January Family Sports

 

That's our Harriet, #10.  What a delight to watch 10 little 2nd graders playing basketball with great enthusiasm in their first year.  There are only two teams in their league so they meet each Saturday and work on skills with their coaches and then play a game.  During the game the ref or a coach might stop the game to teach a timely bit about the game.  Sure was fun to watch them put their all into their efforts to move the ball and shoot and defend. 

Here's David with the ball moving in for a shot.  He's developing some really good skills and contributing a lot to his team.  Another fun game to watch.  He's a young 5th grader--a year younger than most of the other players but still holding his own. 

No. 21 is our Tom with the ball.  His team has come a long way since this tournament, winning their most recent.  Thomas puts a lot into basketball, often coming home from practice and crashing until dinner and homework.  He, Erik and Hannah are up early for 7 a.m. seminary.

Griffin plays on two teams--one at church and the other a community team.  So far I've only seen one of his games.  I believe this is his first year.  He's really coming along.  Lots of fun watching these kids play the game, learn the skills and learn to play as a team.  At this age some of the teams look a year or two older.  Some have been playing as a team for four years. 

Dave's sport this season is jump rope club. What a great time he has jumping, jumping, jumping now that he has caught on.  Notice his red cheeks.  He just never stopped till they cleared the gym.  He skips rope all around the gym.  It is great fun watching scores of children staying after school and jumping rope. 

I didn't know kids did that any more.  From skipping around the gym to double-Dutch, and single rope held by two others while one child jumps in the center and at times stooping down and touching the ground and up again to jump more.  I wonder if they know the jingles we used chant along with our jumping.  I found a few online:

Charlie Chaplin went to France,
To teach the ladies the hula dance.
First on the heels,
Then on the toes,
Around and around and around you go.
Salute to the Captain,
Bow to the Queen,
Touch the bottom of the submarine.

Cinderella dressed in yella,
Went downstairs to kiss a fella,
Made a mistake and kissed a snake.
How many doctors did it take
1, 2, 3, . . . . 

Down in the valley where the green grass grows,
There sat __________ as pretty as a rose.
She sang so high, she sang so sweet,
Along came ________ and kissed her on the cheek.
How many kisses did she get?
1, 2, 3 . . . . .

Gypsy, gypsy
Please tell me.
What's my sweetheart going to be:
Doctor, Lawyer, banker, thief,
Sailor, soldier, Indian Chief?

I asked my mother for fifty cents 
To see the elephant jump the fence.  
He jumped so high he touched the sky,
And never came back till the Fourth of July
(Jump higher and higher)

and on and on and on . . . .

Clay, in #18 jersey, had a great time guarding his opponent.  Each kid has a different colored wrist band that matches a kid on the other team.  The coaches match them up in similar size with the same color band and tell them to stick to that player and guard him.  They'll stop the game when a player is guarding a player with a different color wrist band and get them correctly matched before resuming play.  Clay's doing a great job in this first season of basketball.

No photos of Christopher yet.  I've watched two games this week and forgot my camera each time.  His team has come a long way since their first game before the holidays.  Until this past week Chris, as he is known on his team, had been healing an injured knee.  Now he's starting to get playing time each game.  Its great to see how the guys are doing better each game and giving their all throughout the game.

I must add some Oregon sport photos that crack me up.  You've probably seen these, but here they are again.

 

and the grand finale . . .   That's right folks -- no chairs!  Just each other.  Lean on me brother.

P. S.
I hear Alice is a great big rider and Myra is keeping up on her trike.  We need some photos.  Danny was loving his bike, too.   Until the snow came he was riding to his brothers' school and back in the afternoons. 

 Last of all--

Erik and Hannah leaving for the great sport of dancing.  They had a great time at the New Year's Eve Multi-Stake Youth Dance.