Lori Curley: Last weekend, I sat in the sun, the clouds and then the rain, watching soccer. I have been watching this game for close to ten years, and even though I consider myself a wordsmith, I have run out of ways to say, "Great hustle!" to my daughter and her friends.

In fact, I have begun to dread our post-game encounters -- especially after a loss. Their faces say, "Ugh, here comes another stupid consolation to which I have to politely smile." And my face says, "Ugh, here comes another kid who did not play so well today but needs a positive word -- and I can't think of any."

So this week, I called a few experts to ask them, "What exactly should I say after a game?"  

My first call was straight to the top: I spoke (via e-mail) with Gloria Averbuch, mother of one of the most famous female soccer players out there, Yael. Gloria told me to watch "off-the-ball movement." This is important, she said, because our daughters will not always have the ball, but will need to be in a good position to receive a pass. On my right arm, I now have written, "You played great! I noticed you gave great support off the ball." 

My second correspondence was with Paul Newman, a local guy who trains college kids who want to make the pros. He told me to count how many times my daughter carries the ball into the box. He said to count how many times she runs into the box without the ball, too. He gave me so many things to count and so many statistics ... I never knew soccer could be reduced to numbers. On my left arm, I wrote, "You played great! You completed __ passes. You took __ shots. You had __ steals." 

Now, as long as the rain doesn't wash away my notes, I am ready for the weekend.