Lacrosse Tournament

On Saturday Ian had a three game lacrosse tournament starting at 9:30 in the morning and it was WAY out at the CCC Rock Creek campus {a 35 minute drive}. So on Saturday morning we were off and running at a relatively early time for this ALL DAY event. Ian is SO ready for the lazy days of summer so he wasn't very excited about going but went anyway {after I explained what it means to make a commitment to a team}. He hadn't managed to score a goal during the season and during the last couple of games the coaches were putting him in positions that would give him more of an opportunity but to no avail. They were determined to give him as much of an opportunity during the tournament to score - and much to my dismay it was because Ian was quite disappointed {and had been voicing it} that he had not scored during the season. This was Ian's first season playing lacrosse {most of the other boys had played at lest once before} and he was doing great for a beginner {but not good enough in his mind}. The thing I like so much about Ian is just how scrappy he is. He isn't afraid to face another boy that is twice his size {height or weight} and manages to to get the ball from them. I think, especially when he is trying his hardest, that he is a great defender. The problem is that all the glory goes to those who make the points and Ian wanted a piece of that glory. When it didn't happen by the second game of the tournament Ian got so frustrated that after serving a penalty for committing a fowl he asked to not be put back in the game. Both the coach and I had a chat with him - my chat went along the line of what it means to play for a team and how you can have the kids that score but they wouldn't win the game if you didn't have the kids who were defenders who blocked the other team from scoring. You know the no 'I' in TEAM and it takes the whole team to win and everyone has there place on a team chat. Then I had to leave and miss the third game {I had to take Sarah to the zoo - more about that later} so with a heavy heart I left hoping that I had gotten through to him. Don {the dad taking Ian home} called me later to say that Ian's team won 1st place, winning all three games in there division, and that Ian got 6 attempts on goal. Although none went in {the goalie was doing his job} Ian was passed the ball, he caught it, and maneuvered to the goal and threw it in {then the goalie either caught it or stopped it}. Although Ian didn't make a goal having the opportunity to give it his best shot {and just maybe our talk} was enough and of course it was quite exciting to come in 1st and receive a medal. There are so many 'life lessons' to be learned in team sports {especially when your not the star player} but it sure is tough on the parents who just want their child to succeed and to be happy. All I can hope for is that these lessons learned will help to make him a better person in the long run.