Up for a little more basketball talk? We didn’t get to see our local college teams play this weekend, but we still worked in some basketball. Late Friday afternoon, we made a trip down to see our nephew Cody (taller kid front and center above) play on his 5th grade team.
Cody’s team beat their opponents handily, and yes, I whooped and hollered when Cody made a basket :) A few heads turned to see who the crazy lady was cheering for Cody, but I didn’t care. I needed to be extra loud since it will probably be the only game of his I get to see this season.
We arrived late and missed the first few minutes of play, but after spotting the rest of the family and getting seated, we could tell right away we were in for a totally different kind of ball than what we’re used to seeing at the college games :) Every few seconds, boys seemed to hit the floor. A few simply fell while running down the court, several got their feet tangled up with other players, and some would go down as a group. One collision sent four or five of them to the floor at once.
Their little bodies made such awful splats. I gasped more than once. Thank goodness, Cody stayed on his feet the entire time we were there. My sister Carolyn assured me that this was normal — that they fall all the time. When I pointed out blatant traveling and fouls that that the officials seemed to be blind to, she offered more assurance. “They can’t call everything. We’d be here all night. They have to pick and choose what they call.” Good point.
Even though this isn’t the first year of basketball for most of these boys, they’re still very much in the learning and skill developing stage of the game. What’s exciting, though, is that in between the falls, fouls, and travels, they made some great plays. Steals, lay-ups, good blocking, teamwork — we saw it all. And one day, some of these same boys could be the ones on college teams making the slick plays and slam dunks.
Whether in basketball or life in general, acquiring new skills and attempting new things just can’t be done without making plenty of mistakes along the way. Can anyone relate? I know I can. I remember going “splat” many times throughout my life :)
Let’s not let the fear of making mistakes keep us from growing and learning new things. Trying to master computer stuff and our new digital camera keeps me making my share of mistakes — but I’m also learning and improving all the time. Kind of like some 5th grade boys I saw the other night… How about you? Attempting anything new lately? Remember, going “splat” is to be expected. Just keep trying.
“…we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galations 6:9b
*My photo
Great story Cheryl! Loved it. Made me smile.
Glad you enjoyed it, Debbie. Thanks for letting me know!
How tall is Cody now? We just traded for and acquired Shaquille O’neil (Shaq), 7 foot plus, for the Phoenix Suns. I should have told them to look in Tulsa.
Cody has a ways to go to catch up with Shaq, but he is just under an inch short of 5 feet now. Cody’s team will play for the chamionship in their division tomorrow night. Go Saints! Carolyn
Hey Adam, hope you get to see Shaq play some time! And Carolyn, good luck to Cody’s team! Cheer extra loud since I won’t be there to whoop it up :)