The day was finally here. Months after my son’s school basketball season concluded, Tuesday night was the annual sports banquet; it was really nice… other than the entry fee for parents and the fact that they ran out of pizza!?!?! I was starving! (They did have other food, but still… no pop?!?!) But yeah, they recognized all the student athletes in Cross Country, Volleyball, Track, and of course, Basketball. They gave out special awards for each sport, each grade level/team. My son had his sights set on getting the MVP award for his team…
He was MVP worthy, no doubt. He was the highest scorer on the undefeated 5th grade team. He was one of the primary ball handlers, typically bringing up the ball like a point guard. He did really, really well this year; it was great watching him play. However, there were other good players on his team; this is the talk I had with him prior to this evening, even up to the point where we were walking into the gym. Be happy for whoever gets it; these are your teammates. You guys will be playing together (hopefully) for at least another 3 years. Yes, you deserve it, but don’t worry about getting the award; you worry about your play, about getting better, and let the results speak for themselves… the recognition will come. You know, sometimes with these award presentations, different things come into play, right or wrong. It’s not objective, but typically very subjective. He didn’t want to hear any of this. Come hell or high water, he wanted the MVP; he would be very disappointed if he did not receive this award. I didn’t disagree with him per se; I would have been upset as well, but… things happen for a reason. Maybe not getting the award will make him work that much harder? Either way, just working on your game, improving all the time, learning, getting better… those are the keys.
Thanks to an alert that we received from our security company, I had to leave the ceremony; thankfully, everything was fine at the house. I missed the award presentation for his team; when I got back, I asked my wife if he got it. She was recording the whole thing either way, so I would get to see for myself as well. There was an award for best sportsmanship and one for the most improved. Finally, there was the “captain’s award” which is the MVP; not sure why they changed the name, but whatever. My wife nodded, and I looked for my son, and there he was… smiling from ear to ear with the “MVP” medal around his neck. Boo ya!
I know it’s only 5th grade and all, but damn, this was a proud moment. Both my wife and I, his grandparents, and the rest of our family were all super proud; we should be. For me, personally, it is very, very rewarding to see him do so well in this sport that I’ve been showing him highlights of since he was born, talking with him about since he could talk, and playing with him since he could walk. Yet, I could only lead him to water… he has to drink it… he has to run with it. He did it; he’s doing it. So proud of that boy…
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