Hoop Dreams (or white man can't jump)

Basketball - it is the the latest sport Tyler has decided to try. One of Melissa's friends recommended a great program for kids called "Upward Bound". The program focuses on fundamentals, sportsmanship, and competitiveness. The whole thing is done really well, including nice jersey's and shorts, intros with music and smoke machine, and even cheerleaders (which distracts Tyler at times).

Each week, Ty has one practice and one game. Melissa and I have been spending some time at the gym with him working on the basics as well. Ty does well in practices, and does very good job of listening to coaches. But come game time, he gets so excited he something forgets what he has learned. His enthusiasm has been fun to watch. It reminds me of what we forget too often - that sports, especially kids' sports, are about learning and having fun.

Ty loves to practice, and Melissa has been working with him at our gym whenever she can. Dave even made it one day this week. Melissa, Ellie and Tyler all ganged up on Dave for a scrimage. Anyone that has seen Dave play basketball knows how unfair that is....for him.

This week was probably the first week we have seen Ty put it all together. He played good defense (making a couple of steals), dribbled and passed well, and even took a couple of shots. Of course, Melissa is taking credit for all the extra practice time she has put in with Ty.