This weekend is our second tournament of my youngest son’s baseball ⚾️ season. This one is actually pretty far out of town, so planning has required more. We booked a hotel room, packed our necessities, scheduled dinner, and shopped for a legit snack haul. It got me thinking about my other mom friends who hit the tournament circuit and what their experiences are. My friend Amber and “Volleyball Mom” tells me that, “It’s early weekend mornings, eating out of your backpack for 2 or 3 days, and an emotional roller coaster.” But the benefits definitely out-way the costs and she adds that, “We wouldn’t have it any other way. Watching your kids be so excited for their team or for a great play they make is worth it – and the lessons they learn are invaluable. It’s all ‘development beyond the court’ and I’ll miss it when it’s over.” This is MY first kiddo who is “living and breathing” a sport so it is easy to validate the long days and nights of tournament ball when your kid is super into it. I asked a former tournament kid (now a college kid) what he loved about it and he said that, “Being in Dallas, there’s a lot of talented players in the area and it makes competing around dallas a lot of fun”. There definitely is no lack of talent in the DFW area. Kids are primed early with lessons beginning as soon as five years old. These playing years are very formative now that we’ve almost reached middle school and the extra playtime of tournaments is a huge experience boost. However, one kid is one thing two is another. My friend Aimee juggles, “…20 plus hours of volleyball between two kids in two days lol.” Once again, her kids LOVE it, so she is willing to put in the time with them and shuffle between multiple tournaments.
Tournament Day 2: the prior day started late with a delay in the morning pushing everything back. We began our last game at 10 pm (yup for a bunch of 9 and 10 year olds) and made it back to the room at almost midnight. Fun fact: the neighbors decided that a Comfort Inn Suites Partay at midnight was just the ticket. Our restful night ended up being not so much but…our lil guy slept like a champ so at the end of the day he’s well rested and ready go! Next up, the silver bracket championship which is 40 minutes away in another town. Back in the car at 6:15 am and ready to “play ball”!! One win and one loss later, we are back on the road at 2 pm headed for home an hour away plus traffic.
Would I consider our first tournament successful… absolutely! I saw kids cheering each other on through the good and the bad. I watched them kindly pat each others shoulders after a rough play and I saw umpires give words of encouragement and lift our kids up when the plays got tough. I saw our coach give the kiddos constructive feedback and pep talks over the course of the weekend and praise their determination even through an impending loss. It was cool that in two days, I was able to observe my own son display true leadership qualities and grit while also reflecting on what he can work on for the future. The best part was him saying, “I have to wait 4 weeks for the next one? I CANNOT wait that long.” So yes, I would def consider it a success… lol. 😂
Style Tribe Writer 