Sometimes we get a reminder that little kids are little kids
“If we do one thing this season, we can’t screw this kid up.”
About twenty-five years ago, I was coaching a softball team comprised of third and fourth-grade girls. On the first day of practice, we noticed that one of the third graders was extremely talented at the game. The kid could do it all. She was a five-tool player, if there was such a thing for nine-year-olds. Her skills were so much better than anyone in our league. That’s why I told the assistant coach what I did. The girl was destined for great things if we didn’t blow it for her.
Throughout the summer, she delivered for our team game after game. She continually came up with a hit in a big situation or made a huge play on defense to get the team out of a jam. Her teammates leaned on her a lot and she constantly came through. It was a lot of responsibility for someone so young.
One night, her mother approached me before a game to tell me her daughter wasn’t feeling well, but wanted to try to play. I told her I’d keep an eye on her. She came up to bat for the first time and struck out. Instead of returning to our bench, she ran to her mom and fell crying into her arms. As I watched the scene, it was a reminder that no matter how talented this kid is, she’s still a kid.
A few weeks later, we were in the playoffs. Our team was playing in the championship game. We lost the game when someone made an error in the last inning that let in the winning run. The first thing that I noticed was that I had a team of crying girls. It took a few minutes to let everyone know it was okay, we were proud of what they did and get the kids calmed down. I then saw that my star athlete was once again being consoled by her mother. The scene was another reminder that no matter how mature they may seem, they’re still little kids.
I got another reminder of this over the last two weeks. My four-year-old grandson has started playing organized soccer. When you watch these games, I’m not sure organized is the correct word to describe them.
You look on the field to see about a dozen boys and girls chasing a ball. It looks like fun until you see someone running off in tears to get a hug from a parent. Or maybe someone is so overwhelmed and nervous that they decide not to play. It’s cute until it isn’t.
It’s another reminder that they’re just little kids.
As for my superstar softball player from the past, she went on to become a four-time all-state player in high school. She then became a four-year starting outfielder at the University of Illinois. She got married a few years ago and now has a young baby. I guess we didn’t screw her up too badly.