UPWARD Bound!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

 

Saturday marked the kick off for our 2nd season of

Upward Basketball!

And much to our surprise, and pretty much everybody who knows us, Katie decided to play basketball this year instead of cheer.

“WHAT?!?!”  - I think that was my response…I really don’t know.  I was too shocked to remember clearly.

“Mom…I just want to TRY it.  I like to play basketball, too!” says our little princess.

Of course!  I LOVE basketball!  I LOVE WATCHING basketball!  I LOVE WATCHING GIRLS’ basketball!!  I think the girls’ game is so pure and fundamental (not that she’s there at this point, but you know what I mean), and awesome to watch!  I loved watching my sisters play basketball in HS and never, ever missed a game in their 4 years of HS plus 2 years of Jr. High basketball.  And you know my love affair with women’s college basketball runs deep…like bleed ORANGE, deep.

LOVE LOVE LOVE my Lady Vols!

But to hear it from Katie has just totally shocked everyone!  I mean, this is a girl who can’t walk past a mirror without stopping to do a cheer, or a toe touch.  And the girl who can’t simply walk into a room, she has to do cartwheels and flip into it!

But if she wants to try basketball, that’s great!

But second thoughts have come in spurts…  I first knew she was having second thoughts when I received all the boxes of the cheer uniforms to distribute to my coaches (I am still the cheer coordinator).  She looked at all the boxes and said, “I hope I’m not here when you open them.  ‘Cause I bet they’re cute…”

Uh-Oh.

And then at her first practice when she looked longingly at the gym floor while sitting on the sideline listening to her coach and turned around to look at me and say, “I REALLLLYYYYY want to go out there and do a cartwheel really bad!”

Umm-hmm.

BUT, she has stuck it out and does love playing basketball.  After all, she has grown up playing ball with her brothers constantly, so she KNOWS what she’s doing out there!

And she got to show off her skills on Saturday!

 

 

Pre-game prayer with all players, coaches, and referees:

 

Our little superstar :

 

Katie taking the ball out of bounds for her team:

 

Ahh!  Don’t reach, Katie!  I believe that used to get your Aunt Layne in LOTS of foul trouble:

 

Emma, Katie, and Courtney:

 

And then as soon as the game was over, Katie cuddled up to the first high school cheerleader she saw:
 

 

I’m betting that we have a dual-sports star on our hands, don’t you?

Hug your kids

xoxo