John wrapped up his second season of lacrosse last weekend over the course of four tournament games!
This child may be the spitting image of his daddy, but I see so much of myself in him. I tell you what, seeing your flaws in your child can be a tough pill to swallow! He is competitive and tries his hardest at everything he attempts. However, he has a great fear of failure and he really only attempts things he *thinks* he’ll be good at. And this is the very reason that Honey and I are SO SO SO very proud of him for trying lacrosse. It’s a tough sport with a steep learning curve but he stuck with it through two seasons.
We must have remarked a thousand times about how easy going and positive the lacrosse families are – on both sides of the field. We sat through waaaaay too many baseball games with screaming coaches and irate parents in the stadium. Our theory is that lacrosse is a relatively new sport in the South. None of the parents on the sidelines actually played lacrosse (that we know of) and people don’t have anything invested in it. There isn’t the pressure of the son following in the dad’s footsteps, you know?! I’d be interested to hear other experiences with this sport in other parts of the city/state/country!
It took pretty much both seasons to understand the game, but I finally get it (mostly) and really enjoy watching. It’s fast paced and action packed!
The fantastic news is that John was recruited for the summer tournament team and will get to continue playing through June! This is our first foray into summer sports, but it seems manageable. Three weekend tournaments – two in Atlanta and one on the road.
We’re super proud of you son! And now, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I must go get ready for CeeCee’s first ballet recital!!!!!!!!!!!!
xoxo
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So glad he had a great season. Way to go, John! And I must agree about baseball parents (although baseball is my true love) – I’ve seen WAY more ugly in people since Ryan started playing than I had all added up in my life until that point. Crazy Town!
Enjoy your weekend! xo
It’s “our” sport too :-). Some parents and coaches are just intense. And we’ve only when played in a rec league!
My son plays baseball and both he and my daughter participate on the school archery teams. We enjoy competition, and baseball is way louder than archery. I agree with your thoughts about lacrosse. It’s relatively new in the south, so not many parents are living out their dreams via the children. I have cousins who play in upstate New York. Those games get like our baseball games do. I have seen youth hockey games that are less intense.
We live in South Carolina and didn’t have lacrosse when my son was younger. He did play football and baseball. When he went off to college he decided to give lacrosse a go – and it was such a good place for him to land. We enjoyed watching and going to his tournaments. He still follows professional and semi-pro lacrosse and made fantastic friends for life. Congrats to John on such a good season – and good luck with summer lacrosse!
Everything I know about lacrosse is from watching Teen Wolf! But seeing it on there has made my 7 year old obsessed. …we had to buy the sticks (which I am sure have a proper name), at Target! We live in morth Alabama so no lacrosse here!
Interesting (and I think accurate) observation about why the parents in the South may not be as intense about lacrosse. We live in the Northeast and my younger son (6 years old) just started playing. The parents are VERY intense here… but, this is the area where lacrosse started and many of the dads played in high school and college. So, I’d say you are on to something! :)
Congrats to John! Sounds like you have a lot more lacrosse in your future!
I live in Michigan and lacrosse is really growing in our area too. Our school started a youth program about 5 years ago and I’ll never forget that first season when none of the parents had a clue what was going on or the rules. Now my 15,12 and 7 year old play and love it. Such a fun sport to watch:)
In Massachusetts lacrosse is really competitive! Sort of like a gateway to the ivy league :)
In Philadelphia, lacrosse is extremely competitive! The parents are crazy!
I grew up in upstate New York and played lacrosse at Tech back in the early ’80s. I’d liken the current lacrosse culture in the NE and Mid-Atlantic to baseball in Atlanta. Intense. But I discovered through my daughter’s participation that nothing exceeds parental intensity and politics as does softball. It’s truly crazy. Be glad you have boys!
My son played lacrosse beginning at the age of 12 (he played baseball prior, both rec
and travel). He played at a very competitive college and was fortunate to continue to play D1 in college. Awesome to be able to parlay your passion into funding your education. We are eternally grateful and enjoyed the experience and all the wonderful lacrosse families we met throughout our lacrosse travel. He still plays three years out of college on an adult league and gives lessons and helps run clinics for young players. Any questions you need answered please don’t hesitate to ask. I owe you lots for all the info I have gleaned from you over the years. Tell your son to do his best in the classroom and practice hard on the field and on his own ( lots of wall ball ) and lacrosse can open a lot of doors. My son relied on many a lacrosse contact to begin his career. You will never meet a more supportive group of people.
Great photo of the LAX sticks colliding!