If you're not new here, I already told you that a couple or thirty-seven times.
In one way or another one or more of the Skinner boys have participated in Little League AllStars during the past four summers. AllStars is serious business around these parts. For most teams, there was practice every evening lasting until the sun set and many times well past the sun's departure. There was a lot of eating dinner at the ballpark, a lot of sunscreen and gigantic igloo jugs full of ice water and Gatorade. There were coolers full of ice cold towels to drape over shoulders and enormous buckets of oxiclean. There was a lot of driving and dropping off and picking up and coordinating carpools. There were lots of coaches' meetings until the wee hours of the morning on my porch. There were lots of times vacations were put off and RSVPs to any events that were not baseball related were always, "Thanks for the invitation, but we are that insane baseball family." There were lots of times it was tiring and overwhelming.
This is the first summer in four years that my husband has not coached a team. I thought at one point that we wouldn't have an AllStar player either this summer and I was rather giddy about that, but then I was told that there would be an 8/9 AllStars again this year and I found out later that Drew would play. To be honest, when I first heard that the league would field an AllStar team with players even younger than 9 years old, I might have become Complain Elaine for a few days or so. I might have muttered something along the lines of "Before we know it, you crazy baseball guys will come up with a Fetus AllStar Team".
But, I would be a liar, liar pants on fire if I didn't admit that our experience with AllStars has given our family the most exciting, most fun, most memorable summers ever. The AllStar families have become friends that we will never ever forget. I have to admit that, though exhausting and time-consuming/dominating, I have loved every second of our AllStar summer games.
Tonight the little man will play in the 8/9 AllStars Final, so Throwback Thursday is dedicated to our AllStar Summers gone by. He and his buddies are great ball players, great sports and more fun than a barrel of monkeys. (or maybe the parents are the monkeys because they are nothing to sneeze at in the fun department either)
To some of my long ago fellow AllStar mamas, I miss you and I would not trade a minute spent with hugs and high fives and superstitious routines with you. (I wonder if Mrs. Fitz still has to walk all the way down the 3rd baseline before Jack hits?) For my new friends in the bleachers, it's all a lot, but it's all worth a lot, too. For the boys, play with dignity and class and remember this: We love to watch you play.
Drew during a rain delay during the Loudoun South AllStar Run in 2011. Those of you from that team will remember our THEME SONG. Pretty sure that was blasting during this performance.
2011 District 16 Champs:
2011 District Tourney: Home Runs Make Us Happy
My #15 in 2011 State Tournament
Coach Skinner
Playing the role of Tami Taylor
2013 District 16 Final: When We Played for Gavin
2013 8/9 Team Champions: Honoring Gavin Rupp #15
GO LOUDOUN SOUTH!!
Update #1 on our game tonight: I just drove the 9 year old to the championship game for warmups. In the past, the drive to the championship game has found my players listening to music, looking out the window, quietly concentrating, I'm sure, on how the game will unfold. This is what happened with Drew.
Drew: "Hey, Mom. The next time we go to the store, I need to get something."
Me: "What's that?"
Drew: "A yo-yo. I really need a yo-yo."
Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose, y'all. It's getting intense around here.
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