Lindsey just finished her first season of basketball through the Upward Sports program. I can honestly say that this has been our best experience EVER with a sports program. The program itself is Christ centered. The local church that hosted the basketball program was great, the coaches were amazing and the results were wonderful.
To be honest I was stunned to find myself looking for a basketball program for my super girly girl. But when Lindsey starting playing basketball in phys. ed. she instantly fell in love with the game. She says she even likes it better than ballet!
Our season ran from January through mid-March, with one weeknight practice and one weekend game per team. Lindsey’s team, the Volunteers, was the shortest in the league, and several of the kids had no basketball experience at all. They lost every single game, and then….
The next to the last game of the season was a complete shock for everyone. The Volunteers suddenly were playing as a team. They were sharing the ball a bit better and there wasn’t nearly as much fouling. Somehow they upset the #1 team (the UNDEFEATED #1) in the league.
This past Saturday was the last game of the season. Lindsey had yet to score a basket during a game. In the last quarter she stole the ball from the opposing team, dribbled down court surrounded by kids who were a good 6 inches taller than her. She went to shoot and they all jumped to block her and she just stood there. As the jump lost momentum and everyone started to land, Lindsey shot right over them and made a basket!! WOOT! They went on to win their second game of the season.
Yeah, yeah I know you’re thinking I’m bragging on my kid…and I am. But what almost made me cry is that the parents from both teams jumped to their feet and cheered for her! All season long I had been hearing people say “oh I wish that tiny little girl would make a basket”…and when she did, they went WILD! Some of them out screamed me and my husband, seriously.
Here is Lindsey and her awesom coach, Dwayne.
The league held a banquet the night of the last game. Instead of giving out trophies and making one kid or team look better (or worse) than someone else, they gave out basketballs to every child. LOVED IT!
We hated to see this season come to an end. This will DEFINITELY be a must do next year! To find an Upward Sports program near you, click here.
We have upward where we are also and we participated when our oldest was 5. She was a cheerleader for basketball and wouldn't you know that she preferred to be on the court shooting the hoops versus on the sidelines cheering them on. So we will put her in next season. Great post and I agree on all points about the upward program!
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