One year ago, my girl entered a new world. The world of competitive sports. I don't talk about it much here, not wanting to bore you with my soccer/basketball/softball mom antics I suppose. Given the passing of the year however, and the amazing successes, struggles and growth we've experienced as a family, I thought I'd try to encapsulate a few thoughts today.
Emily has always been athletic. Her endurance seems to be everlasting, her toughness comes from a place deep within, and her ability to lead or to be led is a valuable combination. She loves winning and gracefully learns from losing. Every bit of her success is hard-earned as she is always the most petite girl on the field. I remember early on when she would play up against girls twice her size my dad (successful ball player and coach in his day) told her not to worry about the big girls, "Just plow on through because they are going to be more afraid of hurting you and they'll back down. You just keep going." She's been plowing on through ever since. She's fearless and it's a remarkable thing to witness. I hesitate to mention her size because you know, thoughts on girls and size are a heated topic. I chose to bring it up because I'm really proud of her for not being boxed into a sterotype or feeling intimidated when so many people around her make constant (albeit friendly and gentle) references to her tiny size. I'll tell you, the girl uses her size card to move in and out of a play like no one else can.
She played recreation level soccer last spring. In the fall she was encouraged to try out for the competitive level team and was thrilled to be selected. Adam coached along with another woman who has been coaching for years in the area. Together they are a fierce duo and have the gift of identifying individual strengths in each player and assigning each girl a job. What I love is that the girls are taught their job is worthless as an individual, she is only effective when she applies her job to the goals of the team. They are most powerful when unified. There are no cliques or social pairings within the team,they are united or they are nothing. I think this is so valuable as I remember being in that 12 year old age group and girls could be pretty ruthless if you didn't have the right clothes, shoes, weren't pretty enough... or god forbid you were too pretty. It's potentially a tough road, these adolescent years. I love that she has this community to bond with, believe in, and be valued by. It has been hugely empowering for my young lady.
Since birth Emily has been a night owl by nature, but sports have become the very thing that she will jump out of bed for to be at the field just as the sun rises over the top of the trees. Even with the cold, late October chill in the air. It's all for the love of the game. It is interesting to note that for years Emily had no interest in joining a team sport. We were fine with that, but others (with good intentions) always found it a little disappointing because at home and at school her love and talent for anything athletic was so obvious. Here's the thing: if I know anything in this world, it is that I know my own child, and she is the very definition of the phrase "all things in her own time." And her time is now.
There is no persuading Emily. The girl is steadfast and knows her own path like no other. What is so beautiful about this is that when she is ready, she shows up 110%. So while it is normal for children to sign up for sports as young as five years old, it was never Emily's plan and I am so glad Adam and I always supported her in that because when she was ready, her athletic spirit and maturity were unstoppable.
After the fall season of soccer ended, we started thinking about a winter activity. Enter basketball. She was a first time player, Adam a first time coach. Together they figured it out, but not without some struggle in the beginning. You see, Adam is a hockey guy so coaching soccer wasn't too much of a departure, but basketball? It is one thing to watch games on TV or shoot hoops in the driveway, but man, there are a lot of rules and plays to keep track of. Many of his girls were veteran players and were so awesome when it came to "coaching" him. The whole thing was pretty endearing. He paid careful attention and got it all down pretty quickly. As for Emily, the first half of the season she spent finding her place, often joking with me after a game that she has "no idea what I'm doing out there!" But she kept showing up and worked harder than anyone could have asked for. And then her moment came mid-season. Not only did she finally score points for the first time, but she led her team in points scored. (And she was an animal when it came to defense.) She found her game that day and played it effectively for the remainder of the season. In her own time, of course.
Her team finished the season with a mix of wins and losses, but every team makes it to the championships which is fun and feels good for all the kids. What her team did that weekend though proved the value of hard work and support in one another. They swept the championship and reveled in their unified girl power. I remember looking across the gym during the final game that weekend and seeing Adam just sitting down on the bench, totally relaxed, watching his team play their game. All of the work had been done, his job was over. There was no need to be standing, pacing, shouting plays. It was time for him to soak it in and enjoy his team having a blast on the court. His girls were just out there doing their thing, letting everyone see them shine. They all went home with trophies in hand.
This past Tuesday night (after softball practice, a new spring sport in addition to reuniting with her spring soccer team, oh my!), Adam and his girls were recognized by the mayor at the town hall for their basketball success. Proud parents, proud kids, even prouder coach.
We rushed home immediately after the ceremony, because if you live twelve miles from the Uconn campus, there is only one thing you had on your mind Tuesday night. The Uconn women playing Stanford in the final game of the NCAA Championships. This week has been quite exciting in our part of the world, I couldn't let it pass without some sort of mention. The timing was right for me to share this very sporty post.
What a crazy game. Nobody makes Uconn work harder than Stanford. If you watched, you know the feeling we all had at half time... if you're a Uconn fan you probably also knew those girls were going to find themselves in that locker room and come back fighting. It's what they do. And of course, that is exactly what they did.
"I've never been prouder of a group of young people than I am of this group because of how they fought back today. It would have been easy for them to just pack it in. People ask what are you going to do the first time you're in a close game, how are you going to react? Well - we reacted exactly the way champions react. And we won the game." ~Coach Geno Auriemma
There is a level of excitement and passion that exists in women's college basketball that doesn't seem to exist anywhere else in the sports world. Sure, the men get more TV play time, as people are interested in who the next NBA picks might be, but it's the women who play their hearts out and put it all on the line. Women still have a lot to prove in the world of sports afterall, which makes them unstoppable. Let's not forget Title IX.
In our house we don't have Hannah Montana or Brittney Spears. We have Maya Moore and Tina Charles. Strength, courage and commitment come before short skirts, bikinis and who knows what... it works for our family. I didn't always feel so passionately about the merits of team sports (with an extra emphasis on girls). I didn't really place a lot of value on the whole experience quite frankly, but this past year I've seen through the eyes of my daughter just how much game girls can bring, and how undeniably empowering that can be. Funny how our children continually stretch us in new directions.
If you are the parent of a girl or a woman yourself, I hope you can take a few minutes, click over and watch History in the Making (watch the video on the main page, I don't know how long it will be there for). My own girl has been watching it over and over... so have I. We find it to be inspiring and beautiful. As is the video below. Thanks for indulging me in a bit of sports talk today.
May you have a beautiful weekend filled with girl power. ;)
