Yep, we're a sports family

You know that meme about marrying into a family that runs 5K's on holidays? We are that family... CJ and I are both runners [which is a whole separate post for another time] and we are committed to raising kids that appreciate physical activity. 

This post is more or less meant to be a recap of our journey with youth sports over the last 8 years...so buckle up! These two have done a little bit of everything. I think we started with dance classes in 2014, and that was oh so short-lived. One recital in and Lucy went to pieces over the frilly pants portion of her costume. And yes, to clarify, both kiddos were enrolled in dance... Because equality is the hill I will die on when it comes to my children. Fun fact worth mentioning...Lucy used to be absolutely terrified to try anything new -- a new class or extracurricular, and she would sob uncontrollably and cling on to us. Thankful she outgrew that habit!

We dabbled with gymnastics at a couple different studios over a several year period. Although it was hard to find any good pictures of our gymnastics classes, because they were always in huge gym spaces. We even tried karate for two sessions in 2017... 

There was also three seasons of summer swim team at Arrowhead Country Club (2018-2020). It was a nice summer activity for them, especially since we had a freakishly small pool at home. They both grew to be excellent swimmers, and in the second season the competed competitively in swim meets. Sadly, the third season fell in the Covid year and no meets were held. While swim was always a pleasant experience, it wasn't as mainstream, and it was sort of a pain in the ass for the parent to sweat by the pool for an hour at the hottest part of the day. Am thinking we will not partake in swim this summer given the new house has a huge pool, and both CJ and I work full-time weekdays...

None of these sports really clicked for us as a family for years. I struggled watching friends' kids thrive in a singular sport and was envious of them *just knowing* it was the sport they were meant to stick with for years to come. Enter Fall 2017, we enrolled the kids in the CCV Stars soccer program.

The CCV Stars Program was the beginning of a whole new chapter for our family. Parker was nicknamed "Parkinator" in his first season because he would barrel through a congested field and come out with the ball. He was and continues to be such a spectacle to watch. To this day he plays with the same team of boys that he started with in the Fall of 2017. He mostly plays the striker position, which fits him perfectly because he loves to shoot hard on the goal. His team is the Sharks and my hubby has been coaching him from the beginning. Originally as an assistant coach, but he's been the head coach for the last four seasons. CJ is an excellent coach and leader. He's very organized [read: crazy, next level OCD], he's a big communicator, and above all he is committed to these kids and their families. I am forever amazed by the man I married. Here we are almost four years later, and P has grown by leaps and bounds as a soccer player and teammate. Every morning before school he's in the backyard practicing soccer drills. And every day he takes a soccer ball to school to play soccer at recess. If you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he'll tell you he wants to play for the Phoenix Rising. I am embarrassed to admit the number of times I've gotten teary-eyed watching Parker on the field. Watching his focus and tenacity, his excitement after scoring or cheering on the team from the sidelines, his leadership and communication to teammates, and his sportsmanship when someone is hurt. He was my little baby, my squishy toddler, and now he is a full blown athlete. He found his sport that he wants to stick with for years to come. And it's double special because CJ is so involved. 

Then there's Lucy's CCV experience... Whenever I describe my kids to others, I always say "well Parker is our soccer star and Lucy is our artist". She has such a passion for creating. She loves to make slime, bake and cook, draw and paint, sing and play with her dolls, experiment with makeup. But I am the mean mom that is adamant about her having physical activity be apart of her daily life... So she tried soccer for two seasons at CCV... 

Another fun fact worth interjecting...both her and Parker's first soccer practices landed on a night that CJ and I were out of town on an anniversary trip. My mom and CJ's dad helped us out tremendously by taking the kids to their first practices. Well, Lucy had her typical reaction of sobbing uncontrollably and refusing to participate...and Grandpa intervened immediately. He stayed by her side on the field during the drills and comforted her. [Major mom guilt moment...oops!] 

After two seasons of soccer it was apparent that Lucy was stuck on defense, and she wasn't loving it. We eventually decided to take a break from soccer, and tried basketball at CCV in summer of 2019. CJ continued to impress all of us by coaching her teams as well as Parker's... The first season of basketball was really cool and special, because it was co-ed both she and Parker got to be on the same team. It ended up being a really pleasant introduction to a new sport. I give her major kudos because she, too, has grown as an athlete. She sinks anywhere from 1-5 baskets per game. I think it's the smaller court and the ease of making a basket really helped her to enjoy basketball. And now, still with some hesitancy, even after almost two years of playing...I'd like to think that Lucy has found her sport that she will stick with for years to come. And this one is special to me because I played basketball from 3rd grade through high school! *warm fuzzy feeling*

The catalyst for this giant ass post was actually Friday night's game. It was the first weekend of games for the CCV Stars spring season. Lucy crushed it. 5 baskets and shut down defense. She looked amazing. She was hustling up and down the court. She kept her cool when things got tough [the game ended in a tie score] and even when she took a ball to the nose. She made everyone so proud. It's hard to adequately tell your kid how freaking proud you are of them. Like the pride is going to literally rip your chest wide open it's so hard to contain. 

And then this morning was P's first game -- not only of the season but in a competitive division. The team agreed to move up to the competitive bracket collectively, because they have literally been undefeated for a solid two years in the recreational bracket. Unfortunately, P's team got their asses whooped today. It was a real wake up call for the team. That being said, Parker looked excellent. In his first five minute shift he had two hard shots on the goal, and great hustle overall. He even did a chest bump on a throw in. The energy at Sharks games is almost electric. It's entirely disproportionate given their ages and the nature of this league, and I love it!! CJ designed t-shirts and hats for the parents -- like I said, we've been together for going on four years, so yeah, you could say the whole team is very committed. Parents and coaches are hollering at top volume throughout the games. Coaches and spouses are dissecting the game afterward,  talking about things that went well and things that could be done better. 

The CCV Stars life is the best life. Not that I want to dive super deep into a religious tangent, but it even reacquainted both CJ and I with our faith. Something that had been on the back burner for years and years...many, many wonderful memories have been made. And I know there are many more to come.