I'm laughing out loud at these stories, Michael. We've lived through thirteen years of organized sports-the good, the bad, and the ugly. Make sure you get pictures, too! We have basketball pics of Ammo from Age 6 when the ball was bigger than he was to this year when he finally shot up and can hold the ball in one hand.
I doubt Ryan is permanently scarred. The only people who remember a game are the parents, so if no one mentions it the memory will disappear into the ether of childhood. The kids forget it after they walk off the field. Or sometimes while they're on the field, which is why they have those kaffeeklatches in the middle of the game when they all stand around talking. Every week, Ammo would get in the car and ask, "Did we win?" Didn't matter if they'd lost by 10-he had no idea. CW never even cared enough to ask. He endured. He was the one who sat down and examined the ants while the ball rolled by.
And have you noticed how the idea of position is just not there yet?
THey see the ball, and en masse, like a little horde of mosquitos, they all run after it--they don't kick it--they just run around it.
Except there's always one standout kid who for whatever reason understands the concept and is a star. All the parents are secretly envious and hate that kid. But through the years it evens out, and a lot of times, that kid turns out neurotic because his parents had decided when he was four that he was the next Tatu, or Hank Aaron, or Magic and he believed it.
As long as Ryan is having fun, that's all that matters. The rest is completely irrelevant. Trust me on this one!! |
