JV or Varsity, an update on the teenagers

How can I summarize fall sports this year?  We had some surprises, some good and some not so good.  The best surprise has been our schedule.  Typically fall is our most challenging time from a schedule perspective as we have two children involved in different fall sports.  This year the practice times of these sports line up nicely so I do not feel like I am living in my van.


Sports have proven to be a surprise this year.  Savannah moved up to the freshman field hockey team because the school did not have enough 8th graders to make a team.  I always thought Savannah was a decent field hockey player and really loved the sport, in part, because it brought her friends from elementary school together.  She loves hanging out with them.  However, the last few weeks have proven that Savannah has fallen in love with field hockey for the game.  She worries that if they cut players in the future, she won't make the cut and has considered trying another school where I guess she thinks cuts won't happen.  So, when the opportunity to continue to play with the JV team after the freshman season ends arose, Savannah jumped at the chance.  In a rare Savannah occurrence, she inquired of the coaches regarding this opportunity before inquiring of her parents.  The freshman team did not practice yesterday, so she practiced with the JV team and impressed the coach.  Savannah is surprising herself with this.  She was so encouraged that the freshman coach did not discourage her from continuing with the JV team, and now she has been complimented by the JV coach.  Today, she will play in both the freshman game and the JV game after school.  Who knew my sweet Savannah had this in her? Now did you catch the news here? My 8th grader will play field hockey with the JV team today!  Way to go, Girl!


Zach started the football season playing both JV and varsity football.  Now that is a challenging schedule!  Two games a week for that boy and his parents.  He was exhausted.  Andy volunteered to write the e-news articles for the JV team and to announce the games, and after just three games, Zach was moved to the varsity team.  So Andy still attends the JV games to fulfill his duty, but Zach is strictly varsity.  Zach may move back to JV before the end of the season as he is starting varsity to cover for an injured player. However, even if he returns to some JV action, he will continue with varsity action as well.  He just won't be a starter.  Now Zach is doing all this while he is injured himself.  He battles shin splints and is now limping full time.  I feel bad for asking him to help around the house because he is clearly in pain, but we all have to do our part to make this household run.  


How about that?!  Two kids excelling in sports, and we didn't expect this.  Don't get me wrong.  We have some talented athletes in the family, and Zach and Savannah have never been bad at their chosen sports.  However, for both of them, their strength has been obedience to the coaches over raw talent.  Clearly, that has paid off, and I am proud of my kids.


I know this is a long post, but I must end it with a note about Julia and her sports.  I think she has a bit of longing to return to gymnastics.  She had Andy lift her the other day so that she could try a leg lift and found that she could only do one.  Julia told me that she needs to stretch more because she used to be able to do those with no problem.  I explained to her that tumbling works different muscles than gymnastics and that she could do those before because she was spending hours every week working those muscles.  Stretching probably won't be enough to restore that skill.  Julia was confused about how this can be that tumbling and gymnastics would develop her muscles so differently, but I reminded her that her coach told us that if she left for tumbling, returning to gymnastics would be hard for that very reason.  She stated that level 2 gymnastics was the hardest year of her life but that she would like to do it over. I do not see that happening.


With a big family having kids play different sports is a challenge.  I know families where they try to stick with one sport for the kids, such as swimming.  Different sports challenge us, but it works.  We meet such great people because we get to hang out with the other parents...something hard to do when both parents work, and the kids have moved beyond elementary school.  In my opinion, everyone wins when the kids get to do what they love, and the parents get to love watching them while hanging out with friends.  Even Wyatt and Julia have made friends to hang out with at the games.  It's all good.