A Boy and Volleyball

So here we sit, slow and go traffic as we make our way to Simi Valley in order to watch Cam High volleyball play against Royal High School.  We’ve had a major up and down relationship with High School Volleyball the last few years.  As a Freshman, Madison made the team, played all summer and the day before school season started she didn’t.  It was a harsh introduction into the political side of youth sports and it was painful and mind boggling.  The devastation was remedied by our only option which was to put her into Club volleyball.  Madison was embraced by a Club, put on a team and improved immensely. Then, because she is no quitter, because she has more courage in her pinkie than I do in my whole body - she tried out for High School a second year.  She didn’t get a spot, but we knew she wouldn’t - all the same girls who froze her out the year before still held reign.  But she did get to show them that they hadn’t broken her.  Her enthusiasm, her passion - it never wavered and she was bummed but not the same level of devastation as the year before.

When Sydney hit her Freshman year, we were hesitant to have Sydney tryout, but we didn’t push either way.  She went into it expecting to be cut but wanting them to know what they were missing out on if they did. Sydney doesn’t hold much back, she isn’t afraid to speak her mind and for the most part she can be pretty tactful in the moment or she can cut pretty sharp.  Regardless, I worried about her because she’s mine and even a tough kid needs to be protected at times too. But she went in and busted her butt and never wavered on who she is and what she will or will not put up with.  She takes care of the quiet ones and puts the mean ones in their place... somehow she made the team and we were happy for her, but didn’t announce it around until she had a jersey and the first game had been played in season.  Learned that one the hard way for sure.

This year, Madison is a senior and Sydney is a sophomore.  New coach came in last year but took over this year and a whole lot of different faces make up the team this year.  We asked if Madison wanted to try again... but she’d had enough.  As for Sydney, Varsity coach pulled her up to season her for next year... stunned would be the word I was trying to find when we were told.  And as events worked out, a snafu with Club season and bad timing on some surgery left the girls without a Club team this year.  We think that’s been figured out, but I still have my worries.  But as fate sometimes will step in, things have worked out where now we are heading to watch both girls play on the High school volleyball team.

Surreal is the word for this.  I’m not sure how this worked out but here we are, embroiled in a volleyball season that wasn’t supposed to be as important as it now is for us.  We are thrilled that they are on the same team and as Blessings go - there really isn’t any bigger.  We truly see and believe that, and with a Senior - everything this year is just so big, so important.

So here we go.  Dragging Bradley from gym to gym and giving him his iPad and letting him veg with his movies while we watch the games.  Honestly, he is the most patient kid.  He sometimes gets frustrated and will act out a little, but for the most part he patiently waits and doesn’t really complain about anything.  Our favorite gyms are places where we can go tool around the school or complex to wear him out so that he asks to be picked up and then wants to burrow into his stroller and block out all the outside noise and movement.  Last year, we finally got him to wear noise cancelling headphones - now from fight to get him to wear them to fight if we fail to provide them.  So funny!  Whatever makes him happy on game day makes us happy.

Some days the volleyball doesn’t go our way and Bradley is the best part of it, providing love and comfort.  And some days the ball lands our way and on those days Bradley is the one they run to and share their joy with.  Maybe he isn’t cheering for the game yet, but he’s never not cheering for them. 

Day three of the 31 for 21 Blog Challenge complete.  Thank you for stopping by, see you all tomorrow!