Game Ready? Game Exhausted!

Game Ready? Game Exhausted!
Originally uploaded by K!Mberly

This photo is my favourite of the summer. Taken in July, on the way back from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes football camp.

But here's the news from tonight: Tyler was sitting at our dinner table telling his athlete tales about his making it through to Thursday of football's 2-A-Day practices called "Hell week" (2x3 hours of intense physical conditioning). Before this week started, most of the rest of the boys were in the summer conditioning program. Tyler had missed most of it because of our 4 week road trip to see family & friends. He was rightly feeling scared that the others have all played on teams before and have gotten in such better shape this summer while he was away.

So tonight, the end of day 3, He told us the way he was mentally getting through: He thought about the individual exercise at hand and tried not to think too far ahead. He said he needed to just focus on getting through that and then worry about the next one. Don't think about the practice later that day, or how many days to go. "If I didn't focus on the hard part right in front of me, I'd have lost heart." He told us he's been quoting scripture to himself: Isaiah 40, Proverbs 21:31. Praying for strength along the way (How many challenges in life he will have the opportunity to apply this lesson to?)

The JV team started the week with more kids than uniforms - 65. At the end of this afternoon's practice, they've lost 1/3 of them. We wondered how many of those guys had working parents, or little encouragement from home to stick with it. I've pumped calories and good healthy food into him all week, massaged his legs with tiger balm, prayed over him...he's really gotten a lot of TLC this week. He's hobbling around like a 90 year old man, but he's blossoming into a man of confidence and strength before our eyes. It's remarkable what a bit of encouragement can do. Well, plus the big lesson of being stretched beyond yourself to find you can do more than you thought.

One time this week, when I told Tyler how proud I was for him to keep at it, I told him I believed he had what it takes, he said, "Well, thanks mom. I'm glad you have faith in me, 'cause I'm not a confident in me as you are!"

It's not just that he merely wants to play football during his big "year in America;" he wants to play QUARTERBACK (the brains and the leader of the team out on playing the field). All through the summer I've watched him stand tall and confidently tell people that's the position he's going to play. Jim and I are wondering, "Are we encouraging him to overreach??" "Are we setting him up for failure or heartbreak?" There are at least 4 boys older than him who are also going to play the position. He's wavered thinking about it through the summer, "Am I being realistic? Should I go for one of the other positions so that I'd have a better shot at being successful?...At getting a chance to play? ...At NOT making a fool of myself?"

And I think of a scene in the movie PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Will Smith's character, Chris Gardner, tries to give his little son a dose of reality about his future playing pro basketball...and TOTALLY deflates him. But then Chris wisely goes for a rebound with a speech to him about NEVER letting anyone talk you out of your dream.

So Jim and I have said to our eldest: "Tyler, if you want to play quarterback, then stick with it. You never know how it's going to turn out. If you've got a dream, and you know it's your heart's desire, don't give up on it unless GOD himself closes the door. And just think how very, VERY cool it will be if he keeps it open for you!"

(and then I have to pray that God's plan is to not close the door by allowing an INJURY in this sport the coach calls "controlled violence!").

He's heading off to bathe now; repeating hIs news from the coach today: in their last full day of "hell week" tomorrow, he'll definitely be playing "scout quarterback" for the defensive teams. He's psyched! I even detect a little bounce in his hobble!