Last fall Drew signed up with the 4H Striders and participated in Cross Country. It was a fun experience for the whole family. Drew was the only one eligible to sign up and attend practices, but her team competed in races at different sites in Hillsboro, where all of my kids were old enough to run if they wanted to. Darcy and Mason each chose to run in one race. Darcy had fun, though it was a hot hot day, and Mason was thoroughly disgusted that he didn't win his race. He did great, he just wasn't in condition compared to the other boys, and some of those boys are built to run in the Olympics. It was a pretty fun sport to be involved in. Drew was able to improve her time each race and she really liked it. I'm sure she will run again next season. I wish Mason would do it too, instead of football, but he has his heart set on starting this fall. Ugh, I do not want to give my life up for football yet.
Basketball season was a bit different this year. Darcy, Mason, and Drew all played and I was head coach for Darcy and assistant coach for Drew. I think my favorite age group is the 3/4 girls but I went ahead and tried the new age groups this year. Darcy's team never won a game because none of the girls had ever played before. We played against one team who ran us off the court and I had some choice words with the coaches after the first game. They were not following league rules and it was such a horrible experience for all of us I never wanted to play them again. But we had a weird schedule in order to finish the season by Christmas so we played that team every week as part of our double headers. That was a rough season. Darcy did really well though. She likes to play, until she doesn't, and then she turns off completely and won't listen to me. Why oh why can't all my kids be coachable like Drew? Life is extremely difficult if you can't take constructive criticism and feel the only way to have fun is to win. Good luck kids!
Mason's team did pretty well. He played full court with the bigger basketballs and stopped clock this year. That makes for some tiring Saturdays when you play a double header like that. Mason is Mr Defense. Of course scoring baskets is what every kids wants to do, and he made a couple, but he really excels on defense. He just knows what to do without really telling him. Which is good cuz he wouldn't listen anyway :) He says he doesn't want to play anymore but I am asserting my parental rights and saying no way. He can't quit yet. He has to give it a few more years. I refuse to have a couch potato for a 9 year old.
I didn't feel like I was ready to coach the 5/6 girls so I signed up to be Drew's assistant coach. I think I'll do that next year too. The attitudes of some of those girls were unbelievable. I don't want any part of that. Drew did really well. In one game she had 14 of the team's 16 points. She asked me if she was a ball hog but her coach said no way, the lane was open for lay ins each time and she can make a lay in each time so she did. I love to watch her play. She gets into the game and she is pretty smart on defense too. And I also love that she will actually ask me how to improve her game, unlike her siblings :)
It was a relatively short season and was over by Christmas, which was nice, but it meant double headers every Saturday for all three kids. Poor Paul and Bree had to be the ones shuttling kids back and forth to games while I was coaching. Hopefully next year it will change a bit so I can see more of each kid play. Now we are headed towards T-ball season. Darcy and Bree will be on the same team. I can't wait! I took Darcy to a softball clinic to see where she fit skills wise and it was a horrible experience. It felt like they were trying to pump out 6 year old Olympians. Darcy's anxiety was at an all time high. I decided I would not subject her to that trauma and we signed up for the much more laid back little league T-ball. This will probably be Darcy's last year because she doesn't love the sport, and I don't love the sport either. Its nice to be outside in the spring but baseball is so boring. Mason isn't playing this year and I'm totally OK with that. He would have been on minors and that means traveling and I'm not interested. We were able to get to the tennis court in February and if he could get on a team with a good coach he would be a good tennis player. I wish there was something local for him to participate in besides summer camp with Coach Mom. I'm so glad my kids kind of put up with me.
