November Sports and Activities

[mae0111]

What’s happening?

[mae0111]

DD1 has one more field hockey game. She said that she doesn’t want to play again, but that feels kind of like that she just doesn’t want to actually move if she can help it.

Dd2 has playoffs for rec soccer. If they win this Saturday morning, they play in the championship Saturday afternoon. She has 2 more club games as well. She is done with her school team.

I just got the rosters for the kids’ town rec basketball teams. DD1 has the horrible coach from 2 years ago that screamed at them and called them all idiots. She cried when she found out. So that’s awesome.

DD2 is also clearly on the leftover team. She’s got one buddy from club soccer with her. I looked up the other parents on Facebook and we don’t even have any friends in common. It sucks because I offered to assistant coach with one of the club parents that has coached DD2 in the past, he said yes, and then didn’t pick her. It’s hard not to take that personally.

Both kids have their piano recital in a couple of weeks. It should be pretty awesome. DD1 is playing Lost Boy and it sounds awesome.

Both kids are undecided about their winter sport at school. DD1 seems pretty set on basketball… this week. Rock climbing is still in the mix. Dd2 is between rock climbing and winter adventures - hiking, snowshoeing, etc.

[librarychica]

mae0111, I would like to sign up for rock climbing! Sounds fun. Sorry about the crap team assignments.

We are in full-on performance mode. DD1, who was randomly placed in a middle school dance elective instead of gym because of how her academics shook out and turned out to love it (or maybe just love the cool young teacher — hard to tell) has a flamenco performance next Thursday. It’s killing me to miss it. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, I’ll be on my last work trip of the year, and my plane lands 15 minutes after the show ends. I would have arranged things different but alas. Anyway H, her sister, and my parents will all be there.

DD2 has her play coming up in a few weeks and then the guitar/ukulele club performance a few weeks after that. In addition to her usual piece she is doing a duet with a girl from another school so we need to sort out a few dates for them to practice.

As an extracurricular for me, I am running the local PTA visual, literature, and performing arts contest. Idk how, I can’t art my way out of a paper bag though I’ve always been a good writer. Thankfully no parental talent is required — just organizational skills.

All arts all the time. No one has rejoined a sport since DD1 decided to take a break from tae kwon do. They have been riding their bikes and roller skating everywhere since the weather turned pleasant.

[sdlaura]

We had 6 sports practices today - skipped one. So DD had basketball and softball, DS1 had basketball and soccer, and DS2 had soccer. Basketball just started and soccer will be over soon.

We remain conflicted over DD’s travel softball. I’m a morning person, and I’m still annoyed at having to get up at 5:30 or 6 am once or twice a weekend. Especially when DD doesn’t get much playing time during tournaments. Luckily most of their games are friendlies (3 in a row almost every Sunday) and she gets a decent amount of playing time during those.

I need to decide if we’re going to sign any of the kids up for the winter soccer league or arena soccer at the Y (neither of those have practices - just games - so it’s kind of like just having soccer playdates

[dglvrk2]

November is shaping up to be a chill sports month.

DD2 decided to take a break from martial arts, so we are not doing this on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She had her final soccer games last week and does not want to play indoor soccer for the winter, so that's off the table as well. She will participate in a x-country ski club on Mondays starting in January and have alpine ski team practices Wednesday and Thursday afternoons also starting in January. She's free until then.

DD1 continues with gymnastics three nights/week plus a private lesson here and there. She's also doing a volleyball clinic one night/week. It was cancelled this week because of Halloween.

I'm happy for a cut back in activities because it will mean less driving. I also think DD2 will get restless. I'm going to see about her swimming while DD1 is at gymnastics at least one night per week.

[mustardseed2007]

With not much announcement DS had auditions for his school play yesterday. He was sick with a sore throat, which he did tell the drama teacher. They were also told not to prepare which kind of stinks for DS because one thing he has over other kids is his willingness to prepare. I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT IT...MUCH.

[waverly]

DD is on break from soccer. DS only has 1 week break then indoor practices but the place is a 10 minute drive instead of 25 minute drive so overall better. And games are played at the same place for DS and DD so we’ll see if it is same times.

DD’s games are 45 minutes with no halves so maybe DS’s will be 50 or 60 minutes?

ETA- DS is also doing rec basketball with his coach from last year.  The coach and his son are really nice, I just hope the practice schedules work out.  

[186momx]

Gymnastics is going well. DD said Tuesday night this is the first season she feels 100% prepared to compete. Having private lessons with the head coach has been so good for not only DD but I think for the entire compulsory team. Head coach is realizing that the coaches aren't teaching skills just expecting the girls to figure it out. She asked DD to do this drill and DD was like I don't know what you are talking about. I swear DD's regular coaches hate when DD has a private because afterwards the head coach is always talking to them about XYZ.

mae0111, could your girls just skip rec basketball this year and just play school sports?

[madringal]

HS swim season is under way for DD1. First meet is later this month. DD is crushing it and we're excited for a fun season.

DD2 has no sport going on right now, which is glorious.

DD3 is swimming about 4 night a week and doing really well. Her next meet isn't until the middle of next month.

[mae0111]

DD2 had 3 potential soccer games scheduled on Saturday - playoff games for town rec and a club game. If her team won a morning game, they played in the championship, which conflicted with her club game. She played against 3 of her club teammates in the championship.

Her team ended up winning the championship! I was really worried about the team at the beginning because she didn't know anyone on the team, but she ended up having a great season. In the championship game, her coach pulled her aside before the game and told her that her job was to defend their star player. He told her to follow her everywhere and shut her down. And she did! The other player only scored once, and it happened immediately after DD2 had been subbed off the field for a quick break. So she went right back in and shut her down for the rest of the game. I was bummed I missed it, but our weekend away was awesome... so not that bummed...

So 2 of 3 soccer teams are done. Last game for club is this weekend.

Field hockey is over. DD1 said she doesn't think she wants to play again, but it feels more like laziness because she had such a great time playing. I hope she changes her mind.

Rec basketball practices start next week. DD1 is on the fence about actually playing. It's her last year of rec and she really wanted to play until she found out who her coach was. I also found out why I don't know most of the kids on DD2's team - they had to combine grades, so she's playing with 6th graders as a 5th grader. I'm hoping to see some passing last year. That was sorely lacking last year. I heard from DD1's coach so we have the practice schedule, but nothing from DD2's coach yet.

[sdlaura]

DD didn't play a ton yesterday in her 3 travel softball games, even though they were just friendlies. She was catcher in the first game, and briefly played first base in the second game before she wasn't on the field at all during the third game. During the second game when she was playing first base for an inning, she and the pitcher had an error and almost ran into each other when trying to catch a hit, but it wasn't exactly just DD's fault. Then DD caught a foul for the third out. So it wasn't like she did anything super wrong, but after that her coach took her out and didn't have her on the field for the rest of that game or any of the next game. I think that was kind of the final straw for DH and me to talk to her about whether she wants to quit this travel team and go back to our old rec league (where she can also play on a "select" team and try out for all-stars). We are fine with the big time commitment and getting up at the crack of dawn every weekend if DD is actually going to get playing time and get better. But not if she's just sitting on the bench and when she is there feels punitive. She goes to every practice, even optional ones, and does weekly hitting and catching lessons. She could do a little more hitting practice on her own, but it's not like she's not putting in the work.

So I brought it up to her yesterday and we have until 12/31 to sign up for the spring rec league. So we'll see what happens. She has no games this weekend, a couple friendlies the following weekend, and then two more tournaments in December, so we have some more time to observe before making the final decision.

[soccermama]

DD's competitive volleyball program started practices last week. Practices are scheduled Tues/Thurs from 7-9 p.m......I am NOT looking forward to that at all. There is like, nobody on her team we can carpool with either. I really wish they had 1 weeknight practice & 1 weekend practice. Ugh.

DS is done with fall soccer and we don't have anything planned for him until spring (yikes). I may look into an indoor soccer program to keep him busy.

[186momx]

sdlaura, my brother quit baseball way back when because he was frustrated that he would go to all the practice, extra hitting/pitching practices, travel to games and then sit the bench the whole time. He was one of the better players on the team but he was the smallest kid on the team by a good amount and the coach admitted he was worried he would get hurt.

mae0111, congrats on the soccer game!

[sdlaura]

186momx, her coach definitely isn't worried she'll get hurt, since he's the one that got her into playing catcher, where she gets plowed into all the time. I think he just knows her and her skill level and wants to play the other kids more (who have only been on his team a couple months) to see what kind of potential they have.

I talked to DH about it more and we work well together in terms of when one of us is really annoyed about something, the other one talks them down. He made some really good points that made me less annoyed at her coach. Even though often he is the critical one and I'm telling him it's NBD. DH thinks DD just needs to practice more (mainly hitting) so that she's so valuable that he has to play her more or worry that she'll leave. And if she doesn't want to put in more time, then we should switch back to rec and he's fine with that, too. So we're sort of leaving it up to DD at this point, but she's not the most mature 11-year-old so I feel like we need to guide her at least a little bit.

[mommyatty]

sdlaura , my view on stuff like this comes down to: 1) Do I think this activity or sport is life-altering for this kid? Like an old friend is married to a former pro football player who was a D1 collegiate All American. They put a lot into their kids sports because genetically it was possible/more likely they would be college athletes. My kids? Not so much. 2) Is my kid having a significantly better time on this team than another one? 3) Is my kid passionate about this activity?

Hobbies should be hobbies. If they aren’t sparking joy or leading to something really important, they aren’t worth your kid’s sacrifice of their childhood or their sense of self-worth. It’s also informed by the fact that for years, I danced 6 days a week for hours a day. And ended up with a nasty case of anorexia and with seriously jacked up hips and feet because my mom loved telling people I was a ballerina. I worry that your DD is already doing optional practices, additional skills practices, practicing some on her own, and the answer is “my 11 year old should be spending even more time on this and using her body in this specific and very unnatural way even more.” How much softball is enough?

[madringal]

I know this is probably an UO, but does anyone else just freaking love their kids sport? Like, I LOVE that I have swimmers. DD1 is a HS sophomore so her swim days may be over in just a few years. DD2 has ZERO interest in swimming, which is totally fine. And we weren't sure if DD3 (7 yo) would be interested in it, but she is swimming again this season, loving it and CRUSHING it and it makes me so happy to think we may get several more years of being swim parents. She was on fire last night at practice. Her stroke form is just awful, but man alive she is fast! Girl has a motor on her feet and kick is everything in swim. It is so fun to watch another developing swimmer!

[mustardseed2007]

madringal, I love that I have a theatre kid. So much so that I have to watch myself sometimes. He's working hard and getting good roles and doing well in it, so that helps a ton. I don't have to drag him unless he's getting nervous before a show and that hasn't seemed to last past the performance when he gets his applause. I honestly love helping with costumes and running lines with him and all the things.

[waverly]

sdlaura , I know 2 girls that play softball, and in both cases the moms have ended up coaching to make things better. The one is travel, and the other one has done our town rec and travel and then 2 other towns rec. She may have finally found her team, but it took some searching for the right fit. I don't believe in spending a lot of time and money for them to not play at the travel/ club level. If the club doesn't feel that they are doing well enough then they should send them down a level or suggest rec, not just take their money and bench them. That's just my personal opinion, and we are doing soccer not baseball, so I know there are some differences in playing time there.  But I am not spending $600 + a season for the coaches to not play everyone equally.  Last game, DS was the sub, and even then, he was in and out the entire game in different positions.  I felt that will help him become a better, well rounded player for him to play midfield and forward in various left/ right positions.  

madringal , I like soccer well enough I guess, better than baseball and basketball, but I don't know that my feelings are in the love arena.

[mae0111]

madringal, I was a little disappointed when DD2 took to soccer so much... I really never liked it... but I've grown to love it! We've met some really great people through her club. Even when I've been disappointed with her team placement for town rec and travel, every team has ended up being a great experience for her. I was bummed to miss her playing in the championship. I got a great note from her rec soccer coach. He explained that her role in the championship game was a big reason they won, and he wanted to make sure she understood how important it was. Because she's a strong defender and defensive middie, she doesn't often get the glory of goals... it's awesome when a good coach acknowledges the importance of defense.

I also love watching DD1 play basketball. I think her days as a basketball player are numbered and she's not the best, fastest, or tallest... but when she hits a baseline jumper and I see her swell with pride... there's nothing like it. She loves softball, and it's the same for me... when she gets ahold of a good pitch, or makes a play in the field and I see her smile... Amazing.

Outside of sports, DD1 is a really talented pianist. She plays mostly by ear - hears a song once or twice, glances at the sheet music to get started, and then just... plays. And... she never gets nervous. It's like second nature to her. Yesterday she found sheet music to a Taylor Swift song and played it almost perfectly for the first time. It's just really cool to hear.

Sports can become a slog, and I don't love being out at a soccer pitch or a softball field when it's freezing and raining, but I think I will miss it when it's done.

[sdlaura]

mommyatty  and waverly that's good perspective. We're all navigating using our own experiences as kids. Like my parents put me in a team sport once and I was kind of "eh" about it so then they never did again. And my sister played a lot of team sports and has lifelong friendships from them. So I wish they had pushed a little harder.

I did play the violin pretty seriously and even though I had lots of rehearsals and private lessons, my parents still made me practice everyday if they were going to put the time and money into it. So DH and I go back and forth on whether we should just expect DD to take initiative if she clearly loves it and wants to improve, or set some guidelines for the commitment we expect from her if we're going to spend the time and money?

Luckily I'm not worried about repetitive stress injuries or body image stuff. Maybe if she were a pitcher I'd be concerned about stress on her body. I was a chubby tween and hated my body and being made to do anything athletic. Another thing I really love about DD's sports is that she is a chubby tween who views herself as strong and athletic.

[callmekd]

Nov 7, 2023 10:08:34 GMT -5 madringal said:

I know this is probably an UO, but does anyone else just freaking love their kids sport? Like, I LOVE that I have swimmers. DD1 is a HS sophomore so her swim days may be over in just a few years. DD2 has ZERO interest in swimming, which is totally fine. And we weren't sure if DD3 (7 yo) would be interested in it, but she is swimming again this season, loving it and CRUSHING it and it makes me so happy to think we may get several more years of being swim parents. She was on fire last night at practice. Her stroke form is just awful, but man alive she is fast! Girl has a motor on her feet and kick is everything in swim. It is so fun to watch another developing swimmer!

I love that my twins are playing hockey and soccer. I wasn’t allowed to play hockey so watching DD2 is so fun.

[callmekd]

DD2 and DS are both playing mites hockey. They ended up on different teams (divided girls and boys).

They skate 4 days a week.

DD1 is still dancing competitively- she has dance 3 days a week and we (thankfully) run a carpool with 2 other families.

[186momx]

madringal, my mom was a sports/band mom to the core. She loved it and it was 100% her social circle. I started swimming in high school and my sister started swimming at 5 and was a D3 college swimmer. I still really enjoy watching swimming and love the water.

I'm not in love being a gym mom but I am supportive, helpful, and there for DD. I have some gym mom friends and I know that our gym family is better than a lot of other gym families as I've heard stories from parents/girls who have switched clubs.

[cjcouple]

It's Senior Night tomorrow before the game.  Only 2 football games left 
Exciting but also a bit sad too.  I also got to see the new basketball uniforms our new AD ordered for the team.  A bunch of us moms went and decorated the hallway this morning for the Seniors and he showed me the stuff he got.  I'm super excited for basketball season.  

Week after thanksgiving my youngest starts indoor track.  

[mae0111]

Lol I'm a dope.

I've been telling DD2 that she needs to go to rec basketball practice tonight... she'll miss next week for Thanksgiving... needs to go and at least meet her team... SHE STILL HAS A BROKEN WRIST. She's wearing a splint. She literally can't do anything but dribble with her right hand. The brace restricts her movement enough that she can't really shoot, pass, dribble with her left hand.

Hopefully she'll be out of the splint tomorrow, and she can go to practice in a couple of weeks.

[mommyatty]

DS has decided he wants to do two school clubs, which are nice because they are right after school at the school so no driving (woot woot!). He wants to do chess and pickleball. He also wanted to do archery but it’s at the same time as chess and he is crazy excited about chess.

DD asked me to find her a club to play field hockey. Turns out she’s really good at it and scored more points than any other girl when they did their unit in PE. She might have finally found her sport!

[callmekd]

Nov 14, 2023 15:01:17 GMT -5 mommyatty said:

DS has decided he wants to do two school clubs, which are nice because they are right after school at the school so no driving (woot woot!). He wants to do chess and pickleball. He also wanted to do archery but it’s at the same time as chess and he is crazy excited about chess.

DD asked me to find her a club to play field hockey. Turns out she’s really good at it and scored more points than any other girl when they did their unit in PE. She might have finally found her sport!

My DS is in chess club and loves it!

[186momx]

DD had an amazing practice meet. All around score of 34.75 and all 4 clean routines. Last season she was scoring low 8s or high 7s on vault, beam and floor ans scratching bars. 8 on bars and 8.9 or higher on everything else.

The meet was so quiet compared to a real meet and I got so very bored/tired.

[cjcouple]

We are wrapping up football season. We had Senior night last week and have a parade/bonfire on tuesday. Last Game Thursday. we are doing a breakfast tailgate with some of other parents.
basketball tryouts are next. weelnor forst week of December. Im hoping there's no surprises. DS has played school team since 8th grade.

DS2 starts indoor track next week. He signed up for the 1 mile and shot put. He's also made a very hard decision to stop karate. It's just too much with a HS sport. He decided he'd rather just hot the gym a couple days a week instead of driving 30 mins to karate 3x a week.

I'm proud of him for realizing he needed to choose at his level. he hasnt been giving either sport his full attention.

I really hope he can excel in track and field.

[mae0111]

My kids had their piano recital yesterday. DD1 played 2 duets and a solo, and performed really well. DD2 played 2 solo songs (like most other kids did). She played the first song nearly perfectly. She started the second song beautifully, and then about 1/2 way through, she froze. She got stuck and couldn't recover. Her teacher came over and tried to help her through it, but she picked up her music and walked away from the piano and burst into tears.

My heart broke for her. She just beat herself up so much. Probably 3-4 other kids had to stop and restart, one kid showed up literally 20 mins late with no music. My point to her was that no one is perfect, everyone just did their best, including her. I'm not sure she took in what I was saying.

I hope that this doesn't mean the end of piano for her. I'm also hoping that this doesn't rattle her for her upcoming play. She has so much anxiety around so many things, and I was hoping that this new interest in drama/theater would help her with that... we will see...