Well, it is Thursday evening, as our regularly scheduled programming dictates, I must blog. Since I just got home after a busy 13 hours of work, GEO, Softball and socializing this post will be short, but very very sweet. :)
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to coach the 5/6 softball team. Today they kicked some very serious ass. The score: 20-1 does not even give justice to the power of confidence and positive attitude (we prayed as a team before the game) that has overtaken us as we entered our first elimination round. The boys were pumped yet focused and watching them all squat(there is not a word more graceful) into perfect stances as the captain called them to "Ready position" nearly brought me to tears of joy. Nearly, but not quite, since I was still "coach" enough to shout at them that their complaining during wall sits was now transformed into amazing back posture and a seriously fierce looking team.
I must also gush about the hitting. EVERY SINGLE PLAYER hit BEYOND expectation. And let me just say that Ms. Russo and I set the bar pretty high. Once the battle of the bats has started, there really was no way to put out their little fires. The pitcher, who in the past has struggled with hitting did an amazing drive through the shortstop and brought in the loaded bases. I don't think I stopped screaming or jumping up and down until the whole bench was done congratulating him on his grand slam. I only wish that his amazingly supportive dad would have been able to see it.
Overall, the event had all the parents on their feet shouting words of praise at their respective children as they dominated. The end of the game, a slight relief and even more excitement that we moved on in the playoffs was topped with watching the families clear the field. Some guided younger siblings though the crowds, others (these are 6th grade boys may I remind you) were holding hands with grandma as she berated them with Spanish love. The adorable parents hugging their adorable children. At that moment, they were not behavior problems as school, they were not failing math and they were not having fights on the playground, everything was happy and nothing hurt (stolen from Kurt Vonnegut). And that is how all softball games should end, everyone walking off the field and feeling like a fucking champion.
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