On Friday night, Jack had a couple of friends over to hang out in the afternoon. They drank Gatorade and played video games.
When they'd been picked up, I made us a fire. Emily got home, and we ordered pizza and watched a couple hours of the Goldbergs and laughed.
Saturday, Jack had a basketball game. We got back from that, and then piled in the car together to go to Kate's gymnastics meet. One of her best friends on the team's older brother is probably Jack's best friend. Emily and I watched the meet with the other parents, while Jack and Nic hung out, shot video, and cheered the girls on. Kate did great; better than her first one. After one routine, for which she got her highest score, a 9.0, I saw her running off the mat and looking up at us with a big smile holding nine fingers up.
Afterward, at the award ceremony, she got medals for 4th and 6th places for a couple of different events. She stood on the podium, accepted her medal, and then when all the girls were given a chance to salute with their arms high in the air, she threw her hands up high. Big smile. She clapped and smiled for her teammates when they got their awards, too.
We all went out for dinner afterward, a nice Asian stirfry where the girls chattered away happily while their medals clanked together and the boys joked and grinned about whatever 13-year-old boys joke and grin about. The adults sat and chatted and felt proud.
Sunday, Jack had another basketball game. He and the team played well -- at times he has more defensive intensity than others, and this was one of those times -- and early on he hit a jump shot, which doesn't always happen. Team didn't win (it seldom does, we're not big, or strong, or particularly basketball oriented), but played well and there were smiles afterward.
Jack and one of his basketball teammates had a baseball practice a couple hours after the basketball game ended. I took the two of them to Taco Bell. During the 40-minute drive from the game, they took turns rapping, nonsense lyrics about tacos and football and whatever came to mind.
We showed up to baseball practice a little early, held in the basketball gyms at SUNY Purchase. A couple of huge guys were there playing basketball, presumably college students. So naturally Jack and his friend decided to challenge them to a game of 2 on 2. Wasn't exactly a fair fight but the other guys took it easy on them and both had some nice driving layups against bigger opponents. Who ran easy alley-oops on their plays and dunked for baskets. But they did that for 10-15 minutes before baseball practice, grinning throughout. When it ended because it was time for baseball, I saw Jack jog off the court with a huge smile.
Sunday night, I put Kate to bed. She showed me how she had made little labels for the back of her medals, what places she finished in and what events they were for. Really cool. Then we read a chapter of Harry Potter together.
All weekend, we saw kid smiles from doing things because they were fun. Maybe there are more important things going on. But for a couple of days, it was nice to just see them happy, and proud, and being kids, playing with their friends.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Gymnastics meet
Kate is on a gymnastics team. For the past few years she's been taking classes and attending camps of various degrees of intensity; sometimes it didn't seem like she was getting much out of it. But she's found her way into a good program with a couple of really good friends, and been going 3 times a week for the past year or so. And now she's on a team, and had her first meet last weekend.
We've had plenty of sports weekends away with Jack and his travel baseball team over the last several years, but this time Jack was just along for the ride. It was all about Kate. She was a little bit nervous as we loaded up the car and headed out. "Nervited," she said, which was a combination of nervous and excited.
We checked into our hotel, and that Nervited condition manifested as Kate talking a little bit louder than usual. But she was happy, jumping around from bed to bed and using the narrow floor space to practice her moves. We went out to dinner at a pizza place, and she noticed a Ms. Pacman machine. She wanted to go play it, and it was her weekend, so we did. Arcade games are a little tricky for kids far more used to tapping and swiping on a computer or phone screen than wielding a joystick, so we quickly spent a buck or two and returned to the table. Food and drink arrived, and then her two best friends and their families shortly after that. Jack and I ended up going back to the room while the girls and Moms chattered away, excited/nervited about the next day's competition.
Before going to bed that night (a little early for Emily and me; we were all in the same hotel room, of course, and Kate couldn't/wouldn't sleep with lights or TV on), we did a take on the "asking questions" we always do before bed. Favorite part of the day, what are you most looking forward to tomorrow, that kind of thing. Sleep did not come easy, since somebody woke up every hour or so for water, bathroom, or to say (Kate) "Is it time to get up yet?" No, Kate, it's 1 a.m. I believe Kate slept OK, although she slept late enough back at home the next morning that she was probably behind.
We were up early; she had to be at the meet stretching by 8 a.m., and it was 20 minutes away, and we had to register and everything. So at 6:15 or so Emily was up doing Kate's hair. Kate was chattering away, and then dancing in front of the mirror while brushing her teeth. I think that's what I'll remember most; Kate cheerful and excited getting ready at a ridiculously early hour. We had breakfast, packed up, and were on our way to the meet.
It was a huge community college gymnasium, with girls running and tumbling and jumping in all the various sections of the floor. Balance beam here, uneven bars there, vault in back. Difficult to tell for novice viewers (us) what was the actual event and what was a warmup, but we gradually figured it out by identifying the judges: if there were judges paying attention, it was an event; if there were coaches helping gymnasts, it was a warmup.
All the girls did all four events: vault, bars, beam and floor. I had seen some of Kate's floor routine in practice, I had seen her practice on her beam around the house. I had also seen her do vault, and knew that bars was her toughest challenge -- probably a little afraid, since for bars you're high up, you can fall on your head, and it's the most physically demanding (strength). I think; this is new to me.
Being a neophyte, I couldn't really tell what was good or bad in things like vault, beam or floor. With bars it was easier; she had to be helped at one point, and got her lowest score, and was upset afterward. But she got her highest score in beam, and that looked the best to me; a lot of the girls lost their balance and had to step off midway through and start again. Not Kate. She ended up getting an 8.85; I later learned that getting a 9.0 was required for a medal. So she was very close. And I think she was proud of herself, since when she came off she had a big smile and was happy. Thought she did well in floor, too, although I guess she could have been faster, jumped higher, something of that nature.
At the end, though, she seemed fairly happy; I told her how great she did, especially on beam and floor. They had this lengthy awards ceremony where she didn't get a medal; I didn't know why at the time. They gave participation/consolation medals to the 20-25 girls who didn't medal during the meet, which was probably unnecessary; I don't think they wanted one that way. Afterward Kate was a little sad, or maybe hungry, or both.
Maybe my expectations weren't as high as hers. I looked at it as, It was her first meet, her first-ever competitive athletic events of any kind (at times she cared about doing well in baseball, and at times she did, but I don't think it ever mattered that much to her; basketball she definitely didn't care a whit about). But she'd never been on that kind of stage with judges analyzing her every move. Bars were the only thing she struggled on. Everything else she did well on -- just not quite well enough to get a 9.0 and a medal. But she came through it by doing the best she could.
Afterward, I told her I was proud of her. How awesome, especially, she'd done on beam. How great she looked on the floor routine. I hugged her and told her I loved her.
Later that night, at home, she sent me a text from her iPad with a bunch of different emojis. It was largely indecipherable to me so I went and talked to her. She explained that she had decided she was happy and proud of herself. I said, I'm happy and proud of you too.
Next week, another meet. Hopefully she'll be less nervous and do a little bit better. Last night she practiced for a while at her various skills, and she'll have two more practices this week to work on things. Next week will be her second meet. She'll be a little more ready. And hopefully smile a little wider. Whatever: I'll still be proud.
We've had plenty of sports weekends away with Jack and his travel baseball team over the last several years, but this time Jack was just along for the ride. It was all about Kate. She was a little bit nervous as we loaded up the car and headed out. "Nervited," she said, which was a combination of nervous and excited.
We checked into our hotel, and that Nervited condition manifested as Kate talking a little bit louder than usual. But she was happy, jumping around from bed to bed and using the narrow floor space to practice her moves. We went out to dinner at a pizza place, and she noticed a Ms. Pacman machine. She wanted to go play it, and it was her weekend, so we did. Arcade games are a little tricky for kids far more used to tapping and swiping on a computer or phone screen than wielding a joystick, so we quickly spent a buck or two and returned to the table. Food and drink arrived, and then her two best friends and their families shortly after that. Jack and I ended up going back to the room while the girls and Moms chattered away, excited/nervited about the next day's competition.
Before going to bed that night (a little early for Emily and me; we were all in the same hotel room, of course, and Kate couldn't/wouldn't sleep with lights or TV on), we did a take on the "asking questions" we always do before bed. Favorite part of the day, what are you most looking forward to tomorrow, that kind of thing. Sleep did not come easy, since somebody woke up every hour or so for water, bathroom, or to say (Kate) "Is it time to get up yet?" No, Kate, it's 1 a.m. I believe Kate slept OK, although she slept late enough back at home the next morning that she was probably behind.
We were up early; she had to be at the meet stretching by 8 a.m., and it was 20 minutes away, and we had to register and everything. So at 6:15 or so Emily was up doing Kate's hair. Kate was chattering away, and then dancing in front of the mirror while brushing her teeth. I think that's what I'll remember most; Kate cheerful and excited getting ready at a ridiculously early hour. We had breakfast, packed up, and were on our way to the meet.
It was a huge community college gymnasium, with girls running and tumbling and jumping in all the various sections of the floor. Balance beam here, uneven bars there, vault in back. Difficult to tell for novice viewers (us) what was the actual event and what was a warmup, but we gradually figured it out by identifying the judges: if there were judges paying attention, it was an event; if there were coaches helping gymnasts, it was a warmup.
All the girls did all four events: vault, bars, beam and floor. I had seen some of Kate's floor routine in practice, I had seen her practice on her beam around the house. I had also seen her do vault, and knew that bars was her toughest challenge -- probably a little afraid, since for bars you're high up, you can fall on your head, and it's the most physically demanding (strength). I think; this is new to me.
Being a neophyte, I couldn't really tell what was good or bad in things like vault, beam or floor. With bars it was easier; she had to be helped at one point, and got her lowest score, and was upset afterward. But she got her highest score in beam, and that looked the best to me; a lot of the girls lost their balance and had to step off midway through and start again. Not Kate. She ended up getting an 8.85; I later learned that getting a 9.0 was required for a medal. So she was very close. And I think she was proud of herself, since when she came off she had a big smile and was happy. Thought she did well in floor, too, although I guess she could have been faster, jumped higher, something of that nature.
At the end, though, she seemed fairly happy; I told her how great she did, especially on beam and floor. They had this lengthy awards ceremony where she didn't get a medal; I didn't know why at the time. They gave participation/consolation medals to the 20-25 girls who didn't medal during the meet, which was probably unnecessary; I don't think they wanted one that way. Afterward Kate was a little sad, or maybe hungry, or both.
Maybe my expectations weren't as high as hers. I looked at it as, It was her first meet, her first-ever competitive athletic events of any kind (at times she cared about doing well in baseball, and at times she did, but I don't think it ever mattered that much to her; basketball she definitely didn't care a whit about). But she'd never been on that kind of stage with judges analyzing her every move. Bars were the only thing she struggled on. Everything else she did well on -- just not quite well enough to get a 9.0 and a medal. But she came through it by doing the best she could.
Afterward, I told her I was proud of her. How awesome, especially, she'd done on beam. How great she looked on the floor routine. I hugged her and told her I loved her.
Later that night, at home, she sent me a text from her iPad with a bunch of different emojis. It was largely indecipherable to me so I went and talked to her. She explained that she had decided she was happy and proud of herself. I said, I'm happy and proud of you too.
Next week, another meet. Hopefully she'll be less nervous and do a little bit better. Last night she practiced for a while at her various skills, and she'll have two more practices this week to work on things. Next week will be her second meet. She'll be a little more ready. And hopefully smile a little wider. Whatever: I'll still be proud.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
