Mary Kay Norris admits that she does not know all that much about soccer, but that has not stopped her from enjoying her time coaching her daughter on the nine-and-under Lil’Trojans.

“I have a daughter, Marley, who plays on the team, so I got volunteered to coach,” Norris said. “I did it for the kids so they’d have another team to play on.”

Despite never coaching soccer before, Norris says that she has enjoyed her time on the sideline. “Playing teaches the kids to work as a team and gives them some discipline,” Norris said. “They also learn the joy of winning and the art of losing.”

Norris has also learned something from the coaching experience. “As coaches, we learn to communicate with others that you aren’t around every day,” Norris said. “”Everyone you interact with comes from a different place.”

Since Norris is not experienced with coaching soccer, she has two college-aged volunteers, Hope Garner and Torrie Burgess, who provide her with the necessary technical knowledge.

Hope played high school soccer at Florence High School and is currently a student at Troy University. “I do a lot of student involvement on campus, but I wanted to do something to give back to the community,” Garner said. “Soccer has always been a passion of mine, so it made sense to coach a youth team.”

Like Norris, Garner believes that recreation sports give children the opportunity to learn life lessons. “The kids learn sportsmanship, discipline, and hard work,” Garner said.

Garner said that her time with the kids has taught her a little something to. “I learned that having fun is way more important than winning.”