Teammates 2.0 - Community Sports Edition

Look at that punam...

First off, thank you to all of those who commented, shared thoughts, and shared the post we wrote on community.  It was one of the more enjoyable posts we wrote, and we're glad it touched so many of you.

Anyways, Mojo was compelled to expand our thoughts on community to the world of youth sports.  Youth sports is quite the interesting topic, one we may need to explore later, with the "should I let my kid play football" debates and the "my kid is gonna get a college scholarship, so I'm gonna be that parent when my kid is 4 years old."  For now, Mojo sticks to the impact of youth sports on his life.  If you missed Part 1 of our thoughts on community, click here.  Otherwise, Mojo, the floor is yours...



This post is born out of discussions with people about youth sports.  I have a 6 year old now, so while this thought has laid dormant ever since I stopped playing Plymouth-Canton Junior Basketball Association (PCJBA Baby!) back in 1997.  They have resurfaced because it seems to me the landscape has changed a bit.  

Hopefully this landscape never changes

There are more travel teams now.  In fact, my nephew who loves baseball joined a travel team because, according to my brother, if you don't come from a travel team it is not very likely you will make a high school team.  I was shocked by that, but the more I looked into it there more it seemed to have some validity.  I did play on some teams you had to try out for and that was good in its own right and my Catholic school couldn't let every kid play.  However, a community should feel a responsibility to make participation in sports a possibility for every kid.  There needs to be a league with no cuts, because while some leagues will be and need to be competitive, there needs to be a part of our life where the important thing is inclusion over winning. (LB Note - our community has leagues like this through high school for kids who don't play in high school.  We also have a high school with about 3,000 students, so the demand is there).  It may not jive with Vince Lombardi, but he had professional players.  Sometimes I feel we let the pressures and values of professional sports (winning is the only thing...contracts matter...the coach is an employee).  These things make sports a job and their job is to entertain.  Sure, the players get to do amazing things, but the professional sports world will sacrifice sport for profit - I will make the claim at any turn.  (LB Note - I agree wholeheartedly).

Youth sports should not be these things. They should be developmental and every kid should be given the chance to develop.  They work on individual skills, understanding rules, respecting the authority of those rules (referees, umpires, etc), practicing to get better, perseverance, sportsmanship, teamwork, and more things.  I look back on the youth soccer, basketball, and baseball I played and realized that some of the greatest lessons I learned came from those experiences.  It can show you how to win and lose with respect, the impact coaches can make on kids, and how powerful teamwork can be.  I wanted to share my top lessons learned from youth sports that stay with me today.  

You mean all the lessons we think millennials are missing?

1. It is okay to miss to final shot; it is not okay to be afraid to take it.

I had played two years of high school basketball, but I just was not big enough or good enough to be on a varsity squad; so I went back to my roots and joined the no cut PCJBA.  The coach of my team was a man named Tom Martin.  Coach Martin loved the sport of basketball (and his alma mater Holy Cross), with a lot of intensity.  He had coached his son at my grade school and continued to coach even when his son went on to high school.  He coached me in 6th grade and we had an amazing team.  By the time I got to high school, Coach Martin, a lawyer by day, wanted to coach again.  He got with the dad of a friend of mine (who had been on that 6th grade team) and they decided to coach PCJBA.  We had a lot of fun.  I cannot remember the specifics, but in the PCJBA every player had to play a certain number of segments.  There were not 4 quarters, but rather maybe 10 segments of 5 minutes each.  (LB Note - I can't believe I remember this, but it was 10, 4 minute segments.  Minimum 4 segments per player, max 6).  This was because inclusion and participation was valued over playing the best 5 players all day long; in fact a player could not play the whole game.  On March 4, 1997, I was playing a game for the semi-finals of the league.  (LB Note - I wish I could fact check that date, but I believe him). 

Shout out to Coach Martin

To cut to the story, another player has a 1-on-1 with 9 seconds left and we are down by 1.  The player misses and I grab the rebound and rather than call time out, go into an all-out sprint to the other end,  I got ahead of everyone and had a chance to make a lay-up as time was running out.  Of course, coming in at full speed I didn't adjust the shot.  I can see it in my mind the ball come off the glass hard, hit the front of the rim then the back of the rim, but had so much momentum it shot from the back of the rim out of the hoop.  As it fell into the hands of another of our players, the buzzer sounded.  I shook hands, grabbed my stuff and went straight to my car.  I was upset and didn't want to talk to anybody.  When the dust settled and Coach Martin couldn't find me, someone told him I took off.  He went to his brief case and got out the team roster.  He got my home phone and called it. I lived 5 minutes away so he figured when I would be in the home.  When I heard the phone ring, I let it go to voicemail and heard Coach asking me to pick it up.  He basically told me that he enjoyed the game. He enjoyed watching the end, not because of how the ball landed but because when I got the rebound I took off down the court with no fear, no hesitation.  "It was awesome to see you tear on down the court.  I sure thought it was going to go in too, but it didn't and that is okay.  It would not have been okay if you would have been afraid to take the shot in the first place".  Let me say this was not the first time I had failed bad at youth sports, but it was the first time I understood, and truly felt, that it was not just okay, but it was necessary.  I have carried with me the mantra: Fail early, fail often.  It is a great way to learn and to learn what is important.  (LB - in my opinion, the best way to learn).

2. This one is simple and powerful.  My first sport was soccer.  I played 3 years on a team with a Coach who was also in my Indian Guide tribe.  His name was Coach Johnson and he was also a lawyer (I guess lawyers need an outlet :).  I remember him for being stern with us, but never yelling.  He wanted people to give 100% at practice.  As a side note, he also sticks out in my head because he had a cell phone in his car and I thought that was the coolest thing ever!   

Sup, Preppy!

Anyway, where this relates to my writing is that at the start of each season he did the same thing.  He took out his yellow legal pad of paper and told us there were only three rules we had to obey.  He would then write rule #1: Have Fun.  Then rule #2: Do you Best.  Then rule #3: Have Fun.  He explained each time that we were here to enjoy playing soccer and be hard workers.  Being a hard worker at everything you do was important to him and he said it needed to be important to us.  On this team, with your brothers and sisters, at school, everywhere.  I never forgot that.  Whenever I am doing something that is meant to be enjoyed I always remind myself of HDH; have fun, do your best, have fun.  I have already found myself re-creating this story to my 6 year old.  I hope I do it as well as Coach Johnson.  (That's HDH, not HGH).

Mojo then reached out to Beavis and Fah, both of whom we've been trying to get to post for us, to get them to write a youth sports comment.  Mojo suggested talking about how you can blow someone's perfect game and still get invited to their wedding (more on that in a minute...).  Beavis responded with the following:

Legend

Sorry LB... As I recall, I was playing first or second base for the first (and only) time in my life.  I was more suited to kicking dandelions in the outfield.  And to think, if I hadn't screwed it up, you'd still be talking about it like Al Bundy with his 4-touchdown game for Polk High.  You can still stick your hand down your pants while sitting on the couch I guess.


Long story short... 8th grade year.  Mojo and I a dominant battery, me throwing a nasty two-seamer, he knowing just win to mix in a curve ball.  Perfect game going in the last inning.  Dribbler to the mound.  I pick it up, turn to throw to first and... no one home.  Beavis was standing at 2nd, just watching it all unfold.  But I'm not bitter.  I just wish he'd write his promised blog post.

Sadly, Fah did not respond.  I can only assume he's still upset there were no youth competitive eating leagues when we were younger.  Sorry, buddy, couldn't resist that one.

From the serious to the silly next time on Logical Betting, as we will explore whether or not it's actually good to win the lottery.  BGE (Best godson ever) godmother was a part of this during baptism weekend, and has graciously agreed to share her thoughts.  In a show of community, she, being a Sparty grad, and I have agreed to not try and convince BGE whether to go to Michigan or MSU, but rather to compile a list of schools he can't attend.  The list currently includes Alabama, USC, Navy, and Notre Dame.  I've submitted for Florida, though that one's still up for approval.  This sports song with 245 million views will send you out.  Hasta.