Spring Sports Begin

When it comes to youth sports, it seems like you just bounce from one thing to another. With hockey over, we now begin track and lacrosse (LAX). Most sports do not have the level of fanaticism that you see in hockey, with track being pretty laid back. Lacrosse, however, has elements of that dedication, and you see it in the parents and the kids, which makes sense because it's got many of the same players, and then some. It's almost like a club, and the kids (and parents) really identify with it. There are also opportunities for enrichment, almost like extra-curricular activities.

A wavered on whether or not she wanted to run track and in the end she went for it, and I think that's a good thing. She is a good runner and it's a good way for her to stay in shape. Plus, she'll have an activity to do through the spring term and won't be at home wanting to be on the computer all day. The weather has been cold and miserable until recently, so they haven't had much of a chance to run around outside, but that will come in due time. I am actually impressed with how hard they are working indoors, and I think the new coach, RS, is doing a good job thus far. Last year they didn't seem to do any conditioning and the coach didn't seem to totally know what he was doing.

Lacrosse has also begun, and N is into it. He is growing so we had to replace a few pieces of gear, which is alway painful because for whatever reason LAX gear is expensive. More so than hockey. He is a first year at this level so he's the younger kid on the block, but he seems to be doing fine. A week or two back the team got to play on the Dartmouth LAX field in between periods, and that was fun to watch. I'm not even sure who they played, but they got out there and went at it. They also got to watch the big boys play, and it was a good opportunity for DW, the coach, who for the record is an outstanding coach for both hockey and LAX, to give pointers to his players. The guy is amazing, he really is knowledgeable and passionate about the game without being overbearing.

The game was fun, N got to hang with his buddies, and then it was done and over. It could very well be our one LAX game for the year, but at least we got one in. Personally I prefer to watch the kids, but that's just me.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Fred Backhaus for the pic.