The coach said what?
So yesterday the girls tried out for a new basketball league... it's been available to boys but this year it was opened to girls through 9th grade. It was competitive and was quite the eye opener for me after having watched them play (both) in rec leagues where all-play, inclusive teams, are the standard. Wow...
Unofficially, both girls made their teams. Which is amazing to me. I'm proud. They did great. But what was more amazing? Yeah... it was finding out that my eldest has been watched for approx 4 years. She's 14... so yeah, since 5th grade. I had no idea. And what that tells me, which I refuse to divulge to the younger child, is they'll begin watching her now. Apparently, when you play basketball and tower above your classmates (and opt to play basketball) it's noticed. How did I miss that?
The elder finally, finally got feedback from someone... and I could tell she was amazed. And while I'm so pleased for her, I also admit to some personal happy. See... less than 2 years ago, while she could play, she was a mess. She'd get angry, couldn't focus, was prone to injuring herself or others in that lack, and her footwork was terrible. Really. She wouldn't practice, tried to get by on her height, and her dad and I might as well have been talking to a brick wall. Cuz, you know... she knew it all.
Yesterday the coach told her she's had enormous growth in the last year and a half... that if this had been 7th grade, he'd have told me to let it go. I've been working with her on her anger management and she finally showed initiative and asked the coach to work on footwork with her. Combined those with her own journey of growth as she navigates her teen years, and yeah... improvement. It was great to see her naturally lead the girls on the court, without trying to be in charge or with conscious effort. She just did it. And she played... hard. And looked happy. LOL... she's so sore today I think even her hair hurts.
The younger, well... she's where her sister was at the same age. On the fence about playing. She wants to swim. And I've agreed to try this last season as a competitive player on a semi-select team. Reality is, if swimming will feed her and teach her drive... then that's where she needs to be. I want her to love what she does. And she'd like to try soccer too. So, while I love to watch her play... she needs to find her bliss. So, we'll give the season a whirl and go from there. She's 9 and has lots of time. After this season she'll love it or not... either way, come spring, back to swimming she'll go. And climb. She so loves to climb. :)
It'll be different for me... I'm not the team mom, a coach or a commissioner. I'm a sports Mom. I sit on the side and smile my big grin, frown when my child is down, and run a gambit of emotion for the 2hrs they are on the court. I love to watch them play... so that's what I'm going to do.
Unofficially, both girls made their teams. Which is amazing to me. I'm proud. They did great. But what was more amazing? Yeah... it was finding out that my eldest has been watched for approx 4 years. She's 14... so yeah, since 5th grade. I had no idea. And what that tells me, which I refuse to divulge to the younger child, is they'll begin watching her now. Apparently, when you play basketball and tower above your classmates (and opt to play basketball) it's noticed. How did I miss that?
The elder finally, finally got feedback from someone... and I could tell she was amazed. And while I'm so pleased for her, I also admit to some personal happy. See... less than 2 years ago, while she could play, she was a mess. She'd get angry, couldn't focus, was prone to injuring herself or others in that lack, and her footwork was terrible. Really. She wouldn't practice, tried to get by on her height, and her dad and I might as well have been talking to a brick wall. Cuz, you know... she knew it all.
Yesterday the coach told her she's had enormous growth in the last year and a half... that if this had been 7th grade, he'd have told me to let it go. I've been working with her on her anger management and she finally showed initiative and asked the coach to work on footwork with her. Combined those with her own journey of growth as she navigates her teen years, and yeah... improvement. It was great to see her naturally lead the girls on the court, without trying to be in charge or with conscious effort. She just did it. And she played... hard. And looked happy. LOL... she's so sore today I think even her hair hurts.
The younger, well... she's where her sister was at the same age. On the fence about playing. She wants to swim. And I've agreed to try this last season as a competitive player on a semi-select team. Reality is, if swimming will feed her and teach her drive... then that's where she needs to be. I want her to love what she does. And she'd like to try soccer too. So, while I love to watch her play... she needs to find her bliss. So, we'll give the season a whirl and go from there. She's 9 and has lots of time. After this season she'll love it or not... either way, come spring, back to swimming she'll go. And climb. She so loves to climb. :)
It'll be different for me... I'm not the team mom, a coach or a commissioner. I'm a sports Mom. I sit on the side and smile my big grin, frown when my child is down, and run a gambit of emotion for the 2hrs they are on the court. I love to watch them play... so that's what I'm going to do.