Report from the YMCA Five-year-old Tee-ball league, Johnson County, Kansas
My daughter, Violet, has decided to play Tee-ball this year, largely because her friend, Macy, signed up for the team. So far the team has had two practices. The team’s name for the time being is the “Redhawks” (one might question the wisdom of choosing this name before finding out what color the jerseys will be). Unfortunately, Violet’s suggestion of “Monkeys” when potential team names were solicited by her coach did not even make it into the final vote. The learning curve is exceptionally steep when practice includes an explanation of what bases are, but this level of competition cannot be beaten for the purity of joy and enthusiasm of the players. Violet picked out a new pink and purple baseball glove and was so excited that she slept with it next to her pillow. She is the smallest on her team and definitely hits for contact more than power. I would love to see her take to the sport (or some other), but most of all, I hope she has a lot of fun and learns some lessons that come from being on a team. With these as the main criteria, my prophecy is that it will be a successful season.
PS: At their third practice, the team received their navy blue jerseys and chose a new name: the “Blackbirds.”