{A}’s Basketball Team Championship

It’s been a thrilling, and busy, basketball season for our family!  It was {A}’s 6th year playing, but this year the boys were on a team too.   I took photos at 2 games for {A}, and 2 games at the boys.  ( {O} had been taking figure skating lessons. ) But because I was taking photos of all players, just to give to their parents too, and a lens that fires off rapidly, I have a ga-zillion photos to go through.  So, I will be sharing some of the boys too, in this first season of their’s, eventually. But this post is about {A}.

She had an amazing year.  And the season went out, with her team going all of the way to the Championship!  
Play-Off Game #1, they won 20-18.  Play-Off Game #2, 19-18.    Both Play-Off games were nerve-wracking as all get out, all the way through.  Naturally, each game gets tougher, with teams being eliminated.  So the Championship Game was no easier to take!  Nail-biting. Heart-racing.  Prayer-sending.  SO TENSE!  Or maybe it’s just me. I’m a freak at games. I have admitted this for 6 years. I guess I’m not going to change after all.

Anyway…..{A}’s team went out of the Championship Game 1 POINT down!

As I like to say, “We didn’t lose. We just ran out of time.”    And that was so the truth this game.  Had there been even 1 more minute, it would have been a 1 Point win, at least!    But, you know, lots of great stuff came out of this season.

Like {A} having her best playing season, yet.  She gets better every year.  But she just grew by leaps and bounds within this very playing season, this year.  Physically, and skill-wise.

 

She has always loved this game.  But this year, her passion for it has….EXPLODED.

It’s been a joy, for all of us as a family, to watch her just get better and better.

 

She has worked really hard, at improving her game.  Because, it matters to her.  Her own personal goals, drive her.

 

It’s important to her, to do all she can not to let her team down, make her coach very happy, and perform the best she can.  Just playing the game, makes her happy.

 

It’s not just a game to her, though.  She’s all business.

She has great defense, and will fight anyone to the ground,  to protect that ball.

She’s loved the girls on her team.  She has such respect for her coach.

 

She’s really made her contributions to the team, and become a force to be reckoned with.

Her 1+ hour of practicing every day, has paid off.

Here’s her whole team, minus one who was home sick.  She’s made some more really great friends.

 

Her coach, has really been PHENOMENAL. We can’t say enough about him.  Having noticed her drive and passion to learn and improve her game, he has truly helped refine her skills, encourage, and inspire her.  He has had such good things to say about her.  She in turn,  has the utmost respect for him, as do we.  He knows his stuff, is so encouraging and demanding of the girls (which is good!), and he is so-dang-funny!!  He had me in stitches all season.  His daughter was on the team as well, and she’s such a great kid!  Coach’s whole family has grown on us, being together so much at games, and sometimes practices.

It’s just hard to let go with this season being over.  It’s hard most every season.  But this was the best.  A couple of coaches around, have vested interest in her, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing them some more, here and there.

 

All of the girls had such fabulous team work on the court, and they are all new friends for {A}.

This is {A}’s final season with this league, as she has grown out of it.  She leaves some friends behind in this league who are a year younger than her. Some will move on with her, and then she’ll be joining others who have been a year older, playing high school basketball, God-willing!!

That’s her goal anyway.  She has lots of goals!  Wonderful goals.  She truly has such drive, deep faith, and great big aspirations in life.  Sometimes I wonder….”Is this really my kid?”  I’m not bragging.  I’m saying, she inspires me. We have every reason to believe in her, because she such faith, and is driven and self-disciplines, when it comes to what she wants.  And inside, I just feel like God has real special plans for her life.

She’s a light, where ever she goes.  Always smiling.  And if we didn’t notice, everyone is mentioning it to us, all of the time!

Although on this day, after the Championship game, she was really keeping tough.  Because inside, she was so sad, about coming out 1 point down.   She wanted the WIN, badly, for everyone else – not herself.   (For her team, and her coach.)  I wish I could say I have no idea where she gets this little difficulty with defeat.  But I might.  I have a competitive streak a mile wide! I’ve never hidden it well, just like the rest of who I am.  I was feeling as bummed out as her, this day.  But I surely  felt no disappointment in her, and she knows that.  How could I?  It takes a team, and they just ran out of time. She was a star, to us.

As I said, she’s inspiring.  Every day.  If you only knew her vast plans for life.   I know they may re-shape along the way, as she grows.  But I also know she’ll do great things, whatever it is.   Because she works at getting what she wants, until she gets it.

Did I tell you, she can dribble ….. with her knees??

I’m not even kidding.  It’s crazy.  Want to see it?  Maybe I could take a short video clip, and upload it here.  (Just need to learn how.

Anyway, she’s gearing up to move on, to Flag-Football up next, and more Basketball!

She’ll keep shining.  Trust me. It’s just who she is.

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