Teammates

Tonight was Ethan's last baseball game of the season. He had missed a few games due to his ear surgery but he was able to make it to his last game. He hit the ball a couple times and bounced a baseball off of his chin. He had a good last game.

It is gratifying to see a group of seven and eight year olds learn and improve during the two months of the baseball season. They actually started making a few outs in the field instead of filling their gloves with dirt. At the beginning of the season, one of our players confided to me that his favorite part about baseball is the snack after the game. It's also uplifting to see them become a team. They actually cheered for each other at games and asked about their teammates when they were missing.

Coach Adam and Coach Eric did a great job and all three of us feel privileged to have had such an enthusiastic team to coach.

I've mentioned before that this league doesn't keep score and everyone bats each inning. Competition is downplayed but individual effort is encouraged. Helping and congratulating each other were the most important goals that we achieved this season.

As a Dad, all you want for your child is for them to succeed and have self confidence to try things. Ethan's baseball skills improved, but his social interaction skills took a big jump forward this season. Having two way conversations with his peers is a daily learning struggle for him. Ethan was able to form friendships with multiple teammates and he missed them when he was unable to play. This years' baseball team was great mix of kids with different personalities. The whole team fit together well and everyone felt included as a team.

Next year, Ethan will move up to the next level of competition if he decides he wants to play baseball. He says he is ready to practice with me for the rest of the summer for next year. I hope we can find enough summer left to squeeze in swimming, golf, and fishing too. I also hope next year's league has snacks.