November Sports

[waverly]

DS made the 6th grade middle school basketball team.  This is all new to us, so we will see how it goes. I am a little surprised he made it, but he did play rec last year, and they have 2 teams which probably get funneled into 1 team in 7th and 8th grade.  They have an A team and a B team.  

[erbear]

Soccer is almost done, thank god. I think DD2 is finished this week. DD1 still has two games and a tournament. School is done. Neither is playing a winter sport and I’m delighted. DD1’s club team is doing indoor but it’s casual.

[madringal]

DD1's first HS swim meets are later this month. Training is intense, so we will see how that translates to a meet.

DD2 still doing a rec gymnastics classes to keep her moving and flexible during the dive off season.

DD3d loving her rec gymnastics class and swim team. She swims her first swim a thon this weekend and has a meet later this month.

[dglvrk2]

November is one of our most chill months for sports. DD2 is done with soccer. DD1 has gymnastics practices but no competitions until December. Both girls are on ski teams and DD2 will be in snowboard clinics....but practices and races don't start until January 1. January through April are intense between two ski teams and gymnastics, so I'm enjoying the peace.

[sdlaura]

This month is nuts for us because the fall sports are ending (and have tournaments at the end) and winter basketball just started. DD had practices yesterday for softball (3:30-4:30), soccer (4:45-6), and basketball (7-8). I told her she didn’t have to go to everything, but she wanted to.

Starting in December we only have basketball and arena soccer (no practices, just a 1-hour game once a week).

[k3am]

DD's ramping up for her Christmas performance.. I let her know that the Saturday before, they have a FOUR HOUR practice starting at 8am.. and she just said.. "WHOA!! It's a good thing I love sync!"

DS is adamant he wants to do soccer again. So I guess.. we'll pause hockey and do soccer again this spring on the rec league. Which is a commitment for more days per week, but less hours since the commute is way less. But we also don't find out WHEN the practices are until way after we commit, which annoys me so much.

[mae0111]

DD2 wrapped up rec soccer today, and has one more weekend of club soccer. Then right into basketball. She will play indoor soccer at some point but I don’t think it starts until January.

DD1 is done with softball, and she starts basketball this week or next. She’s playing rec and for school. I’m coaching school. Jesus take the wheel.

Both kids have their piano recital next weekend. I might see if they can take time off until the new year. I could use one less thing to do.

[mae0111]

Basketball season is upon us. I'm afraid that I'm already making a best out of myself.

DD2 got drafted to a team with a few friends. Her friend's dad is coaching. He's already reached out to everyone twice, and practice is supposed to start in 2 days. DD2 is still wrapping up club soccer so she'll miss the first basketball practice to attend her last soccer practice.

DD1 got drafted to a team where she literally knows not one other person. I have never even heard the coach's name mentioned. They combine 3 grades in this division, so I think she's on a team with a bunch of kids in other grades. I haven't heard from her coach at all. Again, practice is supposed to start this week. I have no idea when or where she'll be practicing, her game schedule, nothing... and I know the info is available because DD2's coach has been as transparent as possible.

Would you reach out? I don't want to be a pest but she's playing on another team that I'm coaching, so it's possible that she won't make it to any practices at all.

[waverly]

mae0111, Yeah if the schedule is out, I would ask the Coach for it. You can preface it as you want to make sure she can make the practices.

[cjcouple]

DS1 football season is wrapping up on Thanksgiving. He has a JV game Monday. They'll be a pep rally, bonfire/parade on the 22nd, and then the Thanksgiving game in the morning. He will get about 2 weeks off and will have basketball tryouts.
He started drivers ed last week (eeek)

DS2 just wrapped up XC. He will not start rec basketball until December. In the meantime he is doing Karate and working towards his green belt.

My kickboxing class was canceled so I was pretty upset when it happened. No idea what to do now but I am really hoping for some sort of fitness for myself its just so hard to find something that fits my schedule around work and the boys :-(.

[mae0111]

So I finally heard from DD1's town rec basketball coach. The gist of the email was:

"Hi - so I was told that I'm your kid's coach.

I don't know how that happened, since I never signed up to coach.

I didn't go to the draft, because no one told me about it and I didn't know I was a coach.

I'm not going to be your kid's coach. The head of the league is trying to find someone else to do it.

I don't know when practices will be since I'm not the coach."

So... this means that all of the kids no one wanted, including DD1, got dumped on a team together and don't have a coach.

This is similar to what this league did to me several years ago. No draft, just gave me a bunch of mean, uncoachable kids that no one wanted to deal with. When it happened to me, I handed in my whistle and took DD1 to another league.

I briefly thought that maybe I would offer to coach but demand a new draft, but it's just not worth it. At all.

Should be another stellar season. But she loves to play, so we will deal with it.

[sdlaura]

We’re having some basketball league/team drama. Last year DD played in a rec basketball league with a bunch of her softball friends, and her friend’s mom who is a college basketball coach was her coach, so it was an awesome experience. Even though DD and coach’s daughter are the same age, friend is a grade behind, so now DD and friend aren’t in the same age group (friend is still in grade 3/4 division, while DD is in grade 5/6 division). Then another friend from last year’s team switched to a different co-Ed league so her dad can coach her and her 6th grade brother on the same team. But that league uses a draft, so who knows if the girls would have been on the same team anyway.

I contacted the mom of another girl from softball/last year’s basketball team, and her mom says that she is doing the league from last year and gave us a coach to request, which we did. We didn’t make the evaluations, and neither did the other girl, so we both ended up on a team of kids we don’t really know. New coach scheduled practice not at the most convenient time (7-8 pm, which is late for us) but we know court time/space is limited. DD has now been to two practices and other girl didn’t go to either. Her family said practice time conflicts with their church group but I think part of it is that they don’t think this team is going to be very good (which it probably won’t be - many of the kids haven’t played before and are shorter/smaller than peers).

Other girl’s family asked if we wanted to switch to the co-Ed league, but I said we’d feel bad since DD had already been to two practices and I don’t want to leave this team without two players, but that they should do what’s right for them. They decided to switch, and now another softball friend is also doing the co-ed league. DD cried when I told her. It would be easier to jump ship to the other league but I don’t feel like that’s the right thing to do. Ugh.

[waverly]

That’s sucks sdlaura. We only have 1 rec league here, several clubs and middle school based basketball. So if they want to play rec they are all in the same league unless they go to a different town.

DS is doing middle school basketball now and then rec league starts in January.

[madringal]

DD1 had a HS intersquad meet on Saturday and did great. She is looking so strong. New best (unofficial times) in both her events - 50 and 500 free. To drop time not suited or tapered when cranking out 9000 yards a day is kind of a big deal!

And then Saturday she swam in her last age group swim meet for a while and dropped 4.5 seconds in her 200 free. Again to have such a crazy drop without a suit or taper is nuts.

It's going to be a great season!

[mae0111]

DD2 had her last soccer jamboree of the fall this weekend. She just loved playing for her new team and she said everyone is really nice and lots of fun. She scored a beautiful goal early in the first game. It was a rebound and she was perfectly in position, and placed it in the top left corner. She hadn't scored yet with this team this season, so it was great to see her confidence improve. She had a number of great shots in her second game - hit the post and the crossbar, and their GK was great.

I think they lost more games than they won, but she just loved it. Most of the kids on the team hadn't played club before, and they're still not consistently playing in their correct positions. Once that really becomes second nature, they'll be a force.

Then both kids had their piano recitals. DD2 played a solo and a duet with DD1. DD1 played a solo and was supposed to play 3 duets - with DD2, with another student, and with her teacher. But both DD1 AND her teacher forgot their music for the duet. DD1 had memorized it, so she got up and played the melody. It was too bad because it sounds amazing with her teacher.

Basketball starts this week! No rest! DD1 still doesn't have a coach for her rec team, but she'll start practicing with the school team tomorrow. DD2 missed her first practice to attend her last club soccer practice. So she'll start Thursday. Indoor training and an indoor soccer league will start some time in January, so I'm afraid there will be a lot of conflicts.

[erbear]

My kids play a tournament this weekend. First game is at 8am. 45 minutes away. 7:30 arrival. It’s going to be 27*. WHY?!?

[cjcouple]

Busy week ahead with Thanksgiving Game/end of season football festivities. DS played the entire game on both Offense (tight end) and Defense (Safety) in his last 2 JV games. He got so close to a touchdown twice. Next year he's a Senior so only will play Varsity. I just hope he gets to play a bit. He's not a top player but he likes it.

Anyway, tomorrow they are going to a local restaurant as a team for pizza after practice, Sunday the parents put together a Brunch for them at a local firehouse and Tuesday they have school, practice, a pasta dinner, then a parade down to the youth football field where they have a huge bonfire. Finally, Thanksgiving will be there last game.

[madringal]

First HS meet for DD - check!

4 varsity events:
1st place 200 FR
2nd place 500 Fr
1st place 200 free relay
1st place 400 free relay

To be on 2 A relays as a freshman is HUGE. Both of those relays went to state last year. And if you don't know how swim line ups (or events go) the 500 is the longest HS race - 20 lengths of the pool. She crushed it. And then immediately got out and swam the 3rd leg of the 200 free relay (less than half a second off her best time). So crushed a distance event, and then had about 45 seconds of rest until she had to sprint 2 more lengths. BANANAS! My kid is a beast, thanks for letting me brag, lol!

[mommyatty]

madringal , that is banana pants! Congrats to her! You must be very proud!

[waverly]

Do y’all normally go to away games?

DH says no. I was thinking no. In totally random discussion my dentist told me they went to the away games.

DS will be bussed back and forth to the game. I’m not really planning to go but the only reason I was sort of considering it was that it was only 20 minutes from work but then I would be there until 6:30 though and 30 minute drive home.

[sdlaura]

waverly my kids aren’t old enough yet to go from school on a bus to their games. When we get to that point though, I plan to go if I’m available .

[cjcouple]

waverly, I always have. Unless it was impossible to get out of work or I had to have a conflict with my other son then my husband and I would split if possible. I actually save vacation hours so I can go to all games/meets including away. lol

I absolutely love watching my kids and their friends play/compete. I also found it a great way to make friends/get to know the other parents as well. I will say, for middle school basketball, my son was on Varsity so I did NOT go for JV games. JV started at 3:30 and I got out of work at 4 so I'd go for 4:30 to catch the end of the game and be there for the start of my sons game. I'd say about half the parents attend away games so definitely not all and if you can't get out of work or don't feel you need to be there, they'll be some others to cheer them on.

[mae0111]

I think it depends. I would go if I could, because I like watching the games. BUT… if my kids go to school where I went, some of those away games are 90+ mins away and out of state. So I may not attend those depending on a number of factors.

[186momx]

I think it depends on your area. For high school sports (only bussed sports here) the bus would only take the kids to the game does not bring them home with that drive time. My parents always came to my away swim meets for high school. These meets were all within an hour drive from home.


I've been stressing out because my update seminar got moved to the same weekend DD has her first meet. We just got the days/time for each level and DD has 8am on Sunday! My seminar is all day Saturday over zoom. I don't have to figure out how to zoom school, transport, and support all at the same time!

[madringal]

Yes, we have gone to all my DDs away swim, track, and XC meets. Same for orchestra and robotics shows/competitions.

[waverly]

Our school appears to be bussing them there and back. I was hoping you would all say, no we don't go, enjoy your night at home doing nothing.   I don't really care for watching his basketball games.  There is a ball hog and the first half, I never even saw him get the ball.  Then DD and I left for STEM night.  But DH said it did get better and he actually got the ball at some point, but yeah tons of games like that which were slightly cringe to watch.  

[madringal]

waverly, lol. Well, we are a HUGE swim family. So we love to watch her and her friends swim. I can't imagine a situation where at least one of us wouldn't be there.

Track (the literal worst sport ever) was torture, but we went. We love XC too, so we were happy to go. She has never had an away meet more than 45 min from home, so we go.

[madringal]

waverly, ok, lol, that's exactly how I felt about watching my youngest play soccer. Like, she never gets the ball why am I even here? Does you son want you there? Will he be upset to see a bunch of other parents in the stands, but not you guys?

[waverly]

madringal, I asked him and he didn't care if we went. The other games are all home games, I think. There is one other away game but it is 10 minutes away and we are expected to drive them there, I think because it is so close. So really, it might be the only game that we miss of the season, and the farthest away.

[cjcouple]

Nov 29, 2022 14:50:17 GMT -5 waverly said:

madringal , I asked him and he didn't care if we went. The other games are all home games, I think. There is one other away game but it is 10 minutes away and we are expected to drive them there, I think because it is so close. So really, it might be the only game that we miss of the season, and the farthest away.

"enjoy your night at home doing nothing. " 

seriously, if he doesn't care, and you have no desire to go, skip it.