The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Sometimes it’s just easier to screen cap my FB lol...

59294376-D05A-4904-817E-0B8418FFE672.jpeg

I am so proud of my son for this attitude, unbelievably proud.. but it doesn’t make it easier to witness what is going on. As much as I appreciate his determination, it’s coming from his competitive sports experience..he’s too naive to know that what’s happening in a school sport is wrong on every level. :(

I got so angry yesterday that I walked down off the stands and stood near the gym exit, because I didn’t want other parents to see the steam coming out of my head. I’ve never had a team experience like what we’re experiencing now, ever. It just breaks my heart.
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
We have an athletic club meeting coming up.. I’m deciding if I want to say something.. or if I just want to let this go.

I’ve composed an email several times, then deleted. I’ve thought of what I should say in the meeting, then think twice before creating waves. I just don’t know what to do in this situation, all I know is that it’s wrong. We’re a catholic school for goodness sake, that should mean more than just having the best sports teams.. playing to win is fine, but not in the way that we’re seeing.

I don’t know the best path here.
 

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
We started making grain bowls which is basically you just take a scoop of grains and roast a bunch of vegetables and that's the meal. It's sooooo good. I made a sesame ginger sauce for last nights and we all ate until we couldn't move because it was so good.
I've been making Burrito bowls that way. I do rice, beans, chicken, and then throw salsa, cheese, and veggies in. Sooo good and not particularly hard.
 

DryerLintFan

Well-Known Member
That sounds healthy.

I made mini Thanksgiving do over yesterday. Turkey breast in the instantpot, stuffing, and mash potatoes...... leftovers for lunch.

It was healthy! And the grains all cook up so easily in the Instant Pot that it's an insanely easy dish. You just have to make sure you pick a couple veggies that have protein. Last night we had farro, purple sweet potato, brussels sprouts, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, shredded carrots, avocado, red bell pepper, a hardboiled egg, and the sesame ginger sauce. There were mushrooms too but I picked them out.
 

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
It was healthy! And the grains all cook up so easily in the Instant Pot that it's an insanely easy dish. You just have to make sure you pick a couple veggies that have protein. Last night we had farro, purple sweet potato, brussels sprouts, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, shredded carrots, avocado, red bell pepper, a hardboiled egg, and the sesame ginger sauce. There were mushrooms too but I picked them out.
That sounds good except for the sweet potato.
 

DryerLintFan

Well-Known Member
Sometimes it’s just easier to screen cap my FB lol...

View attachment 439520

I am so proud of my son for this attitude, unbelievably proud.. but it doesn’t make it easier to witness what is going on. As much as I appreciate his determination, it’s coming from his competitive sports experience..he’s too naive to know that what’s happening in a school sport is wrong on every level. :(

I got so angry yesterday that I walked down off the stands and stood near the gym exit, because I didn’t want other parents to see the steam coming out of my head. I’ve never had a team experience like what we’re experiencing now, ever. It just breaks my heart.
We have an athletic club meeting coming up.. I’m deciding if I want to say something.. or if I just want to let this go.

I’ve composed an email several times, then deleted. I’ve thought of what I should say in the meeting, then think twice before creating waves. I just don’t know what to do in this situation, all I know is that it’s wrong. We’re a catholic school for goodness sake, that should mean more than just having the best sports teams.. playing to win is fine, but not in the way that we’re seeing.

I don’t know the best path here.

Firstly, good for Tristan!! Recognizing the value of improving your weaknesses instead of just playing to your strengths will serve him well in the adult world.

Secondly,.... you get really emotionally wrapped up in these game politics. Which is great because it means you are super passionate about the games. But it might benefit you (and maybe T too) if you let more of this go. Clearly T is still improving his skills and having a good time in the sport. Maybe being a little less involved with the politics would be a good thing for you. Go a little more with the flow and just let it be.

Speak your peace if you need to, though!
 

DryerLintFan

Well-Known Member
That sounds good except for the sweet potato.

That's the beauty of it is that you can use literally whatever veggies you like! Tonight we're doing wild rice, asparagus, brussels sprouts, orange bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, mushrooms (blech), garbanzo beans, and more of that sesame ginger sauce since it was so good. I wanted more avocado but A is an avocado addict and she ate 1.5 of them last night.
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Firstly, good for Tristan!! Recognizing the value of improving your weaknesses instead of just playing to your strengths will serve him well in the adult world.

Secondly,.... you get really emotionally wrapped up in these game politics. Which is great because it means you are super passionate about the games. But it might benefit you (and maybe T too) if you let more of this go. Clearly T is still improving his skills and having a good time in the sport. Maybe being a little less involved with the politics would be a good thing for you. Go a little more with the flow and just let it be.

Speak your peace if you need to, though!

I am emotionally, monetarily, and practically invested. We’re now on our 8th b-ball tournament, running around all of greater cincinnati to attend the tourney games.. in addition to our regular season which is thankfully all local.

T is not going to catch up to these kids.. he’s just not. He’s athletic and a decent basketball player, and would be fine on any normal team.. but unfortunately ended up on a stacked team with kids who play select b-ball and have been playing the sport since age 5. This is our second year.. it’s the second year for school teams in general, technically still an instructional year. 5th grade starts the A, B, C teams.
I appreciate that we have so many good athletes in our grade., but to see a kid play a maximum of 6 minutes per game, being the only kid to sit out for the rest (only 6 kids on the roster)... it’s becoming a joke. He’s not learning enough. When he’s in he does get rebounds, makes an occasional basket, and can decently block/steal the ball.. but he’s not doing fast breaks and making 3 pointers or any big “wow” plays .. and will most likely not do that this year. He shows up early to every practice, gives it his all, and doesn’t even play 1.2 quarters of a game. Several games he hasn’t even played a full quarter, so less than 5 minutes.

He hates that and keeps improving so he can “earn playing time” in his words, he said he’s embarrassed to always sit on the bench and wants to show his coach that he should be in longer. The increase in playing time is not happening though, and it won’t. He doesn’t need to play the whole game... but 2 quarters should be standard at this age if a kid is listening to a coach, especially when the team only has one sub.

I wish they could just swap teams, we have 4 of them.. let him on a non stacked team where he’ll actually be able to play, and most importantly learn from playing. That won’t happen and I’m not proposing for it to happen.. but there has to be something better than what’s going on now.
 

DryerLintFan

Well-Known Member
I am emotionally, monetarily, and practically invested. We’re now on our 8th b-ball tournament, running around all of greater cincinnati to attend the tourney games.. in addition to our regular season which is thankfully all local.

T is not going to catch up to these kids.. he’s just not. He’s athletic and a decent basketball player, and would be fine on any normal team.. but unfortunately ended up on a stacked team with kids who play select b-ball and have been playing the sport since age 5. This is our second year.. it’s the second year for school teams in general, technically still an instructional year. 5th grade starts the A, B, C teams.
I appreciate that we have so many good athletes in our grade., but to see a kid play a maximum of 6 minutes per game, being the only kid to sit out for the rest (only 6 kids on the roster)... it’s becoming a joke. He’s not learning enough. When he’s in he does get rebounds, makes an occasional basket, and can decently block/steal the ball.. but he’s not doing fast breaks and making 3 pointers or any big “wow” plays .. and will most likely not do that this year. He shows up early to every practice, gives it his all, and doesn’t even play 1.2 quarters of a game. Several games he hasn’t even played a full quarter, so less than 5 minutes.

He hates that and keeps improving so he can “earn playing time” in his words, he said he’s embarrassed to always sit on the bench and wants to show his coach that he should be in longer. The increase in playing time is not happening though, and it won’t. He doesn’t need to play the whole game... but 2 quarters should be standard at this age if a kid is listening to a coach, especially when the team only has one sub.

I wish they could just swap teams, we have 4 of them.. let him on a non stacked team where he’ll actually be able to play, and most importantly learn from playing. That won’t happen and I’m not proposing for it to happen.. but there has to be something better than what’s going on now.

I'm sorry you're going through this. And I'm sorry you have to have very real conversations with T about this. Life isn't fair. And he's doing a great thing trying to improve in the face of adversity.

I read something about how the Beatles were turned down for their music, but then got this gig in a seedy bar and put in over 10,000 hours of practice. Only after doing that, did they make it to the big time. So.... I'd personally let T keep trying to improve if he loves the sport, but let the rest of it go.
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
I'm sorry you're going through this. And I'm sorry you have to have very real conversations with T about this. Life isn't fair. And he's doing a great thing trying to improve in the face of adversity.

I read something about how the Beatles were turned down for their music, but then got this gig in a seedy bar and put in over 10,000 hours of practice. Only after doing that, did they make it to the big time. So.... I'd personally let T keep trying to improve if he loves the sport, but let the rest of it go.

I do know the 10,000 hour saying. I just hate to see a school sport in this fashion, I would feel differently if this was an A team or select team that he made. Having only 1 sub and 1 kid sitting out every game is the most obvious thing. All I can really do is hope that it doesn’t drive him away from the sport.

I’m a huge fan of high level sports and the mentality that goes with it.. but at the same I do think there should still be a place (school) where kids can be on a team and not have to feel like they need be at a competitive level to play. Some kids enjoy multiple sports, but don’t need to train to be “the best” in each of them. For my kid, baseball, golf, and soccer are his passions. Basketball and volleyball are fun for him.. he wants to do good, he’s lucky that he’s athletic and decent in them, but he’s not going to do trainers and a bunch of camps for these sports. He’s not going to be on the same level with the kids who do. That should be OK at a school level, it’s the whole point of school sports, there are leagues who choose by skill alone- that’s good for kids..but that’s not what 4th grade school teams should do, this is my main problem.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me go off on this tangent. Lol
 
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DryerLintFan

Well-Known Member
I do know the 10,000 hour saying. I just hate to see a school sport in this fashion, I would feel differently if this was an A team or select team that he made. Having only 1 sub and 1 kid sitting out every game is the most obvious thing. All I can really do is hope that it doesn’t drive him away from the sport.

I’m a huge fan of high level sports and the mentality that goes with it.. but at the same I do think there should still be a place (school) where kids can be on a team and not have to feel like they need be at a competitive level to play. Some kids enjoy multiple sports, but don’t need to train to be “the best” in each of them. For my kid, baseball, golf, and soccer are his passions. Basketball and volleyball are fun for him.. he wants to do good, he’s lucky that he’s athletic and decent in them, but he’s not going to do trainers and a bunch of camps for these sports. That should be OK at that level, this is my main problem.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me go off on this tangent. Lol

So, but.... the other boys on that team have put in that amount of effort. The years of training and the camps and everything. It's not their "for fun" sport it's their "passion sport". It's not T's and that's okay. But if you guys aren't planning on doing the camps and the training and the personal coaching sessions for this, and everyone else on the team puts that level of effort into it, then you might consider that it's just not a match for T.
 

21stamps

Well-Known Member
So, but.... the other boys on that team have put in that amount of effort. The years of training and the camps and everything. It's not their "for fun" sport it's their "passion sport". It's not T's and that's okay. But if you guys aren't planning on doing the camps and the training and the personal coaching sessions for this, and everyone else on the team puts that level of effort into it, then you might consider that it's just not a match for T.

That’s exactly my point. A school sport shouldn’t require that additional training to play. That’s what select sports are for.

What’s the point of playing for your school if playing time is only given the same way that select teams run?

Competitive sports have their place, obviously my kid is involved in one. School teams should have their place too. Sports can still be fun without being at a competitive level.

I’m just thinking about the danger of this kind of thinking.. If sports that don’t require tryouts are treated exactly the same as teams who do require tryouts, then are we telling a kid that all sports require a “if you arent one of the best then it’s not a good fit for you. You should stop playing.” mentality to play the sport? That for every sport they need to do extra formal training above what the school provides and normal practice at home?
As a parent and a coach I can’t wrap my head around that. I just can’t. It’s so dangerous imo. It will drive kids away.
 
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DryerLintFan

Well-Known Member
That’s exactly my point. A school sport shouldn’t require that training. That’s what select sports are for.

What’s the point of playing for your school if playing time is only given the same way that select teams run?

Competitive sports have their place, obviously my kid is involved in one. School teams should have their place too. Sports can still be fun without being at a competitive level.

Should and should not is subjective. The school disagrees with you, as do the parents that seem willing to put their kids through all that for the school team. If your job says you need to work 70 hours a week like everyone else or leave, you make the choice to either work like everyone else or find something that's a better fit.

Again, I'm so sorry that this is something you guys are going through, and it seems like T is pretty young to be learning this lesson and that's unfortunate.
 

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