Thank you James for putting it in perspective, and in a totally positive view.
I try to keep everything positive with my daughter, and yes, I need to do so even more now while I’m trying to help coach her.
She tries her best at track. I watch her and watch other kids she runs with and in practice, she always seems to put every effort she has, and even finds that little extra to give to try even harder.
Of all the sports she has played since she was young, track is the only one that really “clicked” with her.
I will never, ever forget…after the very 1st track meet that she competed in 1 1/2 years ago, in the car and on the way home she commented:
“Daddy…(then a pause)…I have finally found myself…I found what I love”
She beamed and glowed with joy…she was so happy, I almost cried…
She has been the same about track ever since that day.
That is why I have no problem doing whatever I can to give her the support to take to whatever level she can or wants.
Since then, she has been so interested in all aspects…she goes straight to the track articles online…she checks up on Allyson Felix and her other track “idols”. Reads her running mags etc.
I do worry about one aspect of her…she quit softball and soccer to try track…she had been on teams with a majority of players who didn’t want to put out the effort, for a couple years in both sports, and she just got tired of being the only one trying…
That is what caused her to originally sign up for track, that, and she loved running in all the sports more than actually playing the sports…
She played Basketball the past 2 years and enjoyed it, but not alot…she wants to WRESTLE this year instead of basketball…at first I didn’t know how to take that…then I asked some questions and found it’s girls only. So, maybe it will be good for her…just felt strange when she first told me.
She doens’t want to do a fall sport…cross country, softball and volleyball are her choices…she just wants to keep working out for track until wrestling starts…so I guess that is the game plan for now.
Again, thank you for the great perspective you have!
Rick