From Mr. Matteson

In PE we are working on soccer intelligence and on our game mentality.  In the game of soccer (aka football around the world, because we use our feet) we use football actions or interactions like passing, dribbling, pressing, etc. Using passing, we can learn how to help our team possess the ball and create scoring chances. We are learning the difference between kicking and passing. We are asking the question: Is kicking the same as passing? And we learn that kicking is only part of passing. Passing is COMMUNICATING an intention, CHOOSING an option (teammate, technique), and successfully EXECUTING your decision. SCAN, CHOOSE, DO is the shorthand for this rapid process. The higher the level of play, the faster the process.

In games, we are looking to try out ideas and try again if they are unsuccessful. We can enjoy the challenge of any soccer action, knowing there will be another chance. Soccer is unscripted and dynamic. This spontaneous flow of the game makes it interesting and challenging at every level: from PE games at Crowden to Champions League matches in Europe. I’d like to think our founder Anne Crowden, who loved soccer, would approve of our students learning to play a game almost as universal as music. Why are there second chances? Because the game is constantly moving, new opportunities develop. Each player, on or off the ball, has agency to affect the movement of the game. Crowden students are constantly communicating, deciding, and carrying out those decisions at each evolving moment, helping themselves and their team.