You can learn a lot about a person by how they act at their children's sporting event. I shouldn't be surprised at this point at what some parents will do to win or be the best (I mean, to ensure that their child is the best). Now we just got home from one of Em's softball games so I am writing with lots of emotion running through me which could be a good or a bad thing.
So this year, Emily decided she wanted to play softball instead of baseball (didn't like being one of only two girls on a team). We thought what the heck. Even though we have been in Vincennes for a year, we really are still new at making friends. Emily didn't have a group of girls that she has played with so we went into softball knowing that we would probably be drafted to a team where she knew very few if any girls. Oh, and yes, I said drafted. She plays with 7 and 8 year old girls doing machine pitch. There is a draft that occurs at the beginning of the season where each coach can choose their players. The purpose of the draft is to make sure that the teams are as even as possible. However, from what I have been told, if you sponsor a team, that doesn't really apply so you can just stack your team. Seems fair right? Makes sense...
We were blessed to be drafted onto a team of girls with hearts the size of Texas and coaches who put the girls and learning the fundamentals of the game ahead of winning. God knew where we should be. Now, if you followed my blog from the beginning, you know that Em played for the Little Red Fur Shed last year. Pettit Photography is not nearly as cool of a name but the quality of the kids, parents and coaches is equal. Everyone on Emily's team except for her and one other girl go to the same school. I was nervous, but the kids and parents have been so kind and inviting. Em fits right in and is playing with such confidence.
Last year, she only got two hits off the pitching machine. This year, she has had a hit almost every time she bats. What a difference a year makes, not to mention a bigger ball that is bright yellow! She was so funny when she started playing softball because she kept saying to me how much easier and better it was to hit a bigger, yellow ball. She has some challenges with her vision so a small, white ball was very difficult for her to see and to be able to judge how to hit.
Her coaches have worked tirelessly at teaching the girls the basics of softball. They have never stopped coaching and teaching and I love it. I mean these girls are only 7 and 8.
Now, let me be clear, I am an extremely competitive person. I love to win but what I have learned over the years is that it is more important to DO your best than BE the best. You give me your best, that is all I can ask.
God love the Pettit Photography team. If you look at our record so far, you might shake your head. We have played all but one team and have not won a game. Sometimes we get close and other times we are just one hot mess. You know what though, it is ok. I love that our coaches rotate players in the field. I love that our kids cheer for their teammates. I even love seeing the sweet girls playing in the dirt, singing and dancing in the field or picking flowers because they remind me that it is just a game and for right now, at this time, that is ok.
So it is hard for me to see coaches already teaching girls poor sportsmanship through actions of their own or how to bend the rules in the game. It is not ok to make fun of other players. It is not ok to keep your star players in the same position on the field, never rotating them, and shutting a team out 12 - 0. I know, I know, if you can't take the heat, then get out of softball. I get it. It is just hard to watch such tough life lessons being taught at such a young age. It is hard to explain to your child who is physically and emotionally upset why the other team felt the need to completely shut them out and then rub it in their face. You might argue that if Emily was on the number one team that I wouldn't feel this way. Yes, yes, yes I would. The lessons are there, no matter which side you are on.
Now tonight was not a shut out. The score was 15 - 8, I believe (we were the 8). Some would say that we lost. I would like to argue that we didn't. We have never scored 8 runs before. We had several girls on our team who not only hit for the first time but got on base and scored. The face on a child when they make it all the way around and score is just priceless. The girls cheered and smiled and had fun and the parents loved it.
Everyone loves to be on a winning team. We all want to feel like winners. I am learning quickly that just because you win a game, doesn't always make you a winner. It is truly how you play the game that America loves so much that determines whether you win or lose, not necessarily the score.
