Quincy had his first game last Saturday. They all are held in a local middle school gym. They also take place from anywhere from 12-2:00 PM. Yes. Right during the little boys' nap time. This is why B looks so zoned out in the pictures.....
His game last weekend was a double header. Two games an hour long each? Talk about high expectations for little 4-6 year olds. Our poor team was so tired out after their second game. First they played the Grey wolves. Then they played the Blue Blazers. (These are the two teams they will play all season long).
Doesn't he look so grown up??
Not all the parent's were aware that there was a double header so some of the kids weren't able to play both games. Needless to say, we were short players for the second game which meant that the kids who DID stay were able to play a lot... but were tired from playing almost a whole hour.
Things I've learned about this age group basketball:
1. They match the kids up with the other team using colored wrist bands so they better understand who they are guarding. Sounds good in theory, but at the age they all just swarm who ever has the ball.
2. Our team definitely had the disadvantage in the game as they had never actually played on a full court or ran drills in practicing defense/ offense.
3. Taking pictures in the gym they play in is IMPOSSIBLE with my camera. I take the flash off it's blurry, I leave it on, it's grainy. I felt so frustrated I couldn't capture a decent shot. :(
4. It's hard to stay calm and collected when the other team is sitting 6 inches behind you and yelling and screaming the whole time. It was super intense hearing other parents cheering on their kids to take the ball from your child. I think I did a good job of cheering for the other team when they made a "point" as I did for our team trying to. Note to self: sit away from the crazy parents next time. It's sort of irritating to see parents encouraging selfishness, and bad sportsmanship at such a young age. One of our youngest players (4) felt really upset he couldn't make a basket and was in tears. His mom told me at our last practice that Q comforted him during the game. He told him it was okay to miss a shot and not to give up. It was a proud mom moment and to me, THAT means more than how many points were on the imaginary score board.
5. They don't keep score at this age. I sort of have mixed feelings about this. Tyler and I are not huge fans of the theory that "everyone's a winner", BUT with that said... they are so young that ultimately I think NOT keeping score helps them focus on learning the foundation of the game rather than numbers on a board.
6. Coming with snacks for the little guys was a LIFESAVER! This prevented a world of meltdowns.
By the end of the game these two were lounging on the floor ready naps. Z even fell asleep just before the end of our second game. Thank goodness we have sound sleepers.
All in all, it was painful and hysterical all in one.
We can't wait to see how our team improves.
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