I signed the boys up to be a part of the Loudoun Track and Field Club, and their first practice was tonight. Now I ran track in high school, and Bob ran cross-country, so you might not think it was odd that we would want the boys to get a good running start in running (ha ha). But that's not why I signed them up. Nathan would have liked soccer just as well, but that whole atmosphere really intimidates me! And I know there are kids out there who have been playing since they were 4, so I am a little worried that the boys would not look so good in comparison. A big advantage with track is that Nathan and Luke are in the same age bracket (very important since Luke hates new things, but at least here he is with Nathan all the time). Also, the whole club practices together, so no shuttling kids around to 2 different practices and games all the time. What a stressor--one I don't want. The coach seems very nice, and his philosophy is very low-key. No yelling, no intimidation, no put-downs. Everyone is very encouraging, and they focus on the improvements that each child makes, compared with himself. That's my kind of sport for the elementary years! The 3 main coaches all coach track at various local high schools too, and obviously they are focused on competing there, but they have a great attitude towards little kids. I think it will be a good experience for Nathan and Luke, and they are getting some good exercise.
Today they ran some laps, did some sprint drills along with skipping and whatnot, and they also got to throw the javelin (well, the kid version--it looks like a big Nerf dart with a rubber tip). Nathan was very excited about this! Both boys were able to keep up, although they are both definitely on the small side. I always forget how small my kids actually are because I just don't see them in big crowds of kids their own ages all that much, and, for some reason, most of our friends' kids are small too. But here they were certainly smaller than average! It didn't seem to affect them, and with no real emphasis on "winning" and coming in first, they didn't care that they sometimes lagged behind. I think their strength will be distance running! They had more stamina than other kids.
Off topic, but today was a red-letter day for the boys, money-wise. At the post office, they found $2.00 in the parking lot. I'm sure you can imagine the excitement! Then Luke "Eagle Eye" found a penny under the counter there. At the track practice, I found $1.00 just lying in the dirt. Wow--bring it on! We're paying down the house! : ) I'm sure the boys will never forget this day, though. Luke was sad that we were coming straight home from track practice (at 7:30 pm!) because he wanted to go to Walmart or some place to look for more money!
1 comment:
Claire, tell those boys to keep an eagle eye out for one never knows what one will find. Our pastor's wife was out walking one day and found a $100 bill up next to the gutter. She turned it in to the police to see if any one would call asking about it. In a year, no one had, so the police gave it back to her! How cool is that? I think a lot of people focus on the health benefits of exercising but no one gives much attention to the possible 'financial gain!' LOL!
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