I’m always in a State

I love to watch the magic of a team coming together to win a title or a tournament.  If one of the players is one of my children that makes it even better.  I love the ultimate underdog Cinderella Story of the 2010-2011 VCU Rams during their journey to basketball’s final four.  Both of my older two children have almost made it to their titles.  My son is playing for a State baseball title right now and might yet pull it off but dang if this process doesn’t put me in a State, tournament that is.

The crazy thing is, I NEVER PLAYED TRADITIONAL TEAM SPORTS.  I was a dancer and an athlete nonetheless but I never got all those goodies folks say team sports gives you.  I also NEVER LIKED BASEBALL OR SOFTBALL and I am the mother of two muthaeffing Trojans at it.  Karma. God.  Atonement. Purgatory.  Not sure why it happened but I spend an enormous amount of time at ball fields.  I can’t say I love it but I do love watching my children do something they love and I am as into it as the rest of the die-hards.  I caught Nick’s coach talking on his bat phone before yesterday’s game.

  And yes, he is solving the word’s problems.  Training up a group of pubescent boys to work together, eat/sleep well, be accountable to each other and reach for more than they think they could ever achieve.  I think he’s the bomb.

So I ponder the issue of team vs. individual sports.  What if you are good at and like each?  What would you choose?  I love running and Yoga and dancing because you don’t have to rely on anyone else.  That translates for me to my personal history.  I like to take care of things myself, hold only myself accountable (easier/less fear and potential for disappointment).  But what about the exponential benefits of putting two or 5 or 9 talented individuals together.  Mathematically it reaps more and better benefits.  Personally it might not fit you. But the objective outcome is bigger, more and maybe better.  Not sure. 

So, I am in a State – baseball tournament.  Learning a lot from a group of 13 year old nice boys.  Batman’s wife told me Jane looked like Jodie Foster when she was a child.  The totally cool thing is that’s what people used to say about me as I was growing up.  What do you think?

See?  We do talk about things other than balls and at the field.  Maybe this team sports thing is worth acknowledging more deeply.

Where do you land?  Team or individual sports?