After our breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Charlotte had her very first basketball game. She is playing in a small, local, in-house league that consists of four teams of third- and fourth-grade girls, two from here in Germantown Hills and two from up the road in Metamora.
I am completely new the whole basketball thing. My brothers played in high school, I've been to a fair number of games, and I understand the basic rules. But when it comes to strategy, techniques, or any of that mess, I'm clueless. Jeff played junior high and intramural ball in college and is a huge help to Charlotte, but, as he's been out of town for her last several practices, she was pretty much dependent on the little bit of practice she got at practice...which isn't very much!
I found the whole first game just short of hilarious. I think that there are two girls on Charlotte's team who have played before; they are twins, believe it or not, and very aggressive. One can even shoot well. And the rest of the girls? Well, they are beginners and pretty much don't have much of a clue! They all seemed to have a pretty good time, but there was much aimless meandering, crazy ball throwing, and enthusiastic running up and down the court.
Charlotte exhibited nearly every nervous tic she has...she chewed her hair, and her eyes blinked fast and furiously. I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to play a game in front of a bunch of people when you don't really know what you're doing! But she did well, especially for a first game. By the second or third quarter (after a quick pep talk from Daddy), she was getting the hang of guarding her player and getting back down the court when the ball changed hands. I think that a few more practices and games will do wonders for her.
After four, six-minute quarters, the final score was 12 to 10, with Charlotte's team in blue coming out on top. She was quite pleased with her first competitive basketball experience! And she is determined that, next time, she is going to score some points herself! Charlotte is number 34.
Go, Team!
Yay for Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way watching Isaac's first game last year. I cracked up the whole time. He got much better as the season progressed and has been practicing for this season for months in the driveway. His height is an advantage, of course, but his giant feet may prove to be quite a menace. He's had one practice so far and he's anxious to start games. I'll let you know how he does:) It is fun to watch, that's for sure.
Take care