In anticipation of some camping on our vacation, we set up the tent in the backyard today. We bought the tent last year and never used it, and figured that we should give it a trial run. Of course, the kids asked if they could spend the night out there. We just saw them off, each equipped with a sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, and stuffed animal. Yes, even the 12 year old. We'll see if they last the night...
Click here to continue....
Showing posts with label progeny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label progeny. Show all posts
July 17, 2008
June 30, 2008
I'm not sure I'm ready for this
Last weekend we were at the lake about an hour away from home. I brought my laptop figuring I would work on planning our vacation road trip later this summer. There is supposed to be wireless where we are staying, but I wasn't able to get a decent signal. So I decided to go up the road to a coffee shop with free wi-fi.
Guess who begged to come along? Son. Why? He had promised to email a girl he met at camp last week.
June 18, 2008
Sound waves
Spring is concert season in our school district. It's not enough for each school to have its own groups perform; all the schools across the entire district have to get together. Twice. The first round is all orchestras, and the second is all types of music ensembles: choirs, orchestras, and bands.
It is quite something to see so many students massed together and making music. It's impressive to hear an orchestra of over seventy middle school kids (strings only at this age, too; no brass or woodwinds or percussion). The drawback is that the only space large enough to fit them all is a gym. The acoustics are awful. The sound moves across the cavernous room and bounces back, and suddenly nothing is quite in sync any longer. This was too much for most of the elementary students to overcome; only those with a good view of the conductor could keep going. I watched two boys - probably 10 years old - in the back row of the violin section slow their playing, then stop, look at each other, put their bows down, and shrug in agreement: they had no idea where they were in the piece. The middle school students managed fairly well, even all the way through the 1812 Overture - but if your seat was near the top of the gym, as ours was, it was not easy to follow, especially in the less rhythmic parts. For the kids, it was exciting to play with and for so many people at once. Son went from being the only bass in his school orchestra to playing as one of nine. It was nice not to have to strain to hear the bass part.
Son is the sixth bass player (counting from the left) standing in the back row. No, it's not you - the photo is blurry; I had to turn the flash off and I can't manually set the shutter speed on this camera.
April 25, 2008
Spring Concert
Here are Son's youth symphony performances of
O Mio Babbino Caro
and the third Brandenburg Concerto
In O Mio Babbino Caro, he is playing a bass solo along with the harp for about the first 20 bars - admittedly, it's very hard to hear his part; I don't think their recording equipment is very sophisticated. But it's still cool. The Brandenburg has always been one of my favorite pieces, and they did a pretty good job. By coincidence, about a week later all the school orchestras in the city had a day-long judging/performance event, and the local high school group played the same piece, but in the original (not an arrangement). He was quite impressed with the difference just a few more years will make. Click here to continue....
April 20, 2008
At the Opera
As I mentioned earlier, our spring break adventures included an opera performance. I didn't start out planning for that experience, but it turned out quite well.
Prior to this, my opera experience was limited to two field trips to the San Francisco Opera House during elementary school. I know we saw Carmen, and I'm pretty sure the second was A Midsummer Night's Dream. I can recognize and name a couple of famous arias, but that's about it. It just wasn't part of my world.
One of the pieces Son played with his youth symphony orchestra this spring was O Mio Babbino Caro by Puccini, from the opera Gianni Schicchi. [In fact, he had a bass solo in this piece, and didn't even tell us before the performance! His rationale: "If you knew I was doing a solo, you would have made me practice and practice forever." I'll post a link to the MP3 file as soon as the concert CD arrives in the mail.] I recognized this aria as part of the soundtrack from A Room with a View, but didn't know anything more about it.
As I searched various events calendars for things to do while in Seattle, the name Gianni Schicchi popped up. The Seattle Opera has a "young artists" program, kind of a post-doc experience for singers between their formal training and their first full professional position. These performances aren't at the Seattle Center, but in Bellevue, the same neighborhood we were staying in. It was combined on the program with The Enchanted Child by Ravel, and tickets were quite reasonably priced. Since this was an opportunity to see Son's piece in its context, I decided to take the plunge.
The kids' initial response to this plan was less than enthusiastic, but they acquiesced with very little protest, and all of us ended up thoroughly enjoying the performance. Both productions had very contemporary staging: in The Enchanted Child, the Child was a bratty ponytailed girl in a school blazer and plaid skirt with headphones plugged into her ears as she ignored her mother's entreaties. One of the characters moved through the scene on a Razor scooter wearing leather, chains, and a flaming red mohawk.
Gianni Schicchi opened with the patriarch dying in his elaborate bed complete with canopy, draperies, and frescoed ceiling. Across the stage, his relatives gathered on red velvet sofas to await his demise... while they watched a soccer match on a flat-screen TV and shouted and cursed at the players and refs. There were several over-the-top characters, but the best was Gianni himself who had all the persona of Tony Soprano (not that the kids really got it, but the laughter from the adult audience was contagious). Both were quite funny and the kids really came away with a better understanding that artists can take their work very seriously to produce a comic result. And the setting was informal enough that the cast came out and mingled with the audience in the lobby afterward. I'll be keeping an eye out for these productions whenever we find that we'll be spending some time in the Seattle area.
March 25, 2008
Not quite yet
Sometimes the kids seem to be growing up really fast. Other times, not so much. This past weekend we were discussing the schedule of activities -- this has been one of those weeks where we have not had everyone home for dinner because of all the practices, meetings, rehearsals, etc. When we got to planning for Easter Sunday, I was running through the list of events: "Well, I have to be at both church services because the choir is singing, but the rest of you can come at the usual time, and then we'll go over to Grandma and Granddad's later in the afternoon for dinner...". Son interrupted and said, "And we're going to have an egg hunt, right? In the morning, like we always do? You're going to hide eggs, aren't you?"
Now, our egg hunts have not been spectacular in any way, either in the quantity of treats or the ingenuity of hiding places. It's always too cold or wet to do anything outside, and anything left in the house has to be up off the floor and out of range of the dog. So 80% of the plastic eggs are visible if you just stand in the center of the living room -- it's no longer a challenge. But even if there are no lingering illusions about a mysterious bunny, evidently the egg hunt has reached the status of tradition.
Bowing to the inevitable, Spouse and I filled up about two dozen plastic eggs and scattered them around the room before we went to sleep on Saturday night. Early Sunday morning, there was no excited child waking us up far earlier than we wanted to; instead it was the alarm I set so I wouldn't be late for the early service. We came downstairs to find the kids waiting patiently, curled up in the big chairs and watching "Mars Attacks!" on TV, with the eggs in plain sight, untouched. Not quite grown up, but closer.
March 21, 2008
Wii Rock
Latest obsession in the NWWing household:
Son has been hanging on to the various gift cards that he got for his birthday and Christmas, just waiting for the right thing to come along. Last weekend his youth group had an overnight event and he finally got the chance to try Guitar Hero. He was immediately hooked. Fortunately for me, the local Target had it in stock for the Wii and we didn't have to chase all over town looking for it.
He is quite good at it; I am unbelievably lame, but then maybe that's because I'm only willing to try it when everyone else is either out of the house or asleep, so my practice time has been limited. I don't think Spouse has tried it yet, but the rest of us are in varying stages of addiction. A trip to the game store for a second controller is in the works. I continue to get a kick out of the fact that the playlist is dominated by songs I know from college or high school (or even earlier; this one came out when I was in 6th grade). And some things haven't changed; this song still makes me cringe....
February 22, 2008
Too funny, too true
As seen at Pharyngula: a piece by Carl Hiaasen on science education and the Florida state board of education. Coincidentally, I picked up Stormy Weather at the library the other day - reading that is definitely on my list of things to do this weekend. I'm ready for some down time and a good laugh. And I need to recharge before my Sunday afternoon task: driving a vanload of middle schoolers home from an overnight church camp. At which they are not going to shower. Another reason to be thankful for the state seatbelt law that states children under 13 should not ride in the front passenger seat. It's an hour and a half trip... think I'll survive?
Click here to continue....January 16, 2008
Trying something new
I love books. I spend a lot of time reading (probably too much). I've been part of a monthly book group for more than 12 years now, and there are only a few times when I didn't get the book read. I can't imagine being without access to books.
Reading is one of the things that can truly take me out of where I am and get the wheels spinning in my mind to quiet down. Reading for distraction, however, isn't always conducive to really thinking about and remembering what I've read. That's fine for paperback mysteries and the like, but there are many books I'd like to remember better. So I've started to keep track of them in the sidebar. I'll try to do some reviews at the end of every month, and I'd love to hear what you thought if you've read any of the same books.
In other things new and blog-related, I heard from two whole people as a result of my delurking plea (thank you MLL and MA!). Then last night I got three comments on other posts, all showing up in the comment box as strings of question marks and in my email as kanji characters. I'm not showing any hits from non-English speaking countries, so I guess I'll put that down to a spambot and be thankful it wasn't worse...
PS: social studies project is ALMOST done. If he didn't have math homework, he could probably turn it in tomorrow - and I'm still tempted to keep him up to finish it, just because I am so ready to have it over with.
December 31, 2007
Year's end
Only a few hours left in 2007. The aftermath of a migraine may not be the best place from which to sum up the year, but somehow it seems I should do this today and not put it off until tomorrow.
Several of the blogs I read have been summing up the year by means of their posts: the first line of the first post each month, or variations on that theme. I didn't post anything between August 2006 and February 2007, so that doesn't seem to be the best approach for my sporadic blogging habits.
In some ways it seems like I haven't moved much this year; the things on my mind in my first post of 2007 are still very present. And I don't think I'm really going to solve that particular concern, or find a way to make it go away - I just have to learn to live with it better. So in that spirit, here are some things that were memorable about 2007: some mundane, some fleeting, some that will stay with me, all part of the fabric.
- Friends and friendships are what keep me going. Sometimes it's being able to escape for coffee and conversation for just an hour. Or the unexpected pleasure of things falling into place to spend an entire day with someone whose friendship extends across my whole life. Even online, with people I've never met, discovering a connection , recognizing a common experience, or reading something that expands my perspective can bring new energy into my life.
- Those moments when you aren't expected to do or be anything for anyone, and are just free to enjoy yourself: walking along the beach and watching the water; driving through the Eastern Shore in a fun blue Mini; paddling a kayak or cross-country skiing; getting lost in a good book. One thing I am learning is while it's a wonderful lift to have these joys occur unexpectedly, they are no less pleasurable when I schedule them and make time for them.
- I am continually amazed by my kids. Yes, I can be astounded by how well they can push my buttons and do all the things that make me feel the most frazzled and impatient. But they are very much coming into their own as individuals with unique strengths and that is an awesome thing to watch. I am grateful that they still ask me to read to them and play with them, and are willing to learn things that I can teach them. They seem to be growing up faster and faster. I know I can't hold onto them, or make time stand still, but I can appreciate the time we have together now and the ways in which they are growing and maturing.
December 27, 2007
Skating
The kids loved the outdoor rink at the lake. It's small, but when you have it to yourselves most of the time, that makes up for the lack of size. Son (on the right) built on last year's hockey skills and was quickly doing crossovers and skating backward. Daughter, as you can see, still doesn't entirely feel comfortable on the ice. She's making progress, though, and it helped her a lot to not be in a crowded pack of people.
The figure leaning on the railing is my dad. At about 9 AM, when the rink first opened for the day, the kids were raring to go. Spouse and I had barely started on our coffee at this time (it was vacation, after all) and were nowhere near ready to head out into the cold. To my mom's and my amazement, Dad volunteered to go down to the rink with the kids, primarily to help Daughter with her skates. This is a man who hates cold. He lived with real winters as a child and well remembers times when he just couldn't get warm. The idea of voluntarily going outside in the cold to play was something he was perfectly happy to give up when he had the means to avoid it. Yet for his grandkids, here he was volunteering for outdoor duty.
My mom skied before my parents met, so when my brother and I came along she wanted to introduce us to the sport. Dad was fine with driving us up to the mountains, and helping us with our gear, but no way was he joining us on the slopes. I recall my brother and I waving our arms to get Dad's attention outside the lodge; he would be watching for us out a window. He'd pull on his coat, come downstairs, and rub a block of wax along the bottoms of our skis so they would stop sticking. Then he'd head back inside to the fire (and probably a hot toddy as well) and we'd go back up the lift. The whole process would get repeated every hour or so; those old skis really needed a lot of wax. I was probably only 8 or 9, and my brother younger, so we needed the help, and Dad devised a system that worked for him too.
December 10, 2007
Growing Up
We celebrated Son's 12th birthday this past weekend. In a lot of ways, he's still a kid, and he wanted a birthday party. He wanted his friends around, and ice cream cake (and presents), but didn't want it to feel like a kids' party. Activities for middle-schoolers around here are limited, and even the ice rink and the bowling alley get booked up with holiday parties this time of year. So after much discussion, we opted to invite a group of his friends to see The Golden Compass when it opened on Friday, and then have pizza and cake back at our house.
I read the book shortly after it first came out, and the remaining two in the trilogy as they were released. [Son hasn't read them yet; as much as I might wish for it, he does not share my passion for obsession with reading.] I was aware that the movie was the subject of attacks by those of the fundamentalist, intolerant persuasion, and that rumors were floating around online that it was "toned down" as part of an underhanded plan to lull unsuspecting children into the storyline and then clobber them after they were hooked with atheist/anti-God/anti-Christian propaganda. But I didn't really think much of it; the usual suspects were in front of this effort in the media, so I didn't give it much credence. Plus all of the kids in question had seen the Harry Potter movies, and the LOTR trilogy, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the like; there had been previous exposure to violence, irreverence, and PG-13 ratings.
We made phone calls instead of sending out invitations; the people who own the local movie theaters don't advertise in the paper (long story) and don't post the show times until after they decide on Thursday night which screen the new film will be on, so I wanted to be able to explain that we wouldn't know exact times until that day. We talked to some families, and left voice messages for others, and I figured the logistics were taken care of. The next day, Son called me at work as soon as he arrived home after school. He wanted to know why M and W thought the move was "against God" and said they had told him that their parents would not allow them to go. He didn't want to have the party without them, so could we please go bowling instead?
This got my blood boiling for several reasons. Intolerance in general just gets to me, and I've seen more in this town than I can stand, and this time it was impacting my own kid, so that got my hackles up. What really bothered me was that none of the adults in question had the consideration to share their concerns with another adult; instead, they let the kids deal with it. And when 11 and 12 year olds are dealing with complex issues of religion, belief, and tolerance... well, they're just not equipped. They don't have the context, or the experience, and I know in Son's case he is just starting to understand how and why adults believe different things.
I was not under the impression I could - or should - talk another adult out of a parenting choice they made for their child; that's certainly their right, as it is mine. But don't have your kid carry the message for you, because the kid isn't prepared to deliver it, and my kid isn't prepared to receive it. What wasn't clear at this point was whether the parents expected us to change our plans based on their views, or if it was solely peer pressure that Son was getting, mixed with his own reluctance to give up any time with his friends.
So after Son's school orchestra concert that night, even though it was already past time for him to be asleep, we did a crash course on the content of His Dark Materials; how churches can differ on the spectrum of absolute obedience vs. free will; and symbolism, allegory, and how a fantasy story can have multiple interpretations. I didn't give these topics what they deserved, but he grasped enough that he understood better how people could disagree but that it was also possible - and important - to be respectful of one another's opinions. We also talked about the fact that he had three friends who were excited about going to the movie with him, and under what circumstances he would feel comfortable about rescinding that invitation. There was one attempt at finding a loophole: "Can't we just say the tickets are sold out and do something else?", but in general, he got it.
Fast forward to Friday, when I finally have the show times. I call the two families in question again to let them know what time we'll be back from the movie so the boys can come join us for dinner & video games, etc. This time I actually get to speak with adults, and it turns out that while W's father says (rather adamantly) that W will not be going to the movie, M's father says it's fine. M's father also recognizes that things got garbled somehow between the kids, and apologizes for not communicating directly. That helps. So I take 5 kids to the theater, and the 6th will meet us at the house afterward.
The boys love the movie; the action scenes were great, it was suspenseful, the special effects were very cool - particularly the daemons and the armored bears; there were big loud (but not gory) battle scenes. By the time we get home, W (who lives around the block) had just arrived, and the food is almost ready. As kids do, they move on quickly to what's immediately at hand, and any tension is forgotten. Over dinner, they are immersed in recounting highlights from previous video gaming sessions. W is in the midst of dramatizing some exploits playing Halo; this is a game that is not permitted in our household, but W has two older brothers (17 and 21) and plays it often. Suddenly from across the table, another one of the guests says "Wait a minute. You weren't allowed to see the movie, but you can play Halo at home? That doesn't make any sense!"
Welcome to adulthood. And parenting - even more so. Choices. Lots of choices, some that are easy and "make sense," some very hard. Son is growing up, in more ways than one. Though I was very gratified at how he started his day on Sunday, his actual birthday: when he woke up, I was relaxing on the couch under a blanket with a cup of coffee. I said "good morning" to him, and more than half expected a surly grunt in reply, or a request to play GameCube before breakfast. Instead he dropped onto the couch next to me and said "The 12-year-old wants to snuggle for a while." Thanks, Son. Happy Birthday to you, with much love.
December 03, 2007
Wishes
Today my spouse was driving Daughter home from her piano lesson. She was excited about the Christmas music she's learning -- then the topic shifted:
Daughter: I know what I'm going to get for Christmas.
Spouse: How do you know?
D: I wished for three years for my Easy Bake Oven, and Santa brought it to me. Santa knows what I want.
S: What are you wishing for?
D: A Wii.
S: You know, I don't remember you asking for an Easy Bake Oven for three years.
D: Oh, I didn't say anything, I just wished for it in my head. Santa knows what I want. Even if I have to wish for a Wii for three years, he'll bring one.
November 29, 2007
Music
I can't imagine life without music in it. I have tunes running through my mind most of my time awake. It's been fun, and gratifying, to see my kids enjoy and appreciate it as well.
Son started playing the double bass two years ago, in the strings program at school that is open to all 4th graders. He has really taken to it, and shown some amazing aptitude (not that I'm biased or anything). This year he has been playing with the local youth symphony, in the "academy" orchestra, and has really had a great time and developed tremendously. They had their fall concert earlier this week, and did a fabulous job. I don't have the CD of that performance yet, but the link below is to a number from the summer camp program. This was the result of 5 days of group and sectional instruction, 6 hours a day, for a group of 4th through 8th graders that for the most part had never played together. I picked this one for two reasons: it's a fun arrangement, with snippets from lots of well-known pieces of music, and you can hear the basses pretty well (he was one of three in that section).
Listen
Technical notes: I've tested the link, but let me know if it doesn't work. The file is about 4.5 MB, so it may take a minute or two to download. Format is mp4, which I hope will work with most music players. As I figure out the technology, I'll try to record some of Daughter's piano for future posting.
November 25, 2007
Player
This was daughter's first Turkey Bowl game. She was an infant the last time we spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws. She was excited about playing, but the reality didn't quite live up to the hype when it turned out to be cold, wet, and muddy. She wanted to leave after the first ten minutes, so for a distraction I gave her my camera and had her taking pictures on the sidelines. After a while I came out of the game to take some photos. Her exuberant youngest uncle kept encouraging her to come back in, and finally picked her up and carried her (upside down) out onto the field. She stayed for a couple of plays, and then came back out -- and asked me to change her jersey from the blue side out (her uncle's team) to the white side (the team her dad and brother were playing on). I didn't really get an explanation for this, but I wasn't going to debate it with her if it was getting her out on the field.
Everyone makes a point of trying to get the younger kids the football, so after a few plays it was her turn to take a handoff (she said absolutely not to catching a pass). The adults and teenagers make a big show of trying to catch the kids, but really end up chasing them into the end zone. After she scored the touchdown, Uncle Exuberant caught up with her and gave her the traditional celebration: swing her in the air, then lay her down on the ground and drag her through the mud. This was the result. Not only did she stay and play the rest of the game, she now says being dragged through the mud was her favorite part!
November 05, 2007
...it's DEFENDER GIRL!
Daughter has played soccer since she was first old enough to sign up. Before that, she spent a lot of time watching her older brother play. This year was her fifth season. She has pretty consistently wanted to play, but wasn't especially enthused, and never really seemed to feel comfortable out on the field. Our youth league plays "modified" soccer, so up until this year there have been only three players plus the goalie on the field. Like most early youth teams, the kids swarm after the ball and don't understand how to anticipate or why it might be helpful to go where the ball isn't. She always seemed to be behind, and rarely got to make a play.
This year the team could have four players plus the goalie, which meant someone could be assigned to play defense and stay back rather than chase the ball. Daughter finally found her niche. She absolutely reveled in moving back and forth in front of the goal and charging at incoming balls. Knowing that the goalie was still behind her providing another chance at a save seemed to free her up to actually go after the ball instead of waiting for it. She has quite a leg, too, and could almost put the ball in the goal at the other end. It was great to see her bounce with excitement during the game, and get a share of the cheering from the sidelines. She's one of the smaller kids, and has gotten knocked down more times than seems fair - she even got a bloody nose in one game early this season. So it was with mixed emotions - but not a small amount of parental glee - that I watched the opposing players get tentative and slow down or even cringe in anticipation as she moved in.
November 03, 2007
Breakfast
I'm not much of a breakfast eater. I think it's because most mornings I don't get to sleep as long as I want and wake up naturally; instead I have to set an alarm because I have to be at work or somewhere on a schedule. But when I get a weekend day where I can take my time, it's a different story.
Today is a gorgeous fall day - the air has a chill to it; the sun is out but there's not much warmth, even in full light. It seemed like the perfect morning for some homemade corn muffins. I used the recipe from "How to Cook Everything"; I find that I use this cookbook a lot for technique and traditional/standard recipes, while my old "Joy of Cooking" is getting dusty. I did make muffins in cups rather than the traditional one-dish cornbread the recipe calls for - since I'm the only one in the family that really likes this, it's easier to stash individual muffins in the freezer and use them a couple at a time. After filling a muffin tin, I had some batter left over, but not enough to fill another dozen cups. So I poured the rest into a little unglazed stoneware dish and had a gorgeous small cake of cornbread to eat warm for breakfast with butter and honey.
Son saw me working in the kitchen and assumed I was making pancakes. That's his favorite breakfast food, though it's never really been mine - they get cold and soggy too easily. When he found out I wasn't making pancakes, he asked if he could make some himself, so I helped him through the recipe (also from "How to Cook Everything"). Pretty soon he had a big stack of nice golden pancakes and excitedly asked if he could call one of his neighborhood friends and invite him over for breakfast. It was fun to see him enthused about sharing what he had made. I know by the time I was his age (almost 12) I was doing a fair amount of cooking and baking on my own. I feel like I should have taught him more by now about how to prepare food and handle himself in the kitchen; maybe we'll make that a project this winter. At any rate, now he knows he can make pancakes from scratch. And I have some nice treats to warm up for myself on cold mornings, even when things are rushed.
September 30, 2007
Whew!
I think we've made it. September is over in less than twelve hours. Looking ahead to next week, I don't see any day that has more than two events -- most days in the past few weeks we've had three or four. We're starting to find a new routine that accommodates the new fall activities -- well, all except for Son, who is still forgetting to bring the right book, turn in assignments, etc. The school district changed its electronic grading system right after school started (bad timing, no?) so I was not able to view his grades online until this weekend. Currently he has a perfect 100% average in science -- but two Cs and an F, all due to lost/missing/late/ignored assignments. He's been insisting that he has all his work done, and finishes his homework at school during the study period, so we were buying his assurances that all was well. Not anymore!
Fall is here in the weather as well. The air is now chilly, even when the sun is out. We held out for a while, but finally turned the heater on this morning. And September can't end without acknowledging my dad, who just turned 82. Happy Birthday, Dad!
September 14, 2007
Time Warp
Son started middle school last week. After nine days of classes, he has yet to bring home any work other than a "get to know you" assignment from his homeroom teacher (he had to collect objects that represented his family, how he liked to spend free time, his future plans, etc.). But yesterday he brought home his math book -- by accident, he said, he really didn't have any homework, though how he could not notice that he had an extra 4 pounds in his backpack is a mystery, because that book is HEAVY.
Anyway, I took the opportunity to look through it. I was curious what we would be in for as the year progresses. He's in the only 6th grade section of pre-algebra, which is usually the 8th grade course in the math sequence. I flipped through the chapters, vaguely recognizing things I haven't used in a long while like factorials and graphing equations and finding the slope of a line, and recalling bits and pieces from long-ago math classes. His book looks brand new, though it was signed out to students in two previous years. It has decent graphics, and good review summaries at the end of each chapter, and I was thinking it all looked pretty up-to-date. Then I read the problem that started "Billy Joel and Elton John are giving a concert..." I looked at the copyright date: 1999. I think that reference was dated even then...
February 10, 2007
Sports
I admit it - I enjoy watching sports. Not all of them; I find most forms of racing tedious, and I can't stand to watch boxing. But I love college basketball, and I've been a baseball fan since I followed the Giants as a kid, hanging out with my friends in the branches of an accessible mulberry tree and listening to Lon Simmons over a little transistor radio. I personally hate competing; the closest I've come to participation in organized sports was an intramural ultimate team in college. Mostly I just appreciate the athleticism, the determination and perseverance, and the drama of the game. And since my kids have started playing sports, I have new appreciation and a different perspective.
Hockey entered our lives this year. Son is playing on a team of 7-11 year olds in a "mite" house league. This weekend was the big tournament the local club hosts, with teams coming from across the state. Being a native Californian, hockey was not part of my growing up. I've seen the bad movies and heard of its reputation as a rough game. But this experience hasn't show that side. I know the obnoxious competitiveness of sports is there, but I keep getting glimpses of things that reveal some of the mystique and help to explain why it's so attractive and important to so many people.
Take professional athletes, for example. Lots of arrogance fueled by excessive money and you get all sorts of bad behavior that makes headlines. But occasionally you learn that at least some of them have things in common with the rest of us. One of the coaches for a visiting hockey team at this tournament was a former pro baseball player, someone we've watched play many times and admired for his skill. He seemed to not be one of those players who are in it for the media glory, though it can be hard to tell from a distance. But at 8:30 on a Sunday morning, when you see him carrying boxes of donuts and his son's gear bag after the early game, it's easier to believe. When we watched him from the stands at Safeco Field last April as he was honored on his retirement from baseball, he seemed larger than life, but on the ice, lining up to shake hands with my son and the other players and coaches on his team, he looked like one of us.
And there are the kids. Sure, there are some who pout or rage when the game doesn't go well or they don't get to play the position they want. But there are more who not only show up but want to play on any terms, just because it's fun. My son is one of these kids, and he rarely gets the attention, but he tries hard anyway. At the start of the season you could count the number of times he had ice skated on your fingers. By the tournament weekend, he was really making a contribution to the team, and in the second game in particular he not only played with enthusiasm but had a couple of assists and really did well. The tradition in this tournament is to name a MVP for each team at the end of each game. When they called his jersey number we were thrilled for him, excited that he got to share in the spotlight for a bit. But then there was some talk amongst the adults on the ice, and some confusion, and it became clear that no, they hadn't really nominated him for the award, they had selected another kid, one who had volunteered to play on that team because they were short-handed, who had inadvertently been given a jersey with the same number. Ouch. Right out there in front of everybody, they called him up but then gave the medal to another kid.
I caught up with him in the locker room. He was subdued, but not visibly upset. Many of his teammates, and all the adults - including the coaches of the opposing team, which had lost the game - were making a point of telling him he had played a great game and was a good sport. But it had to hurt. Then the kid who had been given the medal came up to us. He's younger, one of those small quick kids that can move like lightning, and an excellent skater. He stood in front of my son and in a barely audible voice said "You can have this medal. I already have one from another game so you can have this one."
I don't know if he was prompted to do this, or if it was his idea - I don't know this kid or his family at all. But his generosity was an unexpected blessing, a note of grace in a smelly, decrepit locker room, a token that said to my son: "You were noticed. You made a difference." I can't think of many ways to do that any better. And if sports can bring those opportunities into his life, then I'll buy into the mystique, and cheer them all on.
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