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Hi momnipotent!!!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the enthusiastic response to my son’s proud moment. It truly means a lot. :)</p>
<p>You know what’s funny? I never really felt one way or the other about basketball, until my oldest son (the one who’s in college now) made this same red team in both 7th and 8th grades. An unlikely basketball player (he wasn’t very tall), this kid spent about 6-7 hours a DAY at the local rec center during the summer after sixth grade in what I secretly thought was a vain effort to make the team. He did this “basketball thing” like he did everything else he had ever done…with an intense passion, and it paid off. To my great surprise, he actually made the team.</p>
<p>After that, I fell in <em>LOVE</em> with basketball…everything about it. It went from something I knew basically nothing about to something for which I had developed a passion (not unlike the passions I have developed for the most of the things my kids, with their myriad interests, have “dragged me into.”) <em>lol</em></p>
<p>My oldest son played for four years…He was always at the “bottom of the top,” which meant a great deal of bench sitting over the years ('cept when he was the captain, starter, and leading scorer for his h.s. sophomore team). When he decided to not go out for the team as a junior, I was surprised at my feeling of loss, though I more than understood and supported his decision.</p>
<p>By that time, my second son, who has always idolized his big bro, fell in love with basketball too. Six years younger than my oldest son, S2 played on various rec and YMCA teams until he was finally old enough to try out for a school team this year. I find myself excited at the prospect of this upcoming season, and seeing the enthusiasm that he has for this endeavor brings back some really sweet memories of how much a part of my S1’s younger life basketball really was. <em>sniff</em></p>
<p>Per your suggestion, I am planning to get “Hoop Dreams” for my son. I think he will very much enjoy it, and because he is a kid who is not as fond of reading as some of my others, I am always looking for books of particular interest to him. Thanks a bunch for suggesting it!</p>
<p>I will definitely keep you posted on the season, but I’m not expecting too much from the team. For some odd reason, this particular 7th grade team meets many 8th grade teams in its competitions, and there can be a vast difference in the physical development between 7th and 8th grade boys, as you know!</p>
<p>Again, I thank you for your support and enthusiasm, and I wish you all the best in finding the perfect school for your S1!!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
Thanks for the congrats and hugs for my S!!! He is <em>SO</em> excited! The boys have to dress up on game days, complete with a tie, so guess what he asked for? Yep, you got it…a DUKE tie! I ordered one from ebay, and it arrived today. And even though the team is the RED team, he still bought blue and white basketball shoes! ;)</p>