Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly column to celebrate young players. If you want to nominate a young athlete on the rise in your area, call Sports Editor Chris LaClair at 603-372-2684 or email at [email protected]
Today we focus on Blake Lashway. He is a talented soccer player who just had an amazing performance Saturday night at Claremont’s Monadnock Park in the Claremont Youth Soccer Associoation’s 4/5 championship game. He netted a hat-trick which means he scored 3 goals in one match. The best part about this hat-trick is that it was the game winner in overtime to claim the championship.
Question: What age is your son and what grade is he in?
Answer: My son, Blake, is 10 years old. He is entering 5th grade next month.
Q: How long has your son been playing soccer?
A: He started soccer in kindergarten (5 years old).
Q: How long have you been coaching him?
A: I didn’t start coaching him until the 2nd grade.
Q: What are the positives of coaching your own child?
A: I guess the positive of coaching him is seeing him grow and develop firsthand. I also enjoy spending time together at something we both love.
Q: What are the challenges of coaching your own child?
A: The biggest challenges are soccer-related disagreements that follow us home and making sure it does appear that I “favor” him or give him special treatment.
Q: Your son had a hat trick including the game winning goal in OT of the 4/5 grade CYSA championships, can you explain the motions that you felt from that performance?
A: The moment Blake it the game winner in OT I felt a huge wave of pride and happiness. My team this season worked incredibly hard and made tremendous progress. For my son to be the final piece that won the Championship was extra special.
Q: What does he enjoy the most about the game in his own words?
A: In his words, I just like shooting and kicking the ball around. He also loves the competition and his new friends.
— Chris LaClair
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