Shipoopi to Shotput

Jacob decided to join the track team this spring.  At his doctor's appointment for his Track physical, our Doctor, looking at his feet, said "Those are THE flattest feet I've ever seen"

That being said, he is leaning more towards the field events like shotput and high jump and long jump.  He really likes the Shotput.  I think it makes him feel very manly throwing a heavy metal ball around.  He does run the 800 though.  We bought him some arch supports and shoes with good arches and that has helped.  He's never complained much about foot or leg pain but has never liked running much.

He's having fun with track.  He's a kid who likes being busy.  He's also just started baseball season which has always been his favorite sport.  We'll be juggling the two sports for a little while but Track is over in May so not too much.

Here's his best shotput pose...

and showing off his athletic form in his spiffy track uniform

woot!

of ribbons, medals and cows.....

I think I've mentioned that Rachel is running with the Cross Country team this year.....

She ran with the team all summer and by August was ready to quit and agonized several days over the decision. She was feeling like it had SUCKED the fun right out of summer.

I es'plained it all to you here but let me sum up...

She persevered

and discovered that, like many things that seem difficult at first, it's been totally worth it.

These are her cool running shoes with removable spikes....

(for other non-runners like myself, the spikes are good when you are on grass/dirt terrain but not when you're running a race in an urban area)

I had no idea there were such shoes. They are really lightweight. She only wears them for races.

Each race is basically a 5K (3.1 miles)

She's been running on the JV team and doing pretty well. She's generally been placing in the top 25% of her races. She's raced against as few as 60 girls and I think as many as 166.

She's placed 5th in the 2nd race she ran and came home with a medal. That made her feel like summer had really been worth it. She's placed 5th a couple times, 14th, in the 20's and so on but always in the top 25% which she felt pretty good about.

A couple weeks ago her coach had her fill in a varsity spot in a race because some of the team members had been ill. She finished the race with a time consistent with what she was used to running but, because it was varsity with older girls, she placed in the 60's and that did NOT make her happy.

A few weeks ago she got to go on an overnight trip to a race in Boise, Idaho. She got to ride the bus with her team, stay in a hotel, have a pasta dinner at a restaurant with the team. It was lots of fun.

It was NOT lots of fun for the mom who waited up til 3 in the morning for her to come home when the tentative itinerary said they'd be arriving at 11:00- 12:00ish. She doesn't have a cell phone so I couldn't call her. A boy from our neighborhood who does have a cell phone and I was supposed to pick up at the school so I didn't feel bad calling at 1am and 2am DIDNT PICK UP HIS PHONE and needless to say after about 1:30 I was freaking out and praying for her safety and wondering at what point you call the Highway patrol and ask about bus accidents. I was sitting at the computer when I heard laughing voices on my front porch. Another boy from our neighborhood had his car parked at the school and brought her and the other boy home which was SO nice and I totally appreciated not having to drive to the school but I had to say to my tired, beautiful daughter...

"you could have called when you realized you were SEVERAL hours off schedule!"

She wrinkled her brow, frowned and agree'd that would have been a really good idea and next time she'll think of that....

Then her eyebrows smoothed, the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile and her whole face lit up as she pulled a medal out of her bag and went on to tell me with a joyous, tired face that she placed 5th at the race telling me "I ran hard because I WANTED that cow!"

whaaaaat......

"this cow" she held up a little stuffed animal. Being on the JV team, she raced after varsity teams and saw another teammate with a cow and he told her "they only give them to the first 7 athletes that place in each race". That gave her the will to push it. She wanted that cow!

The medal was pretty cool too!

Last week was the "Region race". This is the race that decides which schools get to move on to the state competition. JV athletes don't get to compete at the State meet but they do help their team earn points. She came home very happy to have placed 2nd AND beat her personal time record by a WHOPPING 2 minutes and 18 seconds.

Her usual time is about 22:13

Her region time was 19:55

Pretty cool.

I asked her what was different?

She said,

"I could just see it. I knew I could do it"

I have really enjoyed watching the transformation of her feelings about cross country. She loves the kids. She loves her coach. The feelings of inadequacy and isolation are a thing of the past. She's part of a team.

It's been a good thing for her. It does take a lot of time but the exercise also helps her feel balanced and healthy which is important to her. I think this is really something she's going to continue with the next 2 years.

She's discovered something-

She's a runner.

Taking one for the team

Jacob played Little League again this spring. He was on the same team as last year, The Cubs with red/blue uniforms. We were glad his cleats and baseball pants still fit from last season! He had a really nice coach this year who really put a lot of effort into making them feel like a team.

We sat through a lot of Rainy games this spring. The regular season games ended the first half of June and the playoff tournament began the week before we left for Southern Utah so he missed the last 2 games. His team ended up 3rd in the tournament so they felt pretty good about that.

The most exciting part, however, was Jacob was one of 2 players chosen to play in the last game of the season... The All-star game. We got an email from his coach while we were on vacation. It was so fun to call him in to read the email and watch the enormous smile that lit up his face as he realized he'd been chosen. He has played mostly 3rd base this year, had pretty consistent hits while up to bat and at the end of the season did some pitching. He never pitched a whole game, usually a couple of innings at the end when the regular pitchers were getting tired.

The All-Star game was last night and was pretty exciting. We had black clouds, lightning over the mountains and a sprinkling of rain at the beginning but that subsided as the game continued and out came the sun.

At the end of 5 innings they were tied. We went into over time. 6th inning ends. Still tied.

7th inning: they played with something called "quick play rules" so each team when up to bat started with 2 outs and a runner on 3rd. They put Jacob in as pitcher. NO PRESSURE! He struck out their batter. Yea!!! Now Jacob's team is up to bat. Jake is our first batter. NO PRESSURE!!!! He had 2 strikes and on the 3rd pitch the ball hit his ankle so he got to take a base. The pitcher ended up walking 3 more batters after that so our 3rd base runner headed home and we won. Not a super exciting win but we were happy to have it OVER. The parents in my bleachers were all in agreement after inning 5 we were happy to accept a tie and take our boys home but it was not to be. We played on til we claimed victory.

Jacob was given a new blue hat for his All Star game and a one of the game balls. He feels really good about his season and has big ideas for practicing during the off season so he doesn't get rusty. We need to rig up some kind of pitching target... any ideas?

rah rah rah rah rah..... GOO-O-O-O-O Cougars!

Mark has season tickets to the BYU football games.  He's been going for several years with his brother.  It's nice for them to get together and enjoy their passion for football together.  I feel very, VERY blessed that Mark has what I see as a moderate appetite for sports.  He enjoys having BYU season tickets and watching the away games on TV if he can.  He also enjoys watching a Jazz game or two during basketball season and really gets into the playoffs but that's about all.  I can totally handle that. 

My Mom and Dad have recently retired, served a spanish-speaking mission in Texas/New mexico and relocated to Southern Utah.  I know! They HAVE been busy.  Now that they are closer, they are also indulging in their passion for BYU football.  For the last 2 seasons, they bought 4 season tickets so they can go and take family and friends.  I and any of my interested siblings can pick a game to go to with them.  They even take Carly and Rachel.  We tried Jacob out last year and he was great during the 1st half but then he was done and wasn't much fun the 2nd half.  We have decided to let him mature a little more before he goes again.  

This year I opted to go to the same game as my sister Maury which was YESTERDAY.  BYU Vs. New Mexico.  Maury is the only one in our family who graduated from BYU although my dad attended for a year and one brother and one sister both spent a couple semesters there.  I went to BYU-Idaho before it was thus called and BYU-Hawaii but I don't think that makes me a cougar however I can to the hula....

We all rode together; Mom, Dad, Mark, Maury & I.  We talked Mom & Dad into stopping for a little yummy greek food on the way. They looked a little skeptical about trying it but Maury and I wanted it BAD!  We tried to be open.  "So where do you want to go? the Greek place is really good.  but whatever...  so do you want to go to the greek place or um.. maybe somewhere else? so what are you in the mood for? That Greek chicken we mentioned? okay.  great. but, only if you want to."

 

May I reccomend to any of my local readers "The Ultimate Broiler & Grill" on state st. just South of 400 North.  It says "Greek Food" on the sign and the window and it is wonderful.  I only get the Chicken Souvlaki (chicken kabobs) with rice and salad.  Mark likes their seasoned potatoes but I like their bright yellow lemony rice with my chicken.  It is seriously the best chicken ever.  It's always tender and seasoned just right.  YUM! If you get the double chicken souvlaki (2 kabobs) then you have enough for lunch the next day.  Just a suggestion.....

I knew I'd have fun going with Maury and I was not disappointed!  She knows the fight song by heart and she LOVES football.  I didn't' think she'd mind helping me out a little when I didn't understand a ref call or a play.  She was awesome.  I always felt a half second behind in being aware of what was happening as I processed what I saw on the field, often checking the scoreboard for the number of yards gained or to watch the replay.  Maury totally had a handle on it, yelling to the refs on a bad call or exclaiming after a play "That's what I'm talking about!" or "what are you doing?!?"  It was fun to sit with her.  It was Homecoming and a sell out game but we were lucky the people right next to us and right in front of us were no-shows so we had a little extra wiggle and leg room.  ahhh!  The weather was great.  Chilly, sweatshirt and extra blanket weather but none of the rain or snow predicted. yea!!!!! Nothing worse than being cold AND wet! 

Even though Mark didn't sit with us I got to hang out with him before (we like to get there early) and see what he likes to do at the games.  We went to the "cougar den" to buy him a new visor and the snack bar where he bought me some hot chocolate and introduced me to the cougar tail!  (like our matching sweatshirts?  it pays to buy sweatshirts when it's 90 degrees outside.  He picked them up at Walgreens, 2 for $15 back in August and saw the same ones this week priced at $25 each.)

A couple of times as we were milling around the stadium before the game started my parents would start off in one direction and he another and my instinct was to follow Mom and Dad because I was sitting with them and he would say "stay with me. I'll show you where the seats are".  It made me feel good that he wanted to be with me, that he seemed excited to have me there.    He was so thoughtful.  In the cougar den he saw me looking at some hats... "Do you want a BYU hat?  At the snack bar "what do you want? do you want anything else?"  I hope I say this right.... because I don't want to imply that he is not often thoughtful and caring because he is.  But for me it felt a bit like when a cute boy takes you to the carnival and wants to buy you a corndog and win you a stuffed animal and go on rides with you....  and you feel a little "twitter-pated" because he's so "sweet" & wants to do all these nice things for you.  Maybe it was the new environment, the excitement of the event, but after 16 years it's a little surprising to get"twitter-pated".  Nice! but surprising!

Of course BYU won and It didn't take nearly as long to get out of the parking lot as we expected it to, we got home and the kids were all safe and in one piece.  whew! Don't you just love Happy Endings?!

As the kids get older I look forward to the time when Mark can buy 2 season tickets and I can go to more games every fall with him.  I'm not ready to be away from the kids that much yet on Saturdays yet but someday...  

Take me out to the ball game...

It has been a baseball filled spring and summer for our family!  

Jacob started Little league in May.  Remember my sad story about standing in the freezing cold for HOURS waiting for tryouts to begin and then to end.  Well, it was worth it! He had a good season.  He had games twice a week and practice once to twice a week.  His team name was "The cubs" and he had really nice teammates.  Mark and I are not very knowledgeable about baseball and apparently he had a really crappy glove.  His first game he was playing left field  behind 3rd base and he caught a pop fly.  We were cheering and being proud parents when the coach noticed he was not okay.  He was holding his hand funny and she yelled and asked if he wanted to come in.  He nodded yes.  When he came to the dugout he was crying.  It was a cold night and his glove had very little padding so when that ball hit the glove. wham! it hurt. I worried he would get a lot of ribbing from his team mates for crying but you know the only things I heard were "I bet that hurt!" "Good job catching that fly!" "That was an awesome catch!" We got some good advice from another player's dad and went to Target immediately  after the game to buy him a GOOD glove and a pair of batting gloves to help cushion those catches. 

  Throughout the season all the boys were good sports and treated each other with respect and camaraderie so it was a great experience for him.  This was his first year really playing the game.  He has had 2 years of coach pitch where everybody bats til they hit it and you run the bases whether or not they tag you out or get the ball to first before you.  I think he learned a lot and was a fair player. He played 3rd base and outfield mostly.  I think he would have done better if we had known how bad his eyes were and that he needed glasses to see far away.  We've got them ordered and they should be here in a week so NEXT SEASON he'll blow us away.  His team didn't get too far in their tournament after regular season ended but they tried hard.  Their coach was wonderful.  She had a little ice cream party for them at her house after the last game.  

Cute Little Samantha Grace experienced her first year of Coach pitch.  She was on the "Tigers" and her games were always on saturdays.  One game a week and one practice usually.  Her coach wasn't one of the best we've ever had but a real nice guy and you know what he did it and I didn't have to so that's that! She wanted to sign up SOOOO badly and I almost missed the deadline.  I was afraid the only reason she wanted to sign up was because she was envious of the after game treats that she always saw Jacob and Rachel getting with soccer and baseball.  She insisted she really wanted to play so she inherited Jacob's crappy glove that served him just fine during coach pitch and she was on her way.  Her season started the last week of May and ended the the 3rd Saturday in July.  It got a little hot there at the end! 

She played outfield and often 3rd base like Jacob. She did a lot of nail biting in the outfield which is very typical in coach pitch.  The games were a little hard  to enjoy after the more exciting Little League games but we persevered.  It was just fun to watch her enjoying herself and trying so hard.

(By the way... she DID really enjoy her after game treats! )

This was the pose she thought up and I think it's pretty cute.  I don't know what happened but the 1st half of her season she batted really well but she really struggled her last 4-5 games.   She started to really scoop the bat on her swing instead of swinging straight.  Sometimes she got 12-14 pitches before she hit one.  Those "at-bat's" were excruciating to watch but she still seemed to be having a good time.  

Carly played her first year of Girl's softball.  We almost missed the deadline on her too! She ended up being on a team farther from home.  They usually divide them into teams based on what junior high they attend but the teams for her school were all full so we just picked the closest school that had openings but her friend Haley from church signed up with her so that was nice they had each other.  It also helped with carpooling for practice and games.  She had 2 games a week and one or two practices so it got pretty hectic when all 3 kids were playing. Jacob's season ended about 2 weeks or so into Samantha and Carly's season so most of the time it was just the 2 girls with 3 games a week and 2-3 practices between them.  yikes! 

Her team was called the "Mustangs". They started out slow, had a great middle and fizzled at the end.  They had improved SOOO much from their first couple of games so it was hard to see them poop out at the end.  Carly had a blast and about 8 of her friends attended her first 6-8 games cheering loud and dare I say a little obnoxiously, but all in good fun.  She didn't tell them about her last few games.  I'm not sure why.  She seemed to enjoy the attention at the beginning.  

She typically played shortstop and 2nd base. She caught a lot of balls and rarely struck out but she wasn't a really powerful hitter so her hits usually got caught as a fly between 1st and 2nd base.  It was a little frustrating for her not getting on base very often. Her team started a little tradition of putting shoe polish stripes under their eyes.  Don't know if it helped but they sure looked tough! She was not a shy player and really played with enthusiasm.  Her games were so much fun to watch. Out of our 3 players they were the fastest paced games with a lot of base stealing and just more skill overall.  

I think they all want to play again next spring so I'm trying to get ready for that.  RAchel expressed an interest in playing softball too so as long as we get her and Carly on the same team we'll be all right!