Summer 2023 ball

105

That's the number of ball games we sat through this summer, over a span of 2.5 months. 

We averaged 10 games/week. 

It's no wonder the rock beds could use some weeding, we rarely sat around the kitchen table as a family of 5, and there was a pile of never-ending dirt at the back door. As though they brought half the field home with them every day.

But there is not one place we would rather be, than sitting near a field watching our kids play sports they love. 

Breaking this down a little, we'll start with the youngest. This year, Lincoln had a choice to play in the local 'travel' association, or stay with the city rec team. He chose the latter, signing up with a hockey buddy and a great family friend. We lucked out with an ah-mazing! coach, who found the importance of not only teaching the boys baseball skills, but also teaching them to keep their chins up, and reminding fans that this was about the boys. And man alive was it an incredible season. What started out a little like "Bad News Bears", ended with them catching pop flies, understanding rules and taking 3rd place in the championship tournament. Lincoln spent the majority of the season behind the plate, never afraid to catch....except when his buddy started throwing some heat! Remind us to get a lefty catchers glove before next year :) 

The girls, on the other hand, continue to play high level competitive softball. Sidney traded in her former team for an entirely new club this season. And it was literally the best decision she could have made. 

The story goes a little like this: in 2022, she played in a tournament game against a really really incredible team, whose coach looked like a literal jerk to his team during the game. Seriously, most of us wondered "why on earth would anyone want to play for him!".

 Sidney got the only hit in that game, walked off the field that night and said "I want to play for him next year". We all thought she had lost her marbles, Regan joked she wouldn't make it one single practice without crying. We were all wrong. During tryouts for the 2023 season, that coach remembered Sidney's hit in that game and offered her a spot on his team. 

She went on to be coached by one heck of a coach, who taught her more than she could have dreamed of learning, and who cared deeply about his team both on and off the field. Don't get me wrong, he was HARD on the team. And she did shed a few tears. But boy did we all have the most amazing year, and like to think when one door closes, another opens. And we are all so thankful for her opportunity to be coached by the infamous Jake, in his final year in MN. 

At the end of the year, the team gifted him heartfelt letters from each of the girls, along with a book of all the things he would holler to them in the middle of a game, that would make us all giggle, and make opponents cringe wondering "why on earth would anyone want to play for him!". 

Things like: Swing like a big girl
Are you mad, or is your hair just red?
Y'all better pick it up
Be a good teammate (knowing you were about to lay down a sacrifice bunt)
Don't make excuses, I'm in the solution business

We will miss his sarcasm, his passion for the game, and his deep desire to develop strong and confident teenage girls. Truly one of the best!

 With a core team of only 9 girls (we'd pick up players for a tournament here/there), Sidney got opportunities to play every single position except pitcher or catcher. Heck, she even caught bull-pen! And according to Regan "no one is above catching bull-pen". 

Sid was the definition of a utility player this year, though if she has her preference, would spend most of her time at first base. 

And last but not least, Regan's incredible season! This girl caught 110 innings over the course of the season. This may not seem like a lot, but if you average 4 innings/game (softball is stupid this way because games are time-limited in most cases), she caught nearly 75% of her teams' games. 

She was sore, and exhausted, but would never ever complain. She was thrilled to be behind the plate and quickly gained the confidence of her coaches to be calling her own game. It was incredible to watch her dominate the dish. Regan's team had a lot of success and growth this year, peeking just at the end of the season. 

She even had an opportunity to travel out of state with the 18's team at the end of the summer where she had a 2 run single to score the winning run(s) in extra innings! They promptly awarded her with the horse-shoe for her hit. 

Between both girls, we spent 26 nights in hotels, almost all of them in the month of July. It's a wonder we have time to work. We traveled to 5 different states in a matter of 5 weeks and became experts at playing Tetris with luggage and softball gear in the truck.

The map below of a two week road trip was a doozy! Just under 24 hours of driving, and it took a table top exercise to plan. Between the girls, there were six tournaments over a span of 4 states (plus one in MN at the end). 

We've done laundry in hotel sinks at 10pm because the washing machine is in use, using hairdryers to help the drying process. We spent more money on Panera (and Starbucks) than I care to admit this summer. I was constantly asking "what food should we pack for the field?". We are a well-oiled machine when it comes to navigating this routine. 

And do you see that scooter in the background?, Lincoln was a professional at dodging players, fans, foul balls....and sometimes Tournament Directors as he raced around each complex. 

Parents would giggle when they heard that we added an air tag to him so we could keep track of his whereabouts; it was a life-saver! 

Regan's team played in the Colorado Sparkler this summer. The backdrops on those fields were beyond incredible. And the downtime between games meant some amazing team bonding! I'll have to do another post on its own with more about that trip. 

As we hang up the cleats for a week before the next season's tryouts, I'm scrambling to weed the rock-beds, eat dinner as a family, and enjoy a dirt-free back door. I know darn well, this season of chaos will end for us too quickly, so for now, we are going to enjoy every second of it. 

On the softball field

People often ask how (or why) we can spend all of our free time each summer running the kids from field to field, covered in dirt with sun-kissed skin and sweaty clothes.  

We usually chuckle at the question; we truly couldn’t imagine life any other way. This has been a part of the girls’ lives for as long as they can remember, and they love every second of it. (And Lincoln is just starting his adventures on the field) 

The sense of community, the friendships, this is their home away from home. And frankly, ours too. We look forward to the weekends just as much as they do. Gathering with the other families before, or in between games: Bloody Mary bars, “safety meetings”, Fitness Plus, we have created so many memories with each team. 

I recently read that if your family doesn’t look forward to the weekends, you haven’t found the right team. 

I’m thankful beyond words for both girls finding their right teams. 

It is behind those backstops that Ryan and I are making just as many memories as the girls in front of the backstop. And we are very aware that at some point, it will come to a screeching halt. So for now, we are going to soak in all it has to offer us. 
Giant Freeze pops included :) 

So while we laugh about horrible chalk lines (foul, fair, foul, fair), inquire about who has the best chair, or decide who packed the best cooler "dude, your mom hooked you up!", there is no where on earth we would rather spend each weekend. 

These girls and their coaches make some amazing teams and we are grateful for their dedication and drive to help them improve not only as a player, but as a human. 

Because we know it's not always about softball skill, it's about the life skills. Learning to be a great member of a team, learning how to work through difficulty and picking each other up when feeling down.

It's about greeting the umpire behind you during warm-ups, introducing yourself and not being shy to politely ask why a pitch was called a ball and not a strike. 

It's about taking control of your infield and hollering out plays, not being afraid to let the crowd hear you.   

Win or lose, at the end of the day, it's about feeling like you belong. 

Our home away from home. 

On those dirt fields, with sun-kissed cheeks and sweaty clothes. 

 

Great Lakes Nationals-Peoria, IL 2021

We lucked out in that our girls' teams ended up both attending the same National tournament this summer: Great Lakes Nationals in Peoria, IL. The complex is impressive, and with all games being played at the same location, we jumped from field to field watching game after game after game. 

Over the course of 5 days, we watched approximately 20 games. 

We went through a lot of sunscreen, water, and money for concession stand food! 

Peoria doesn't have a lot to offer beyond the fields, but we checked out the local Bass Pro Shop which Lincoln found to be quite entertaining! 

And always a playground nearby to get out those mid-day wiggles. It was so dreadfully hot several days, he found himself just needing to take a break. 

Sidney had a night out with her team/coaches where they dressed up "fancy" and hit up Olive Garden. 

They clean up nicely, I hardly recognize these girls without any dirt on their clothes. 

We absolutely love watching the girls in their element. And both of them seemed to have peeked just at the right time. 

Sidney has had a great season, she is so fun to watch both offensively and defensively. I love seeing her Hit and quickly scoot around the bases. She's a sneaky one on base and so quick! 

Sidney's team struggled to pull off many wins at Nationals. They had a good run for a couple of games, but in the end, were eliminated. 

Regan's bat was on FIRE as she hit singles, doubles and triples scoring plenty of RBI's.

Her team took 3rd place  at National's to finish out the season. We are so proud of her persistence in working hard and battling through her broken hand this spring. 

Saying goodbye to a great group of coaches brought some tears. 

Turns out she made their team again for next year and will be joining them back on the field once again!