We sign Matthew up for sports through our local parish, so a couple of the kids on the team played soccer with him this past Fall. From the start of the first practice I could tell he was ready to play! Matthew jumped right into the drills and practice rounds without hesitation. Natalie did not mind going with me to practice either, since that meant she could run around and play her version of soccer and throw baseballs around for an hour.
The great thing about sports when kids are younger is that all most of them want to do is have fun! The first few games we watched from the stands as they flocked like birds every time a ball was hit. The entire team would run to the ball and try to "catch" it. After a few weeks of consistent practice the players learned how to stay in their designated areas, but there were always a few instances when a player would get really excited and run clear across the field to grab a ball that was hit (Matthew is not excluded from this). Towards the end of the season the boys had greatly improved their hitting skills, so the coach started pitching three times to them before adding the tee during the games.
Matthew before his first game
Not once during the season did Matthew say he didn't want to go to practice or his games. We are still so proud of him for trying and enjoying a team sport. When Matthew is into something he has a great amount of enthusiasm that is hard for him to contain, which he showed a lot this season. The Shartktank is looking forward to next year and watching him play again!
