Collectively, A Thread To Celebrate Our Kids Athletic Accomplishments (1 Viewer)

[nirad3]

There are some "Ninja Warrior" and parkour type places in Orange County. Probably worth looking into it and maybe signing him up for a class or two. Most important thing is finding an activity he is interested in and excited to go to.

I think we found a spot nearby that blends gymnastics with the parkour stuff.  We'll look into it for the summer months.

But man, you know me... sports nut.  I feel like a selfish jerk for feeling this way but I'm bummed that my only son isn't into sports.  I guess there's still time.

that seems like a cool thing to do... as well as the Ninja Warrior stuff.

I feel like it takes a certain personality to do those though- the Alex Hannold type without any built in fear of injury, pain and death. otherwise, I'd imagine I'd be freaking out every second as a parent... and my kids would be lalalalala until they fell off a wall and broke their leg, at which point the pain aversion thing would likely trump everything else and put the kabosh on any of it. and that's making the leap that either of my kids would ever get over their fear of heights ot even try it in the first place

We watched the Hannold documentary with my boy a few nights ago.  Crazy stuff!  I know there's a thread on it in the FFA, I should go poke my head in there.

 

[El Floppo]

I think we found a spot nearby that blends gymnastics with the parkour stuff.  We'll look into it for the summer months.

But man, you know me... sports nut.  I feel like a selfish jerk for feeling this way but I'm bummed that my only son isn't into sports.  I guess there's still time.

We watched the Hannold documentary with my boy a few nights ago.  Crazy stuff!  I know there's a thread on it in the FFA, I should go poke my head in there.

fyi... if you happen to post in it, please preface your post with "NOT DEAD YET". 

TIA.

 

[Chadstroma]

@Chadstroma and @nirad3

This is the time where building that village of other families on some of the teams comes in critical to try and work in carpooling. We are lucky that my middle and youngest son's have teammates that are also brothers, so we are able to do a lot of divide and conquer with them in terms of taking to or picking up from practice, which is especially helpful for the middle son as his soccer practices are not "local", but about 30 minutes away.

One thing that makes it easier is being a Mortgage Broker which mean my hours are as I see fit. So, I have the flexibility to pick up, drop off and usually stay and watch. My wife as a regional manager for a small regional bank has some flexibility too and doesn't work weekends. 

One advantage of most of the sports being with the small Catholic school is that there is starting to be some getting to know some families better with interaction. Also, my sister in law has a daughter in the same grade and lives nearby. The one draw back is that I am not "in" the close knit community as I am not Catholic and not involved in so much as the others plus my oldest is just getting into sports after when she would have normally started was killed with COVID. My wife is not much of the "soccer mom" type and doesn't do much of the social butterfly type of thing but as I am the primary one to take them plus coaching my sons bball team, we are getting more involved. The other nice thing is all the teams used "Teamsnap" so in a big pinch we could use that to send out an SOS which I am sure would be responded to. 

But seriously good advice to keep that in mind as things will only get more busy when the little one starts to get into sports too and things will be even more hectic. 

 

[Chadstroma]

I think we found a spot nearby that blends gymnastics with the parkour stuff.  We'll look into it for the summer months.

But man, you know me... sports nut.  I feel like a selfish jerk for feeling this way but I'm bummed that my only son isn't into sports.  I guess there's still time.

We watched the Hannold documentary with my boy a few nights ago.  Crazy stuff!  I know there's a thread on it in the FFA, I should go poke my head in there.

I totally get that. My two sons are so far completely into sports but there is a little bit of bummed feeling that my daughter is not competitive in the basketball at all and kind of wish washy on vball. She just isn't driven and competitive like I am and like my sons seems to be. I don't push it and don't make her do anything but when I say "Hey, there is this skill camp for basketball" and she says no thanks... I can't lie and say that there isn't any level of disappointment. I accept it and it is fine and I am not disappointed in her but it is more about being disappointed that we won't share that in a more competitive sense and interacting on that level. If my sons were like that too I think it would hit a little harder for me. 

 

[belljr]

little belljr in a slump....... back to hitting like preseason ----   the whole team can't hit 

feel bad only for all the work she does

 

[Gally]

little belljr in a slump....... back to hitting like preseason ----   the whole team can't hit 

feel bad only for all the work she does

Softball/baseball is full of slumps.  It sucks but as you know you will get another chance.  Keep working and it will turn around.  It always does.  

 

[acarey50]

I totally get that. My two sons are so far completely into sports but there is a little bit of bummed feeling that my daughter is not competitive in the basketball at all and kind of wish washy on vball. She just isn't driven and competitive like I am and like my sons seems to be. I don't push it and don't make her do anything but when I say "Hey, there is this skill camp for basketball" and she says no thanks... I can't lie and say that there isn't any level of disappointment. I accept it and it is fine and I am not disappointed in her but it is more about being disappointed that we won't share that in a more competitive sense and interacting on that level. If my sons were like that too I think it would hit a little harder for me. 

What does she like? Not to sound too cliche, but many of my friends with daughters, they started out with dance/gymnastics and then for many, that morphed into some desire for the other sports, or if they aren't drawn to the team sports, and aren't into the dance/gymnastics, you can try many of the more "individual" sports like swim and track. Really at the younger ages it seems that soccer is the main team sport where I see there are enough girls playing to maintain their own leagues, possibly softball, but usually at the younger ages it is coed and it seems that turns off many of the girls.

 

[Chadstroma]

What does she like? Not to sound too cliche, but many of my friends with daughters, they started out with dance/gymnastics and then for many, that morphed into some desire for the other sports, or if they aren't drawn to the team sports, and aren't into the dance/gymnastics, you can try many of the more "individual" sports like swim and track. Really at the younger ages it seems that soccer is the main team sport where I see there are enough girls playing to maintain their own leagues, possibly softball, but usually at the younger ages it is coed and it seems that turns off many of the girls.

She likes bball and vball... more so vball. Ahe doesn't like to run apparently which is her reasoning for liking vball over bball. She is nearly finished swim lessons which is all comp strokes, turns, etc to graduate the program but had no interest in trying out for swim team. 

She wants to do more rock climbing and enjoyed archery. She didn't seem competitive about climbing but was a little competitive with her brother in archery last summer. 

She just seems more interested in doing for fun than winning. Which is fine. When her team lost in playoffs, most of her team mates were crying... she was unfazed. If they won she prob wouldn't have changed her mood at all 

She likes art and that kind of stuff. She likes doing things just not seriously I guess at this point. I mentioned club vball and she wanted to do and I was like that is fine, you can but club vball is serious. It is you have to practice on your own and work to get better... it isn't like a fun recreation summer camp thing. She seemed to lose interest. 

 

[belljr]

Softball/baseball is full of slumps.  It sucks but as you know you will get another chance.  Keep working and it will turn around.  It always does.  

You're wrong she should be getting hit every time she's up dammit

 

[Gally]

You're wrong she should be getting hit every time she's up dammit

Just do the score keeping.......you can make it happen

 

[Gally]

Son got his first varsity complete game shutout.  They won 2-0.  The game was completed in 80 minutes.  He threw 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 BB, 3 K's.  It only took him 73 pitches.  The 3 K's were all in the same inning on 9 pitches (an immaculate inning).  

This was against one of the better teams in the area.  He pitched great staying ahead and pounding the zone.  His team was able to stay out of the "one bad inning" that has plagued them all year defensively.  His last outing he was up 1-0 into the bottom of the 6th when 3 errors lead to 4 unearned runs and a loss.  This was a nice follow up.  Only two games left in the season.

 

[zoobird]

My daughter (high school freshman) has first day of flag football practice today and is super-excited about it.  She plays soccer and is fast, but just wasn't feeling excited about track.  The school announced that they'd be starting a girl's flag football team and she signed up.  She's fast, somewhat tall, and definitely does not throw "like a girl", so I'm interested to see how this goes.

First game was yesterday.  My daughter only got in for a few plays, but honestly probably didn't deserve more than that - she missed a full week out of the three weeks of practice so far and barely knows the rules.  Only bad thing is they've had her practicing at safety, and the starting safety had three interceptions in the game...so not sure how much she'll play without a position change.  But they seem to be very flexible about that.  She actually didn't play on defense at all, but got in as a receiver.  

 

[ChiefD]

She likes bball and vball... more so vball. Ahe doesn't like to run apparently which is her reasoning for liking vball over bball. She is nearly finished swim lessons which is all comp strokes, turns, etc to graduate the program but had no interest in trying out for swim team. 

She wants to do more rock climbing and enjoyed archery. She didn't seem competitive about climbing but was a little competitive with her brother in archery last summer. 

She just seems more interested in doing for fun than winning. Which is fine. When her team lost in playoffs, most of her team mates were crying... she was unfazed. If they won she prob wouldn't have changed her mood at all 

She likes art and that kind of stuff. She likes doing things just not seriously I guess at this point. I mentioned club vball and she wanted to do and I was like that is fine, you can but club vball is serious. It is you have to practice on your own and work to get better... it isn't like a fun recreation summer camp thing. She seemed to lose interest. 

This is my daughter exactly.

We tried hockey because her brother plays. She absolutely loves it. Sometimes you gotta try things you would never think of and it sticks.

And if it doesn’t? So what. Each kid will find their way on their terms when they are ready.

 

[El Floppo]

First game was yesterday.  My daughter only got in for a few plays, but honestly probably didn't deserve more than that - she missed a full week out of the three weeks of practice so far and barely knows the rules.  Only bad thing is they've had her practicing at safety, and the starting safety had three interceptions in the game...so not sure how much she'll play without a position change.  But they seem to be very flexible about that.  She actually didn't play on defense at all, but got in as a receiver.  

how'd she feel about the first game? 

 

[ex-ghost]

Yep, first time running it, but he has been training for it for awhile. He definitely likes track better. His best 5k XC time is 15:41, but with his track times that 5k should be closer to 15:15. He still has his senior year, but the recruiting starts now.

His goal this year is 1:56 800, 4:19 1600 and 9:19 3200.

A bit of a break between meets, but finally had his first big invitational yesterday. Pulled out a 4:17.4 1600. Was seeded 5th, finished 3rd and almost caught the 2nd place guy, finishing .05 behind him. Winner was 4:13. Big meet next Saturday where he will run a 3200 stacked with fast dudes. His goal is sub 9:20.

 

[El Floppo]

A bit of a break between meets, but finally had his first big invitational yesterday. Pulled out a 4:17.4 1600. Was seeded 5th, finished 3rd and almost caught the 2nd place guy, finishing .05 behind him. Winner was 4:13. Big meet next Saturday where he will run a 3200 stacked with fast dudes. His goal is sub 9:20.

whoa- great race! so freaking fast.

9:20  holy hell.

floppinho had his 2nd meet (his original 2nd meet was scheduled at a HS the same day and near where that subway shooting happened, so it was cancelled while they were sheltered in place). it was a chilly day to hang out and watch his teammates- high 40s- and he was miserable by his races. ran the mile a little faster than last time... 6:04, and the 800 next but slower- I think in the high 2:40s. where he was midpack last time, the competition was a lot better this time (winner was mid 4s) and he finished near the back. he's still fired up to go sub 6.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Next to last home double-header happened on Saturday as they completed the sweep against a conference opponent. After going 1 for 6 in the first game on Friday, he went 2 for 3 in each game, including a bunt single and a homer that put them ahead for good in the first game, and then he pitched 2 scoreless innings to end the second game.

That said, what happened after the game was more impressive to me...

After the game, my son walks over to their bench while they're packing up their stuff, approaches the first baseman and they chat for a while like long-lost friends, even swapping jerseys (they can't actually do that, so they just posed for a picture while holding up the other's jersey). I asked him about that and he said that during the game the day before, the other guy had asked my son about doing that, as they had faced off against each other since they were freshmen and they had a lot of mutual respect for each other. FWIW, that kid is currently leading the conference in hitting and has had an illustrious career of his own.

With just two weeks left in the regular season, their last two series are against the two teams just behind them in the league standings. While they still have a mathematical chance to finish first, they're probably going to finish either 2nd or 3rd, but that's good enough to make the conference playoffs.

Also, I'd like to ask for thoughts and prayers for him and his team on Tuesday, as they have a game at Rutgers-Camden that evening. TIA.

 

[belljr]

Next to last home double-header happened on Saturday as they completed the sweep against a conference opponent. After going 1 for 6 in the first game on Friday, he went 2 for 3 in each game, including a bunt single and a homer that put them ahead for good in the first game, and then he pitched 2 scoreless innings to end the second game.

That said, what happened after the game was more impressive to me...

After the game, my son walks over to their bench while they're packing up their stuff, approaches the first baseman and they chat for a while like long-lost friends, even swapping jerseys (they can't actually do that, so they just posed for a picture while holding up the other's jersey). I asked him about that and he said that during the game the day before, the other guy had asked my son about doing that, as they had faced off against each other since they were freshmen and they had a lot of mutual respect for each other. FWIW, that kid is currently leading the conference in hitting and has had an illustrious career of his own.

With just two weeks left in the regular season, their last two series are against the two teams just behind them in the league standings. While they still have a mathematical chance to finish first, they're probably going to finish either 2nd or 3rd, but that's good enough to make the conference playoffs.

Also, I'd like to ask for thoughts and prayers for him and his team on Tuesday, as they have a game at Rutgers-Camden that evening. TIA.

  That area isn't too bad.  Just stay on campus

 

[El Floppo]

After the game, my son walks over to their bench while they're packing up their stuff, approaches the first baseman and they chat for a while like long-lost friends, even swapping jerseys (they can't actually do that, so they just posed for a picture while holding up the other's jersey). I asked him about that and he said that during the game the day before, the other guy had asked my son about doing that, as they had faced off against each other since they were freshmen and they had a lot of mutual respect for each other. FWIW, that kid is currently leading the conference in hitting and has had an illustrious career of his own.

love that.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

  That area isn't too bad.  Just stay on campus

Not really worried about them, just know that some of you are familiar with that area. Was going for the laugh.

 

[ChiefD]

14 year old son plays hockey and we just got back from a tournament in Chicago this weekend. He is a 2nd year bantam and in 8th grade, so this is it before high school. He has been playing with the same core group of boys for the last 3 years, which is a miracle in hockey.  

This team they were on is basically a house team where the kids try out and form a team to play 3 tournaments at the end of the season. Here in KC my son is a gold player if that means anything. He probably would have made the rinks full travel team this year but we decided against it for a couple of reasons:

1. Financial - we can technically afford to do it but at this point we know his career will be over at the end of high school, and if he makes travel high school we will spend our money there, and...

2. His buddies. This group is so tight on and off the ice, and as a group of families we all talked before the season about plans and just all kind of came to a concensus to keep them together. A great group of people.

So anyway, they took first place this weekend for their part of the tournament. My son finished as the top goal scorer for his team for the entire season (he is an incredible player and just works so hard at it). 

This team also won the St. Louis tournament a month ago, and also won their league championship. So three championships in their final year together.

Next year is high school, and they will all try out for the same teams, but there is no guarantee they will end up together as a core group. Some will, some will play on upper teams, some may decide not to travel...etc....

But it was the end of an era for these boys. They also won a tournament last year and they are just so good together. Play hard, pass the puck, have each others backs on and off the ice.

A beautiful way to go out in style. 

 

[Gally]

Next to last home double-header happened on Saturday as they completed the sweep against a conference opponent. After going 1 for 6 in the first game on Friday, he went 2 for 3 in each game, including a bunt single and a homer that put them ahead for good in the first game, and then he pitched 2 scoreless innings to end the second game.

I love that combination.  I had a player I would have drag bunt early in games that had power to go yard.  He always rolled his eyes when I called it and hated doing it.  I told him it forced the 3B to play in giving him more room later to go past him with hard hit balls.  He still rolled his eyes (jokingly and not to be disrespectful).  Almost every game he showed bunt later on he would get a hit by the 3B because he was in.  This was from ages 10-14 for some perspective.  After each time I would give him the shrugged shoulders with hands basically giving the  "hey look it worked"  look.  He eventually started reading it and doing it on his own.  It's an awesome skill to be able to do both and I wish more guys would incorporate that into their game.  It's very powerful strategically.  

 

[belljr]

I love that combination.  I had a player I would have drag bunt early in games that had power to go yard.  He always rolled his eyes when I called it and hated doing it.  I told him it forced the 3B to play in giving him more room later to go past him with hard hit balls.  He still rolled his eyes (jokingly and not to be disrespectful).  Almost every game he showed bunt later on he would get a hit by the 3B because he was in.  This was from ages 10-14 for some perspective.  After each time I would give him the shrugged shoulders with hands basically giving the  "hey look it worked"  look.  He eventually started reading it and doing it on his own.  It's an awesome skill to be able to do both and I wish more guys would incorporate that into their game.  It's very powerful strategically.  

Im trying to get my daughter to understand this.  Granted she is righty so the bunt for hit is not as easy but she has speed and power.  And now she is batting 2 hole instead of lead off so they think all she can do it bunt lol.... I keep telling her to read the defense every once in a while and see if you can lay one down. Granted Softball is a little bit different beast but similar concept

 

[zoobird]

how'd she feel about the first game? 

Positive experience and she didn't mind the lack of playing time.  She just didn't like seeing the starter at her main position dominate the game.  I think the positions are still going to be really fluid, so if she's good in practice, she'll get plenty of chances.

 

[gruecd]

My little girl is already dunking on her Little Tykes basketball hoop.  I'm 6'4" and my wife is 5'11".  At 16 months, our little one is already 33.5" tall, which puts her in the 99th percentile for her age.  Can't wait until she's playing in the WNBA making $75K/year... 

 

[belljr]

Positive experience and she didn't mind the lack of playing time.  She just didn't like seeing the starter at her main position dominate the game.  I think the positions are still going to be really fluid, so if she's good in practice, she'll get plenty of chances.

Tell her to tackle the biggest player there as hard as possible.  Announce her presence with AUTHORITY!@##!@ 

 

[belljr]

My little girl is already dunking on her Little Tykes basketball hoop.  I'm 6'4" and my wife is 5'11".  At 16 months, our little one is already 33.5" tall, which puts her in the 99th percentile for her age.  Can't wait until she's playing in the WNBA making $75K/year... 

Somewhat funny/sad..... I'm only 5'9"-5'10" and my wife is 5'1".   So we knew my daughter wasn't going to be super tall. Anyway she was always always in the 90-95th percentile for height and weight since forever.   At one point the doctor does the "based on what we see, she should end up ~ X height)..... which the doctor "predicted" was 5'7"...... I'm like there is no chance lol.... she becomes a "woman" early in life and stops growing..... topped out at 5'3" she was "bummed"

 

[ChiefD]

My little girl is already dunking on her Little Tykes basketball hoop.  I'm 6'4" and my wife is 5'11".  At 16 months, our little one is already 33.5" tall, which puts her in the 99th percentile for her age.  Can't wait until she's playing in the WNBA making $75K/year... 

Somewhat funny/sad..... I'm only 5'9"-5'10" and my wife is 5'1".   So we knew my daughter wasn't going to be super tall. Anyway she was always always in the 90-95th percentile for height and weight since forever.   At one point the doctor does the "based on what we see, she should end up ~ X height)..... which the doctor "predicted" was 5'7"...... I'm like there is no chance lol.... she becomes a "woman" early in life and stops growing..... topped out at 5'3" she was "bummed"

I'm about 5'8" and my wife 5'7". My oldest son is almost 6'2".

I wanna know when @gruecd visited Kansas City, say 17 years ago or so.   <_<

 

[ex-ghost]

whoa- great race! so freaking fast.

9:20  holy hell.

floppinho had his 2nd meet (his original 2nd meet was scheduled at a HS the same day and near where that subway shooting happened, so it was cancelled while they were sheltered in place). it was a chilly day to hang out and watch his teammates- high 40s- and he was miserable by his races. ran the mile a little faster than last time... 6:04, and the 800 next but slower- I think in the high 2:40s. where he was midpack last time, the competition was a lot better this time (winner was mid 4s) and he finished near the back. he's still fired up to go sub 6.

What I've seen in 6ish years of watching high school track and cross country - kids make SO much progress in one year. Training 5-6 days a week for 3 months yields some great growth.

 

[El Floppo]

My little girl is already dunking on her Little Tykes basketball hoop.  I'm 6'4" and my wife is 5'11".  At 16 months, our little one is already 33.5" tall, which puts her in the 99th percentile for her age.  Can't wait until she's playing in the WNBA making $75K/year... 

Better start pushing now or she'll never go to Harvard first.

Somewhat funny/sad..... I'm only 5'9"-5'10" and my wife is 5'1".   So we knew my daughter wasn't going to be super tall. Anyway she was always always in the 90-95th percentile for height and weight since forever.   At one point the doctor does the "based on what we see, she should end up ~ X height)..... which the doctor "predicted" was 5'7"...... I'm like there is no chance lol.... she becomes a "woman" early in life and stops growing..... topped out at 5'3" she was "bummed"

I'm 6', the wife is 5'6. I grew early and fast...been this height since I was 13, and was always a head taller than my friends before then.

According to those Dr charts when he was 3 or 4 and always 99th percentile of growth charts, according to them Floppinho was supposed to be 6'-8". He's only 6'-7", so those things are obviously way off.

 

[belljr]

What I've seen in 6ish years of watching high school track and cross country - kids make SO much progress in one year. Training 5-6 days a week for 3 months yields some great growth.

My daughter runs winter track and she only does it to keep in shape and get faster for softball.  Shes usually a middle of the packer.  She does pretty well for only training those 3 months. But there was a huge improvement from sophmore to junior.   Shes still a middle of the pack but faster lol.....   I tried to explain to her that all that training you do for softball (hitting, weights, drills) kids go to track camps for that and most of these kids are running track ~ 6 months out of the year (some more if you include long distance guys)..... once that sunk in she was "less disappointed" with her finishes

 

[El Floppo]

What I've seen in 6ish years of watching high school track and cross country - kids make SO much progress in one year. Training 5-6 days a week for 3 months yields some great growth.

So true. 

But you cant learn "fast", like your son. 

My kid...tons of room for him to go from 0 to something a lot better than 0 as he learns to run and builds a base. But no way he (or me, when I was a super fit kid) will ever approach those kind of numbers. Some people just have it...like your kid.

Eta...and not saying your kid didn't also train his ### off to get there...I'm sure, or at least hope he did 

 

[belljr]

I'm 6', the wife is 5'6. I grew early and fast...been this height since I was 13, and was always a head taller than my friends before then.

According to those Dr charts when he was 3 or 4 and always 99th percentile of growth charts, according to them Floppinho was supposed to be 6'-8". He's only 6'-7", so those things are obviously way off.

Just like with everything else woman related I blame aunt flo

 

[Charlie Steiner]

I love that combination.  I had a player I would have drag bunt early in games that had power to go yard.  He always rolled his eyes when I called it and hated doing it.  I told him it forced the 3B to play in giving him more room later to go past him with hard hit balls.  He still rolled his eyes (jokingly and not to be disrespectful).  Almost every game he showed bunt later on he would get a hit by the 3B because he was in.  This was from ages 10-14 for some perspective.  After each time I would give him the shrugged shoulders with hands basically giving the  "hey look it worked"  look.  He eventually started reading it and doing it on his own.  It's an awesome skill to be able to do both and I wish more guys would incorporate that into their game.  It's very powerful strategically.  

My son was always smallish to medium for his age group until his senior year of HS, but at the younger ages he was always fast enough to leg out a bunt.  His travel coach would also encourage him to try to bunt if he was struggling at the plate, and also gave him the freedom to try it if the third baseman was playing back. The irony of his bunt on Saturday was that there were 2 outs and the bases were empty, and the punchline is that the batter right after him tried the same thing and was out by a mile. Sad that bunting is a lost art but it does make my boy look better by comparison.

 

[El Floppo]

My daughter runs winter track and she only does it to keep in shape and get faster for softball.  Shes usually a middle of the packer.  She does pretty well for only training those 3 months. But there was a huge improvement from sophmore to junior.   Shes still a middle of the but faster lol.....   I tried to explain to her that all that training you do for softball (hitting, weights, drills) kids go to track camps for that and most of these kids are running track ~ 6 months out of the year (some more if you include long distance guys)..... once that sunk in she was "less disappointed" with her finishes

I used to do Tris and occasional running races. I was a decent runner, but knew my times would always be elite mid-pack at best.

So for me, and what I try to tell my son- the other people in the race are there to help you go faster than you did last race. Try to pick some off without blowing up...and keep improving your time without any worries about where that time outs you relative to other racers. Your only competitor is your own last time.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

14 year old son plays hockey and we just got back from a tournament in Chicago this weekend. He is a 2nd year bantam and in 8th grade, so this is it before high school. He has been playing with the same core group of boys for the last 3 years, which is a miracle in hockey.  

This team they were on is basically a house team where the kids try out and form a team to play 3 tournaments at the end of the season. Here in KC my son is a gold player if that means anything. He probably would have made the rinks full travel team this year but we decided against it for a couple of reasons:

1. Financial - we can technically afford to do it but at this point we know his career will be over at the end of high school, and if he makes travel high school we will spend our money there, and...

2. His buddies. This group is so tight on and off the ice, and as a group of families we all talked before the season about plans and just all kind of came to a concensus to keep them together. A great group of people.

So anyway, they took first place this weekend for their part of the tournament. My son finished as the top goal scorer for his team for the entire season (he is an incredible player and just works so hard at it). 

This team also won the St. Louis tournament a month ago, and also won their league championship. So three championships in their final year together.

Next year is high school, and they will all try out for the same teams, but there is no guarantee they will end up together as a core group. Some will, some will play on upper teams, some may decide not to travel...etc....

But it was the end of an era for these boys. They also won a tournament last year and they are just so good together. Play hard, pass the puck, have each others backs on and off the ice.

A beautiful way to go out in style. 

Chi-Town Shuffle?  My son has played in this tournament in the past and is the same age as your son.  We have friends whose kids played in the tournament, possibly played against your sons team.  What was the team name if you don't mind me asking?  Some of the boys my son played with in the past were on Hockey Haven 2008 team.  Congrats.

 

[gruecd]

Better start pushing now or she'll never go to Harvard first.

Hey, her dad was valedictorian of his HS class and had a little interest from Brown for football, so you never know...  

 

[ex-ghost]

So true. 

But you cant learn "fast", like your son. 

My kid...tons of room for him to go from 0 to something a lot better than 0 as he learns to run and builds a base. But no way he (or me, when I was a super fit kid) will ever approach those kind of numbers. Some people just have it...like your kid.

Eta...and not saying your kid didn't also train his ### off to get there...I'm sure, or at least hope he did 

That is true. We unintentionally did it the way you are supposed to do. He was a sprinter first, learned speed and then took on distance, but also had the "it" factor pretty young - he is tough and does not give up. Our mantra to our kids from the first time they played sports was "run fast and play hard".

It wasn't until this year that it all clicked. Get good sleep, stay (mostly) away from bad food and stretch/roll out/do your injury prevention exercises. It is the little stuff, like doing those stupid small injury prevention exercises, that keeps you out of the training room.

He also has become friends with the kids from other teams and cities. Creating that bond of fast runners. Actually told me that he and two other faster dudes talked for an hour about sleep. What the hell.

 

[ChiefD]

Chi-Town Shuffle?  My son has played in this tournament in the past and is the same age as your son.  We have friends whose kids played in the tournament, possibly played against your sons team.  What was the team name if you don't mind me asking?  Some of the boys my son played with in the past were on Hockey Haven 2008 team.  Congrats.

No, it was the Deep Dish Cup. We were supposed to play in South Bend at the Irish South Bend cup at the end of March but they cancelled our division the week before. ####### a-holes.

So we had to scramble to find a tournament and that's the only one we could find that had spots. 

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Well, they got in and out of Camden, NJ mostly unscathed and held on for an 8-4 win. My son was moved into the leadoff spot a few games ago, a spot he loved when he was younger but dislikes now because it limits his aggressiveness at the plate. He went 0-4 but walked twice and scored to help the team.  Probably would have done better if he hadn't been wearing kevlar under his jersey.

 

[belljr]

Well, they got in and out of Camden, NJ mostly unscathed and held on for an 8-4 win. My son was moved into the leadoff spot a few games ago, a spot he loved when he was younger but dislikes now because it limits his aggressiveness at the plate. He went 0-4 but walked twice and scored to help the team.  Probably would have done better if he hadn't been wearing kevlar under his jersey.

I may or may not have been disguised as a homeless guy

 

[belljr]

Nothing drives me nuts more than watching my daughter bat against inferior pitching.  She gets in her head and just can't hit slow crappy pitchers    She'll hit pretty well against some really good pitchers , then we play a pad the stats teams and she hits for crap

 

[jobarules]

My 12yo son pitched a 5 inning gem in our first 50/70 tournament of the season. 5ip, 3h, 3bb, 5k, 79 pitches. We lost in the 6th on a walkoff with another kid pitching. So proud of my son on the mound. Hes been a good pitcher for awhile now. However, hes never been a great hitter. Usually hits at the top of the order because he makes contact and has speed but absolutely no power (not because he isnt strong but his mechanics are shaky). Ive taken him to a hitting coach for a few years now but Ive gotten to the point where theres only so much a coach can do. Frustrating because I would have loved to see my son play HS ball (hes a great pitcher, fielder, base runner, contact hitter) but without any power that wont play on the big field (which he moves up to this fall).

 

[jobarules]

Nothing drives me nuts more than watching my daughter bat against inferior pitching.  She gets in her head and just can't hit slow crappy pitchers    She'll hit pretty well against some really good pitchers , then we play a pad the stats teams and she hits for crap

Most kids cant hit slow pitching. They never stay back. Thats why everyone wants to throw a curveball at a young age. I told my son to develop his changeup.

 

[belljr]

Most kids cant hit slow pitching. They never stay back. Thats why everyone wants to throw a curveball at a young age. I told my son to develop his changeup.

not sure i agree with this - but thats a different topic ....My daughter is past the "lunge phase" ususally.....    Im not talking change of speeds - im talking a girl throws so slow there is a small arc    We had half our team murder this poor team yesterday and the other half sucked bigly lol...... in the end i'd rather be a good hitter against good pitching obviously...... it just one of those things where its like this will be like a front toss session and then its a i forget how to hit session   Her nemesis is she actually waits too long

 

[Gally]

My 12yo son pitched a 5 inning gem in our first 50/70 tournament of the season. 5ip, 3h, 3bb, 5k, 79 pitches. We lost in the 6th on a walkoff with another kid pitching. So proud of my son on the mound. Hes been a good pitcher for awhile now. However, hes never been a great hitter. Usually hits at the top of the order because he makes contact and has speed but absolutely no power (not because he isnt strong but his mechanics are shaky). Ive taken him to a hitting coach for a few years now but Ive gotten to the point where theres only so much a coach can do. Frustrating because I would have loved to see my son play HS ball (hes a great pitcher, fielder, base runner, contact hitter) but without any power that wont play on the big field (which he moves up to this fall).

There is a lot of strength and growing that will happen between now and HS.  This also includes coordination that will help his hitting mechanics.  He is a long way off from having to worry about HS ball.  Just keep working and as long as he is still enjoying himself and likes working at it he will be fine.  

Another thing is depending on his HS he likely doesn't have to be a power hitter to succeed.  Putting the ball in play is a lost art and if he can do that he will likely be able to find a spot.  Don't write him off yet.

 

[Gally]

Nothing drives me nuts more than watching my daughter bat against inferior pitching.  She gets in her head and just can't hit slow crappy pitchers    She'll hit pretty well against some really good pitchers , then we play a pad the stats teams and she hits for crap

I know the feeling.  This year for my son has been interesting.  His team isn't the greatest but they have played against some top notch competition.  He has faced 4-5 pitchers this year that throw mid 90's and a most of his league opponents have guys that hit the mid to upper 80's and beyond with good off speed stuff.  My son did well against those guys hitting at about a .330 clip.  Once they hit the second and third round of league play teams have realized his team isn't that great so they throw their lesser pitching.  Since then he has hit a bit of slump (could be coincidence) but I think it is the lesser caliber pitching has thrown him off a bit.  Other guys have been mashing because now the pitch is hitting speed (or below) and they can catch up.   

Hitting really is an interesting task.  So many little aspects that can lead to crushing it or just missing it.  

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Next to last conference series took place over the weekend, with my boy still batting leadoff. He went 2 for 13 for the series, but his hits were memorable; a two-run homer in the first game and a 2-rbi triple in the last. He was saddled with the loss in the second game when the other team executed a textbook suicide squeeze with a runner on third in the bottom of the last inning.

With just one week left in the regular season, they have one non-conference game tomorrow and then their final 3-game set in the conference starting Friday, with Senior Day on Saturday. They're currently in 2nd place and even if they get swept next weekend they'll still qualify for the playoffs, and it appears they're going to play the team they just played in the first game. 

As a side note, even though his bat has been mostly cold for the last two weeks, his batting average for the year is a respectable .345.

 

[Gally]

My son's season came to an end last week.  He started the final game on the mound.  Coming off his last outing (shutout) he had some high expectations going into the game.  Unfortunately he didn't have his best stuff and for the first time all season some frustration and bad body language finally came to the surface.  I think a lot of it was based on expectations from his last outing and he just didn't have the good stuff this game.  It happens.  (ETA:  To clarify the "expectations" I am referencing are all his own.  He put the pressure and expectations on himself).  He got banged around a bit and and lasted 3.2 IP giving up 9 ER (This team is the best hitting team in the area).  Even though he didn't have his best stuff he still did ok overall while again not getting much defensive help.  The 2B played three hits into basehits that should have been outs (he played them so badly you couldn't even charge him with an error).  At the plate he finished 1-3 with an RBI.  

After the game I talked with the opposing coach (he was a freshman in HS on the first HS team I ever managed).  We have  a relationship so I was able to talk to him a bit about my son's performance.  He said he was tipping off his off speed pitches a bit once he got tired (40 pitch first inning after he should have been out of it after 3 batters - one of the misplays by the 2B).  He also said they were impressed with his compete and with a couple tweaks he will improve a lot especially as only being a sophomore.  

Overall a very successful sophomore season.  Hopefully we can get some individualized drills/programs to increase strength and velocity and next year will be interesting.  

 

[Drunken knight]

Interesting year so far.  Daughter wants to play more defense. Coach is still using her on attack.  There is an exceptionally talented girl who only likes to pass to 3 people.  Daughter sets great picks, good cuts, good rides (defense against clears), aggressive on ground balls, but rarely gets scoring opportunities.  

its has been a year of frustration for my sophomore.  women's lacrosse is 12 v 12.  4 attack, 3 midfield, 4 defense, 1 goalie.

the starting midfield is very talented.

attack has 1 excellent girl who was recruited to a D2 school before the season started.

Defense has 1 good junior.

I have played and coached men's, and have coached women's and am a pretty good at evaluating talent.  My daughter is not worse than second best attack and defender, but did not get a lot of starting time (some of it due to injuries).  This has impacted her enthusiasm for the team. I am the bug in her ear that encourages her to keep giving it her all and it will eventually pay off.  I never allowed someone to out work or hustle me, and want her to hold that value as well. I suggested that she have a talk with the coaches to see where she can improve, but their responses were vague (at least as reported by a 16 year old).

I have a decent relationship with the coach, and do not want to be one of those parents who complain about playing time (which she has gotten a fair amount). Throughout the season we chat strategy, ways to improve the team, plays, etc.  midway through the season I asked for his assessment. for him, it came down to aggression. Cool... we had an answer.

Last night was the first round of playoffs and she started and was in until it was no longer a game (good guys 19-8 with a lot of clock milking at the end). She was ecstatic. 

For those in the area (north bay)... we will be playing  Marin Academy at Marin Catholic  tomorrow at 5:30. Let me know if you want to come out to watch.