As some of you are aware the past 4 years of my life have largely been consumed with my middle sons baseball career. Thomas loves playing baseball almost as much as he likes duck hunting. We pretty much have two seasons at our house, baseball and duck. Rec leagues, competitive leagues, travel teams, and middle school baseball, he's plays all of them with the goal of making the high school team and playing with his classmates. Outside of duck season hardly a day goes by he isn't working on his hitting or some part of his game. His level of dedication and love is impressive and is the reason Michelle and I make sacrifices for him to play as much as he does.
This week the highschool he will attend held tryouts. It's a 6A school with a lot of incoming talent and limited roster spots. He's an 8th grader but the program welcomes 8th graders and takes some every year into their program. Even though he's going into 8th grade he has played most of his career with the kids going into their freshman year. For those kids it is a make or break tryout. I've never known a kid that didn't make the freshman team to come back and make JV or varsity. It just doesn't happen in this program. I know almost every kid that tried out. They've played with or against us for years and we know the kids strengths, weaknesses, ability, and attitudes. With limited slots it's a known fact good players won't make the cut. Kid's that have have talent and worked hard for years get dropped, most will give baseball up entirely when they can't play for school recognition alongside their friends. It's tough.
Yesterday the coaches posted the team. For some players and parents there was a huge sense of relief and feeling of accomplishment - they made it, all those hours of training and weekends on the road paid off. For others, it was a crushing blow, simply devastating to have invested so much to be told "you aren't good enough to play here."
We had a game last night. Our team has players who both made it and didn't make it. Difficult situation but everybody tried to be upbeat and encourage the ones who came up short. You could read the faces on the parents whose kid did not make it. They hurt for their kids.
Thomas has another year to make the team. Another year of work and baseball and me wondering, "Will he make the cut?" I hope a year from now I can share his joy and tell him his work and dedication paid off, that setting a goal and sacrificing to get there builds character, that the biggest rewards in life are ones you work for. Those are the lessons I want for him. But yesterday clearly showed the other side, disappointment and tears for falling short. That's a lesson we all deal with at some time and it too is important. Working hard yet failing and and accepting it gracefully, not letting it douse one's spirit. Yes that is important and has value, but I just don't want my kid to go through it. Funny how a game for fun can be so hard.
Eric
This week the highschool he will attend held tryouts. It's a 6A school with a lot of incoming talent and limited roster spots. He's an 8th grader but the program welcomes 8th graders and takes some every year into their program. Even though he's going into 8th grade he has played most of his career with the kids going into their freshman year. For those kids it is a make or break tryout. I've never known a kid that didn't make the freshman team to come back and make JV or varsity. It just doesn't happen in this program. I know almost every kid that tried out. They've played with or against us for years and we know the kids strengths, weaknesses, ability, and attitudes. With limited slots it's a known fact good players won't make the cut. Kid's that have have talent and worked hard for years get dropped, most will give baseball up entirely when they can't play for school recognition alongside their friends. It's tough.
Yesterday the coaches posted the team. For some players and parents there was a huge sense of relief and feeling of accomplishment - they made it, all those hours of training and weekends on the road paid off. For others, it was a crushing blow, simply devastating to have invested so much to be told "you aren't good enough to play here."
We had a game last night. Our team has players who both made it and didn't make it. Difficult situation but everybody tried to be upbeat and encourage the ones who came up short. You could read the faces on the parents whose kid did not make it. They hurt for their kids.
Thomas has another year to make the team. Another year of work and baseball and me wondering, "Will he make the cut?" I hope a year from now I can share his joy and tell him his work and dedication paid off, that setting a goal and sacrificing to get there builds character, that the biggest rewards in life are ones you work for. Those are the lessons I want for him. But yesterday clearly showed the other side, disappointment and tears for falling short. That's a lesson we all deal with at some time and it too is important. Working hard yet failing and and accepting it gracefully, not letting it douse one's spirit. Yes that is important and has value, but I just don't want my kid to go through it. Funny how a game for fun can be so hard.
Eric
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