team was called the Golden Mermaids.
After one of the first practices, I heard the team gather in a circle and chant a cheer:
"Who wants to play some soccer?"
     "WE DO! WE DO!"
"Who wants to score some goals?"
     "WE DO! WE DO!"
"Who wants to have some fun?"
     "WE DO! WE DO!"
"GO GOLDEN MERMAIDS!!!!"

The kids cheered and practice was dismissed. I was extremely curious about the team's unusual name, so I asked Lana and we had the following exchange:
Me: You guys are the Golden Mermaids? That's a fun name.
Lana: Yeah, it was my favorite. All the boys wanted to be the Cougars. But I wanted to be the Golden Mermaids. So we're the Golden Mermaids.
(She didn't actually drop the mic here, but I feel like she would have, had she had a microphone and knew what a mic drop was.)

They kept the name, Golden Mermaids, all season. If any of the boys on the team didn't like it, I never heard a complaint, and Lana, of course, thought it was wonderful.

Thanks Parks and Rec Soccer, and thanks Golden Mermaids!