I was browsing through my blog and came across this post which brought back pleasant memories.
H is 12 years old now and still a baseball "super star" Such a fine young athlete. Presently, he is away at camp for a month so the summer's baseball games are over but the sweet memories remain intact.
"Beautiful sunny day here in Atlanta. A perfect afternoon to attend grandson's baseball game. Blond hair and blue eyed he is 7 years old and a hum dinger of an athlete. Wearing his navy blue uniform trimmed in red, with his name and number on the back and his black helmet, he looked the part. Sorta like Robert Redford in "The Natural".
Today he played like a pro, sliding into home and scoring a run. He got a good hit and ran like a swift energizer bunny to first base where his dad, my son, was coaching. We left a bit early and H just called to tell us his team, the Indians, won the game 12 to 11. He asked if we saw him when he slid into home scoring the run.
Yeah H !!!!! You go little guy.
PS :Since when did they allow little girls to play on a baseball team? It did seem odd to look at home plate and see a small figure batting, shoulder length brown curls cascading from her helmet...:)"
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I found this on the web site of the Northside Youth Organization that sponsors the games and I like the message here:
"INVOLVEMENT
'Always be positive!
Learn to encourage, not criticize. If you don't have something good to say, don't say it.
Be a parent, not an agent. Talk to your child regarding his/her concerns, and help your child to learn to take care of most issues independently.
Rather that criticize coaches and players, and make excuses for himself/herself, take the excellent opportunity to teach him/her how to cope with adversity. Don't make lists of demands for the coaches to follow.
Spend time practicing at home. In the years to come, you will both treasure the memories of tossing the ball around, much more so than of victories and losses.
Volunteer your time. Ask the coach how you can help, and follow his/her direction. Your child will appreciate your positive involvement, and be proud to have you as part of the team.
Attend games and cheer.
Positive self esteem is the primary goal of sports, not [just] winning or losing.''
1 comment:
Both my kids played sports from all through school for the reasons you stated -- and yeah, I volunteered and cheered. They both went to college on swimming scholarships and my son has been coaching since he graduated from college (where he was a six-time All American)and my daughter was an all-conference distance swimmer and just got a new job as head coach of a small university in Kentucky. Am I proud? Yes, I am. Did I expect any of this? No. I just wanted them to have fun and they did.
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