Varsity Season and the Seasoned.

      So tonight was the parent daughter softball game. It was the school varsity team vs. the old people. Basically, it is a vehicle by which the kids can realize; if they want to play sports, they better do it when they are young, the window of opportunity slams shut pretty hard. The ex dropped Emily and Lizzy off and got out of dodge. Lizzy was a cheerleader, though she looked more like someone playing Angry Birds, while sitting on the bleachers the whole time.

      Parents were up first and of course, I was first at bat. I didn't embarrass myself at this point, got a hit and made it to first base. I decided, what the hell, I'll steal second. Remember the whole, 'I didn't embarrass myself at this point'?  Well, that point was about to come.  As the pitcher released the ball, I forgot the formula, 'mass * velocity + bad ankle = the play I was about to make'. I barreled towards second base and swore I saw an ant walking by me. I thought, body be damned and as I had to beat the ball, slid. In my monkey brain, it looked AWESOME. In reality I went from A. Rod to A Hole. I slid past the base and while grabbing at dirt, like a falling mountain climber grabbing at the surface, finally stopped as my ankle hit, what could have been a grain of sand or blade of grass but felt like a, Grand Canyon size, divot.  I clawed backwards towards the base and finally reached it, the umpire yelled, Safe!'. My newly twisted right ankle felt 'out' and I'm pretty sure it was a bad call, so I ignored it and limped back to the dugout.

      I did get a run(or in my case, I guess you would call it a hobble) and while fielding, I did run down the ball a couple of times(bad ankle and all) only to bobble it, while trying to toss it from my mitt to my throwing hand. The amazing part, to me, was how good some of these parents were. In the end, we softened up our play considerably and let the girls score enough to win.

Where is all this going?

      For starters, parents be involved! The parents that showed up for the game had a great time and their kids appreciated it. One of the parents had a bad knee and she was there playing to show her support for her daughters. I can understand that some parents couldn't make it at 5:30p.m., I used to commute, but ones that could have, should have. How is your child going to think anything they do is important, if you do not take the time to show them your support?

      Secondly, those who know me, know I do not believe in taking it easy in competition and do not feel people should be entitled to winning or just getting a trophy.  This was different though.  The uber-competitive parents out there on that field blatantly softened up at the end, to show the girls respect(not entitlement) for the amazing season they and their coach put together. They achieved the best Varsity Softball record the school ever had. They had the highest batting averages and some of the best stats in the league. They made it to the playoffs. They worked really hard and in the end, looked like a team.

      Lastly, appreciate your kids coaches. I actually went to grade school with Emily's coach; he was super competitive then and is super competitive now. I'm not saying his cap did not take more than a few tosses at the ground but he and the assistant coach were tough when the girls needed it without being abusive or condescending. Through great mentoring skill, they made a group of young girls into softball players and collectively a formidable team.

Emily is already interested in pursuing softball when she gets to high school next year. You know I'll be at every game cheering her team on, safely from the bleachers.