They have been practicing multiple times a week since August, most of the team pulling double duty between football and basketball, but this past weekend the Outlaws finally got to take to the court for a real life tournament!
Last year was such a fun journey for us, as we entered into a whole new world as a traveling sports family, devoting so much time, energy and financial resources to helping our boy pursue his passion. But heading into this year, we feel a little more settled, stable and comfortable in this ride we're on. Our friendships with our fellow Outlaw families have grown, strengthened and deepened, and so has our boys' bond, and we feel so incredibly blessed by this group that we will no doubt making countless memories with over the next several years.
There will no doubt be plenty of Outlaw posts and pictures to come, but I wanted to highlight all by itself their first tournament as fourth graders. I know it felt so good for them to get out on the court and start beating up on other teams instead of each other! ;) And though we never know quite what to expect during the first real competition of the season, these little athletes of ours didn't even appear all that rusty.
They won all three of their games pretty decisively, and we are proud of them for continuing to work hard each and every time they take the court. But we are most proud of our boy. He has grown so much since last season - and not just in height! He emphasizes his defense, works so hard to set screens and post up and clear the lane for his point guards... but this year, his confidence has grown, too. He is scoring more often himself, is a leader on the floor - guiding his teammates when they are out of position... and the under the hoop reverse hook shot lay-up that he scored in the championship game this past Sunday was a thing of beauty! When that ball went in the hoop, his coaches couldn't help but laugh in amazement from the bench. :) His coaches commented that he is the most improved player from last year, and even though he was typically a starter on last year's team already, we have explained to him that showing how much he can improve and how hard he is willing to work - is a sign of the potential he has. He has plenty to work on, but he also has the right coaches in place to help him get there. He truly is a lucky boy to be positioned and planted where he is, and we've talked with him about that quite frequently.
And aside from the games themselves - these tournaments also provide a fun social outing on the weekends when the weather is cold! ;) It's been fun running into our big cousins at various tournaments along the way, too. :)
Big team meeting before the championship game!
Though they won the championship Sunday, they were all a little bummed to be given trick-or-treat bags instead of trophies or medals. I think it served as both a lesson - and also will probably be a funny memory we'll all look back on one day. ;)
We're off to another tournament this weekend - and it's going to be a tough one - but it's the toughest ones that make them better. Good job, boys. You bring a lot of joy to a lot of people. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment