Haley will be going to play in a soccer tournament this weekend, so it was immediately necessary to purchase soccer gear for her. Although we were told that this particular event the kids would not be wearing cleats (artificial turf), she will probably need them for the next game. And no shinguards = no game for Haley, so off we went to purchase a soccer kit. Any US soccer fans out there are smiling and nodding at this point, but the rest of you may be confused. Every fall in the US marks a nice sale in the sporting goods stores: for $30 - $40 you get a package deal on soccer cleats, shin guards, and a ball. Not super high quality, but the kids outgrow the cleats *long* before they wear out anyhow...
Fast forward to Korea... No soccer kits. You have to buy everything separately. The cleats look the same, but the shinguards are these little plastic things you shove down your socks. No elastic, no ankle protection, and they only cover about half of a tall kid's shin... We headed down to eMart to check out the soccer gear there. The shinguards were the same dinky little things, but at least they had cleats in her size (9 - Mens!) The cheapest pair of cleats? $59 (this is the *sale* price!). So I order some american-style shinguards online. Together with a soccer ball, they cost $24. They came in two colors, black and white. My school secretary was helping me order, and she was very surprised when I ordered the black ones. "But Haley is girl!" "Yes, but she's playing *soccer*! White gets too dirty and ugly. Black is better. Also, they will match her shoes." This last argument was probably the most potent for her... Though she probably thinks we're crazy for buying black shoes for a girl...
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