St George and Training
After Calvin's soccer practice on Wednesday, August 7th, we headed down to St. George for one last quick getaway before school started. Kira got to bring down her friend, Marquelle. (We adore Marquelle!) We were able to get last minute "RUSH" tickets to Tuachan for Wednesday night for only $18 (for really good seats) so we went to see Mary Poppins. Isaac's friend, Grant Westcott, played the role of Michael Banks. He did a really good job! Pretty impressive that a 7 year old could do that and do it so well. Isaac loved seeing his friend on stage.
Thursday we spent most of the day at the pool. Grant came over and swam for a few hours. I dropped Kira and Marquelle off at the outlet mall to shop later in the afternoon. Later the Mitchell's came on their way to Vegas to pick up Marquelle but we decided to do a quick date-night before they finished their trip down. Kira and Marquelle watched the kids while we tried out a restaurant called Anasazi Grill on the recommendation of some friends. It was definitely all it was said to be. We ordered the steak and they bring it to you on a searing hot stone that's over 700 degrees and you cook your steak yourself. It was delicious! We had a great time eating yummy food and laughing with the Mitchells.
Friday we spent 8.5 hours swimming in the pool with just our little family. It was so much fun! Jeff spent most of the day being "Mr. Fix-It" and fixing all the little things around the house that needed to be fixed while I sat by the pool and swam with the kids. I loved watching them laugh and play together. I loved how they never got tired of it. After dinner we did a night swim, which is always fun and swam sprints in the pool with the stopwatch the try to get faster each time. It was actually a great workout!
Speaking of workouts, I am so proud of Calvin! When we came back from our trip this summer everyone was sick. I thought it was probably bronchitis but it turns out it's most likely whooping cough. Calvin was the worst since he'd had it the longest. He started coughing a day or two before we left in June and was still coughing so hard when we got back on July 20. We went straight to the Dr. on that Saturday and everyone was prescribed a Z-pack but the damage was already done to their lungs. Calvin had to get right back into practice and he struggled big time! He couldn't even run 5 seconds without doubling over coughing and hacking so hard he couldn't breath. Plus, after having it for so long, he'd gotten out of shape as well. So he worked and hacked his way through practices but when it was time for the Park City tournament on August 1-3, he was still in really bade shape. Probably 50% of his normal self as far as running and breathing and playing soccer goes. He got to play a few minutes the first game but came out hacking and couldn't even breath. Even the people on the sidelines were a little concerned for him. Over the whole tournament he only got to play for 15 or 20 minutes total. He was really bummed but we knew he just wasn't physically ready yet. His team played hard and they ended up winning the Park City Cup for their age group, beating out their big rivals, La Roca.
Calvin decided after that tournament that he would have to work harder than he thought to get back to 100%. We formulated a plan and he decided he would do two-a-days for the next 10 days to try to get ready for the Adidas Cup tournament on August 13-16 on top of his regular practice schedule 3x/week with his team. Monday morning we got up early and ran our two miles together. He was barely able to run 2 minutes without stopping. I tried to be sympathetic but I got a little impatient and started being a little bit demanding in trying to motivate him. I knew where he needed to get to and I thought we'd never get there at this pace. It didn't work. It only made him mad at me and not want to run with me anymore. He wanted to quit after one mile but he agreed to run the second mile if I didn't run with him. So I ran ahead of him and he mostly kept up while he worked through the second mile. He was coughing a ton and really hurting and frustrated. I told him how proud I was of him for doing it even though it was hard. He told me he would do our plan of running twice a day if I promised to be positive and encouraging. After hanging my head in shame and asking for forgiveness I promised to be his biggest cheerleader. We ran every morning and every night that week, missing only the nights we went to Tuachan and out to dinner with the Mitchells. He ran 16 miles outside of practice and by the end he was running a 8:54 mile and really pushing himself. We also did speed and agility, swam sprints in the pool and he went to 2 practices in St. George with our neighbor's U14 girls soccer team for 3 1/2 hours of scrimmages and drills. He never complained even though he didn't really want to do it every time. I was so proud of how hard he worked. When we got back from St. George he ran 2 miles before his Monday morning practice with Mateus and then did a 7am hour long speed and agility training with Mateus on Tuesday morning.
The tournament started on Wednesday night. He got to play 15 or 20 minutes in that game. His team ended up tieing 1-1 with the other team scoring in the last 10 seconds of the game. He was really bummed but felt a little better playing. He still felt very timid and nervous. He felt like every mistake he made lost the game for the team and that maybe he shouldn't play. There are a few parents on the team that are very critical of the players. Some more vocal than others. After the game he told me he doesn't like playing on the side of the field with our parents because this one mom is always yelling at him and telling him that he's doing things wrong. I tried to tell him that she does that to lots of kids on the team. He said, "I feel like she doesn't like me the most!" It almost feels like she is bullying my son. It makes me sad and frustrated and even a little angry. I'm not sure how to address it. Do I tell him to ignore her and the others who are negative or do I address it directly with the parents and ask them to stop?
On Thursday I was feeling a little lazy so I gathered all of the kids into my room and we watched Rudy on my bed. During our runs, I had told Calvin the story of Rudy and how hard he worked and never gave up on his dreams. I told him how other people told Rudy he couldn't do it but he chose not to listen to them. We talked about how you may not be the most talented player on a team but you can be the hardest working player. And every coach and team member will love and respect you for it. I told him that is one of his strengths. Calvin is a very hard worker and he never complains or gives up. He is also very steady. He doesn't let his emotions rule him. He is a steady, consistent, dependable player on the field. He might not score the goals or have the fast breaks, but he contributes in lots of other ways. We watched the movie and I couldn't help but get choked up during the movie. The kids kept looking over at me to see if I was crying!
Thursday night they had their second game against a really tough team. Calvin only played 10 minutes or so in the first half and then never played again. He was timid and nervous. He looked stiff and lost. He was so afraid to make a mistake. So afraid to have people mad at him and blame him for the loss. The team fought hard but they were exhausted. It was 100 degrees and the coach really only played 9 players. The other 2 spent most of the time on the bench and the boys needed subs. Parents were getting angry and yelling at the refs and the boys, boys were getting frustrated and starting to shove their opponents. Even our coach was getting out of hand! They ended up losing 2-3 in the last few minutes again. Boys came off crying and so exhausted that they collapsed on the sidelines. The coach started yelling at the ref and ended up getting a red card. It was ugly. I think Calvin was relieved he didn't have to play in that game but still sad and frustrated that he had worked so hard and still wasn't able to play.
Friday as their final game of the tournament. They knew they wouldn't make it to the finals. Their coach was suspended from coaching the game so the assistant coached the team. Jeff was there and helped to lighten the mood and hopefully help everyone see how ridiculous it was to act that way (towards the boys and the refs) as parents. He jokingly ribbed those who get the most out of hand. I think they got the idea, at least as much as they are able. I told Calvin to think about Rudy. Think about how he never gave up and how hard he worked to reach his goal. I told him to ignore the "Franks" on the sidelines and not let their negative comments get to him. Their team played well. The team they were playing was a little easier opponent. Calvin got to play for about half of each half for a total of about 25 minutes. He played fantastic! I watched him and you could literally see by his body language that his confidence was returning. I could see him loosen up and know where he was supposed to be on the field. He wasn't timid and he was running better, keeping up with the pace of the game and the players he was defending. By the time he went in during the second half, he looked a lot like the old Calvin! There was one play where the forward got past our defense in the center and Calvin sprinted and ran him down and beat him to the goal and kicked the ball away. I actually choked up a little. I felt like I was watching Rudy! I knew how much this meant to him, to be able to sprint again, and I was so proud of him! I thought of how hard he had worked to get this far and how great he was playing! It may not have impressed other people but I was so proud of my Calvin and I knew he was proud of himself too! He had several more plays where he outran the forward and played great defense. After the game he was smiling and as I went over to give him a hug he quietly said to me, "Mom, I think I got my confidence back!" I think he did too. It is still an uphill battle. He still has to work really hard to get back to 100% and stay there. I hope his coach gives him the opportunity to do that by letting him have decent playing time. I feel like he's earning it more each day. But life isn't always fair. Sports definitely teaches you that!
Thursday we spent most of the day at the pool. Grant came over and swam for a few hours. I dropped Kira and Marquelle off at the outlet mall to shop later in the afternoon. Later the Mitchell's came on their way to Vegas to pick up Marquelle but we decided to do a quick date-night before they finished their trip down. Kira and Marquelle watched the kids while we tried out a restaurant called Anasazi Grill on the recommendation of some friends. It was definitely all it was said to be. We ordered the steak and they bring it to you on a searing hot stone that's over 700 degrees and you cook your steak yourself. It was delicious! We had a great time eating yummy food and laughing with the Mitchells.
Friday we spent 8.5 hours swimming in the pool with just our little family. It was so much fun! Jeff spent most of the day being "Mr. Fix-It" and fixing all the little things around the house that needed to be fixed while I sat by the pool and swam with the kids. I loved watching them laugh and play together. I loved how they never got tired of it. After dinner we did a night swim, which is always fun and swam sprints in the pool with the stopwatch the try to get faster each time. It was actually a great workout!
Speaking of workouts, I am so proud of Calvin! When we came back from our trip this summer everyone was sick. I thought it was probably bronchitis but it turns out it's most likely whooping cough. Calvin was the worst since he'd had it the longest. He started coughing a day or two before we left in June and was still coughing so hard when we got back on July 20. We went straight to the Dr. on that Saturday and everyone was prescribed a Z-pack but the damage was already done to their lungs. Calvin had to get right back into practice and he struggled big time! He couldn't even run 5 seconds without doubling over coughing and hacking so hard he couldn't breath. Plus, after having it for so long, he'd gotten out of shape as well. So he worked and hacked his way through practices but when it was time for the Park City tournament on August 1-3, he was still in really bade shape. Probably 50% of his normal self as far as running and breathing and playing soccer goes. He got to play a few minutes the first game but came out hacking and couldn't even breath. Even the people on the sidelines were a little concerned for him. Over the whole tournament he only got to play for 15 or 20 minutes total. He was really bummed but we knew he just wasn't physically ready yet. His team played hard and they ended up winning the Park City Cup for their age group, beating out their big rivals, La Roca.
Calvin decided after that tournament that he would have to work harder than he thought to get back to 100%. We formulated a plan and he decided he would do two-a-days for the next 10 days to try to get ready for the Adidas Cup tournament on August 13-16 on top of his regular practice schedule 3x/week with his team. Monday morning we got up early and ran our two miles together. He was barely able to run 2 minutes without stopping. I tried to be sympathetic but I got a little impatient and started being a little bit demanding in trying to motivate him. I knew where he needed to get to and I thought we'd never get there at this pace. It didn't work. It only made him mad at me and not want to run with me anymore. He wanted to quit after one mile but he agreed to run the second mile if I didn't run with him. So I ran ahead of him and he mostly kept up while he worked through the second mile. He was coughing a ton and really hurting and frustrated. I told him how proud I was of him for doing it even though it was hard. He told me he would do our plan of running twice a day if I promised to be positive and encouraging. After hanging my head in shame and asking for forgiveness I promised to be his biggest cheerleader. We ran every morning and every night that week, missing only the nights we went to Tuachan and out to dinner with the Mitchells. He ran 16 miles outside of practice and by the end he was running a 8:54 mile and really pushing himself. We also did speed and agility, swam sprints in the pool and he went to 2 practices in St. George with our neighbor's U14 girls soccer team for 3 1/2 hours of scrimmages and drills. He never complained even though he didn't really want to do it every time. I was so proud of how hard he worked. When we got back from St. George he ran 2 miles before his Monday morning practice with Mateus and then did a 7am hour long speed and agility training with Mateus on Tuesday morning.
The tournament started on Wednesday night. He got to play 15 or 20 minutes in that game. His team ended up tieing 1-1 with the other team scoring in the last 10 seconds of the game. He was really bummed but felt a little better playing. He still felt very timid and nervous. He felt like every mistake he made lost the game for the team and that maybe he shouldn't play. There are a few parents on the team that are very critical of the players. Some more vocal than others. After the game he told me he doesn't like playing on the side of the field with our parents because this one mom is always yelling at him and telling him that he's doing things wrong. I tried to tell him that she does that to lots of kids on the team. He said, "I feel like she doesn't like me the most!" It almost feels like she is bullying my son. It makes me sad and frustrated and even a little angry. I'm not sure how to address it. Do I tell him to ignore her and the others who are negative or do I address it directly with the parents and ask them to stop?
On Thursday I was feeling a little lazy so I gathered all of the kids into my room and we watched Rudy on my bed. During our runs, I had told Calvin the story of Rudy and how hard he worked and never gave up on his dreams. I told him how other people told Rudy he couldn't do it but he chose not to listen to them. We talked about how you may not be the most talented player on a team but you can be the hardest working player. And every coach and team member will love and respect you for it. I told him that is one of his strengths. Calvin is a very hard worker and he never complains or gives up. He is also very steady. He doesn't let his emotions rule him. He is a steady, consistent, dependable player on the field. He might not score the goals or have the fast breaks, but he contributes in lots of other ways. We watched the movie and I couldn't help but get choked up during the movie. The kids kept looking over at me to see if I was crying!
Thursday night they had their second game against a really tough team. Calvin only played 10 minutes or so in the first half and then never played again. He was timid and nervous. He looked stiff and lost. He was so afraid to make a mistake. So afraid to have people mad at him and blame him for the loss. The team fought hard but they were exhausted. It was 100 degrees and the coach really only played 9 players. The other 2 spent most of the time on the bench and the boys needed subs. Parents were getting angry and yelling at the refs and the boys, boys were getting frustrated and starting to shove their opponents. Even our coach was getting out of hand! They ended up losing 2-3 in the last few minutes again. Boys came off crying and so exhausted that they collapsed on the sidelines. The coach started yelling at the ref and ended up getting a red card. It was ugly. I think Calvin was relieved he didn't have to play in that game but still sad and frustrated that he had worked so hard and still wasn't able to play.
Friday as their final game of the tournament. They knew they wouldn't make it to the finals. Their coach was suspended from coaching the game so the assistant coached the team. Jeff was there and helped to lighten the mood and hopefully help everyone see how ridiculous it was to act that way (towards the boys and the refs) as parents. He jokingly ribbed those who get the most out of hand. I think they got the idea, at least as much as they are able. I told Calvin to think about Rudy. Think about how he never gave up and how hard he worked to reach his goal. I told him to ignore the "Franks" on the sidelines and not let their negative comments get to him. Their team played well. The team they were playing was a little easier opponent. Calvin got to play for about half of each half for a total of about 25 minutes. He played fantastic! I watched him and you could literally see by his body language that his confidence was returning. I could see him loosen up and know where he was supposed to be on the field. He wasn't timid and he was running better, keeping up with the pace of the game and the players he was defending. By the time he went in during the second half, he looked a lot like the old Calvin! There was one play where the forward got past our defense in the center and Calvin sprinted and ran him down and beat him to the goal and kicked the ball away. I actually choked up a little. I felt like I was watching Rudy! I knew how much this meant to him, to be able to sprint again, and I was so proud of him! I thought of how hard he had worked to get this far and how great he was playing! It may not have impressed other people but I was so proud of my Calvin and I knew he was proud of himself too! He had several more plays where he outran the forward and played great defense. After the game he was smiling and as I went over to give him a hug he quietly said to me, "Mom, I think I got my confidence back!" I think he did too. It is still an uphill battle. He still has to work really hard to get back to 100% and stay there. I hope his coach gives him the opportunity to do that by letting him have decent playing time. I feel like he's earning it more each day. But life isn't always fair. Sports definitely teaches you that!
A quick day hike to Gunlock Falls. Unfortunately it was all dried up for the year but now we know a good spot for next Spring.
Daddy Daughter at Gunlock Falls.
The kids at Tuachan.
Waiting to see Mary Poppins.
Isaac looks a little weird in this picture but he wanted a picture by his "famous" friend's picture.
With the cast of Mary Poppins.
Go Rudy!! Calvin is such a hard worker!
Cooking our steaks on our 700 degree lava stone.
Wiped out after our short hike in the HOT sun (and 6 hours of swimming before the hike).
Nightswimming.
Calvin's soccer practice with the U-14 girls at a beautiful little park in St. George.
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