Time to Build Another Trophy Shelf

This fine collection is the weekend's rewards.

 

The first one went to Nicholas, whose team won the 3rd grade boys league championship. Nicky has been a nervous wreck the entire season and threatened to quit before every game. Now, he has decided that basketball was "pretty cool." And he says he can't wait to do it again next year. We'll see...

The second trophy belongs to Mary Beth. Her team made it all the way to the championship and then their point guard didn't show up because she had a soccer game at the same time. Poor Mary Beth did every thing she could to play her position and the point guard's. They fell just short of being the champions and lost in the finals. Her trophy is slightly shorter, but Karoline likes it best because of the pony tail:-)

 

Trophy #3  belongs to Stephen. The last Championship Game of the weekend was Stephen's. They were down by 13 at halftime. The stands were packed. It was hot and loud and the place pulsed with excitement. Stephen was on fire (and everyone was calling him "Super," short for Superman). I have never seen a little boys' basketball team with so much heart. They won 39-36. Stephen had 14 points, giving him 199 for the season.

 

That leaves three more trophies. They all belong to Christian. He coached all three teams.One grateful parent after another came up to tell me how much they love him and how happy they were to have a coach with such a wonderful way with kids. He's intense and passionate and very quiet. A most unusual combination. He inspires kids with a love for the game and then he is the most patient teacher I've ever witnessed. And when the season came to end, the league commissioner singled him out as the only coach with three championship teams and the other coaches rose and gave him a standing ovation.

 

 

[Note: Patrick, who can't bear to be left out of a good sports story, reminds us that his Soccer tournament in Richmond was rained out. He managed to get himself invited to a local tournament, played entirely on turf. So, he played in the rain, scored 2 goals and 3 assists. His team lost in penalty kicks. He also reminds us (incessantly) that he made his penalty kick. By all reports, it was a beauty.]

The most miraculous thing of all must be that Mike saw every single game this weekend. I'm thinking that St. Joseph and John Paul the Great had a hand in that.