The End of our First Sports Season

Five-year-old David had his last T-ball game for this year today. The season ended pretty much as it started, with us sitting in the rain watching him play and his complaining about having to play in the rain! David has learned quite a bit this season about baseball, as have all the members of his team. They have come a long way since the first practice when many were not even sure where the bases were! David is not a natural athlete, but he has made progress and I am proud of him for that.

Sports are such a part of our culture. It is just expected that little boys will play organized sports (little girls, too, although many might do dance instead). I was actually late starting David at age 5. Most of my friend's kids starting playing soccer at age 4!

My first experience playing an organized sport was when I was nine and my parents put me on a softball team. I enjoyed playing softball until I played on my high school J.V. team and it really wasn't much fun anymore. It wasn't until I took up tennis when I was fifteen that I truly found a sport I loved. Inspired by watching Wimbledon, I asked my father if I could get a tennis racket and learn to play. My Dad (who was nearing fifty years old at the time) and I went to a local discount store, picked up some inexpensive rackets, a container of balls, and went to the library to pick up a couple of books on how to play. For me, it was love at first swing. There was an old worn out court in a nearby park - there was grass growing out of the cracks and it didn't even have a net, but every day after he got home from work, my Dad and I would go out there and practice. When he thought we wouldn't embarrass ourselves too badly, we actually moved onto a public court that had a net! I made it my goal to try out for my high school tennis team. I was so nervous showing up for that first meeting. After all, I was a junior and had only been playing for a few months. Much to my surprise, the team took anyone who wanted to be on it! The coaches were wonderful and I worked so hard. I played second doubles that first year and second singles my senior year. I didn't win many matches but I loved every minute of it. I was so proud of my tennis jacket and the varsity letter that I earned.

I want my boys to someday have that sense of pride and joy playing sports, or doing any activity that they want for that matter. I don't want David or Isaac to play sports because it is expected of them, but because they want to. Just today, David was begging to sign up for soccer for this fall. I'm trying to introduce he and Isaac to any sport they show an interest in, in the hopes that they might find something that they love. Maybe they won't find their passion for a while. And maybe as they search, I, too, will need to learn something new and risk embarassing myself as my father did all those years ago. In the meantime, I hope that they will learn good lessons, like sticking with a sport for a season because you signed up for it and your team is counting on you, even when it is raining and you don't want to be there!