Run Rikard! Run!

Life keeps marching - or running - at break neck speeds. Rikard started middle school this year and is adjusting quite well. His class load includes all the regular required classes with the added bonus of a robotics class.

 

He tried out for the cross country team and finished in the top 10 for his grade level. His first timed run, a practice race last week, was 7 minutes, 30 seconds.

 

His team hosted the first meet of the season yesterday at Mountainside Middle School. There were hundreds of boys from more than a dozen schools at the starting line, and the ranks thinned out along the route.

Rikard is in the center of the photo, wearing very bright blue shoes with orange laces. All races at this level are 1 mile.

At the finish line, he poured on the speed and finished with a time of 6:43, placing 79th in his first race. A great personal improvement and a great first race!

Club Pursuit

We are in the midst of club volleyball season and it's been a whirwind of fun for all of us. This is Tatum and Maddie giddy with excitement at the first tournament of the season.

Their team is made up of mostly 12-year-olds, but a couple of older players forced the coaches to register them as a U14 team. They are struggling in tournaments, playing against bigger girls with more experience, but they are sticking together as a team. 

 This is Tatum at the net. She is playing setter (my favorite position on the court) and is learning a lot as she plays all the way around, but only setting from the front row.

I've had a great time as I've met up with a couple of old high school friends whose daughters are playing in the same tournaments. In fact, last weekend we played in a tournament against a team from my hometown and against the club team I belonged to so many years ago. Fun times for all!

Another V-ball player!

The 5th grader boys completed their volleyball season the last week of classes before Christmas break. It was his first time on the court trying to master this sport and he did AWESOME! Must be genetic.

He is very focused on learning sports, but struggles for acceptance among the other players as he is usually the smallest on his teams. Size is such a big deal to boys!

 He isn't afraid to show off his mad skilz! LOL. He thinks he is setting, but doesn't quite have all the motor skills happening in the right order or combination yet. For those who think volleyball is easy, it actually requires your entire body to be doing the right things in th right order to move the ball. It isn't an easy sport to master.

But, Rikard gives it his all everytime!

We have a few weeks before his basketball season starts up at school. Tatum's club volleyball season starts up the first week of the new year. She was moved up to a U-14 tournament team (she's only 12), so the heat is on.