Last weekend we were back in the area that we moved away from 2+ years ago.
Youngest grandson has been playing waterpolo for a couple of years now. And he loves it.
He does very well at it - but he needs to grow more!
Anyway, he was selected to try out for the USA Waterpolo Olympic Development Program for the 14 & Unders.
Training, evaluating, and cuts....he was pretty well convinced he was not going to be chosen.
And he left the last day, after shaking the coache's hand and telling him how much he appreciated the opportunity and the training, and thanking him for the opportunity. This is the kind of kid he is!
But he was!
And then, he and his mother both expected he would be put on the B Team since this was his first try at this. And they got the email that he was on the B Team. But then - it turns out - the wrong email was sent and he was actually chosen for the A Team!
So, as a team, they had one meeting and one practice. And then a 2 day nation wide tournament. With only 1 day of meeting. Now, this team has a total of 4 players from his water polo team; and other boys that he has swam with, or competed against. But still, not a cohesive team, and a new coach.
They played 3 games on Saturday and won them all! One was against a team from CT, and another game was against their own B Team! One they won in OT! That was a nailbiter of a game!
Sunday they played a game, and won. And now they are in the gold medal round.....against the top team in their section. Yeah, they lost. They lost bad. You could even see when they gave up.
BUT....this brand new team came in 2d overall for their age group - silver medal winners! So proud of these boys!!!
We had a great time being up there. Got to eat at places we miss (hello Amici's Pizza! Hello Chik-Fil-A!). Drove around and saw SO MANY changes around town......Got to go to not 1 but TWO bookstores! And I got some new walking shoes which I just discovered I really needed!
That first game Saturday morning was at 0700 and so cold - it was like 36 degrees! But it was a clear and sunny day and so it did eventually get warmer. And on Sunday the first game wasnt until 10 AM so it was warmer! Felt so sorry for those kids!
After receiving their medals we left to drive our 2 hours home. And after we got home we recieved a phone call from our grandson who told us he had been selected for a very special award:
Nick Johnson Inspiration Award - USA Water Polo
It is a very touching award - and yes I know I am biased - but it describes our Luke perfectly! And so it is extra special that others see this in him!
Monday evening daughter called us and told us they had received notification that he had been chosen for the National Team Selection Camp. I am linking the money raising he (via my daughter) is doing for this experience - it explains a little bit about it (and any donations are tax deductible!).
USA WATER POLO INC - Jessyca Bozzy's fundraiser (networkforgood.com)
This will be quite the experience for them. Parents are discouraged from going. So he will be flying down with his team, staying with his team, flying back with his team.....and helicopter mom is going to be unbearable until he is home! (I will be quite relieved when he is home too I have to admit. I know lots of kids fly by themselves younger than he is but.....and this is only into LAX - only one of the biggest airports - but not that far from home).
This whole experience helps teach them to act professional - dress professional - discouraged parental over involvement (these experiences are for the kids not the parents) and are really grooming them to be Olympic bound. So it is quite an honor - quite an experience. And hopefully, not overly stressful for this guy. He LOVES the sport, and I hope this experience does not change this for him.
At the end of April we will be flying down to San Diego to watch him at a tournament for his other water polo team.
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