Jaxon is playing Upwards basketball this year. He played Y-ball in the past and we weren't all that thrilled with their program, but Upwards has met our every expectation and more! Jaxon had his first game on Friday night and it was SO fun! For starters they turn out all the lights, turn on a disco ball and the kids get to run out through an inflatable tunnel that they bust out of with LOUD music! (Y'all ready for this!) They announce each kid by name and just do such a fantastic job of making it a BIG deal! The game was awesome, I'm sure because my son was playing and my husband was coaching! One of the neat things about this program is that they have really thought through everything. Not just what makes the game fun but how to really teach the kids at a young age how to play. Each kid goes through an evaluation and is then scored and placed in a lottery. Every team gets a fair amount of beginners and intermediate players. Then when its game time each kid has to guard someone who is at their same playing level so that no one gets humiliated. It worked really well! Jaxon guarded a kid who had some awesome moves but he was a perfect match for this kid. Jaxon scored 8 points and their team came back to win 30 to 28! We even did the chicken dance during half time. The greatest part about Upwards is that it is a ministry. Each week the kids learn a bible verse and the coach gives a 5 minute devotional.. The goal is for all of these kids to hear the gospel before the season is over.
For me this is one of the highlights of being a mom. To see my son loving something so much that he practices & talks and thinks about it all the time. And then to see him excel at it is awesome. But more than anything to see my son encourage his team mates and even though it doesn't come naturally he has become a team leader. Jaxon, I will always be your #1 fan! I love you!
JAxon guarding his opponent.
Going for the steal! He played awesome defense!
This is a really neat story: This is Jaxon's friend Luke. They went to preschool together but we lost touch with them. In the fall Luke was on Jaxon's football team and they rekindled their friendship. Basketball season came along and Luke was put on Jaxon's team again! As far as I'm concerned the Lord wants these two boys together!
Coach Jay and his star player!
This is after the game...winded and tired but still grinning from ear to ear! Its a joy to watch you play Jax!
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2 comments:
Well how weird...our boys played in Upward last year. Bobby coached Zeke's team and they were PRECIOUS!!! We actually brought them up to our school on Senior Night and they did our half time, it was awesome, the crowd went wild!! We still listen to the CD they got, it's an excellent program. We are going to run Upward at our church next year, we would have done it this year but you have to send at least three people to a seminar, blah blah blah...man, i can just start rambling!!! :) HA!!! Go get 'em!
Caleb is doing Upward this year and it's been great. I haven't gotten around to posting about it yet but will soon.
We don't have a disco ball or half-time chicken dance but the cheerleaders are cute. They do some cheers at half-time. I can't believe Kenna isn't doing the Upward cheerleading. Alyssa would love to do it but gymnastics is just too demanding to fit it in.
Congrats to Jaxon for leading his team to victory!
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