On Friday night, my son's Little League team lost the championship game. Truth be told, after a thoroughly amazing season of 13 wins and 2 nail-biter losses early on, they were in a state of shock to be so far behind in the first inning and they never really recovered. But in the end, they lost respectably, 7-4.
The next day, at the team picnic, the coach (with his Louisiana drawl so pronounced up here in the North) told the boys that although he'd coached many teams before, this team was his favorite team ever. It was easy to see why. I had never been a "sports mom" before. Like my friend Connie who wrote about being a bad soccer mom, I'd never really mustered up any enthusiasm from the sidelines. In previous years, I had ticked off the games on the calendar, perfectly content (and even relieved) with any rained-out games. But this season was different. The boys were funny and fun. Each one contributed something to the game and we were never quite sure who would save the day. The coach was tough with the kids, but in all the right ways, the ways that helped them grow as players and as people. And yes, they won an awful lot of games, which was a refreshing change from years past.
After the game, when the team gathered at the ice cream shop for the largest cones we had ever seen (aptly named "Skyscapers"), my son was already asking if he could have the same coach and the same team again next year. Within an hour of losing the championship, he was happy again, already looking forward to hitting the diamond next spring.
They lost the championship game, but they had a perfect season.
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Your turn: Do you embrace kids' sports or muddle begrudgingly through all of the games and practices? Let's hear it in the comments section!
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