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Eloise and First Grade Hoops

By Jake Parrillo

This past week, Eloise wrapped up her first season of organized sports by playing on her basketball team.  The team was 10 kids all from her school at St. Mary's.  We played in the Downers Grove Park District league, where they attempt to organize the teams by grade school.

And...I was the coach!  Yep.  First time ever being a coach for my own kids and I had a blast.

We practiced every week and had a game every Saturday for the past 10 weeks.  How did we do?  Well....I had a TON of fun.  And so did the kids.

Did we win?  Well...no.  Unfortunately, we didn't.  Like, not even a single game.  Seriously.  O-for.   You might say:  Zero.Point.Zero.  (Heckuva coach, right?)

But that doesn't matter.

This was, for most kids, the first time playing a team sport.  

If you look back at the family blog, you'll find this post featuring Eloise playing basketball for the first time four years ago!

Each of the kids learned a little bit about basketball, learned the joy of playing on a team and relying on others for help and got some exercise.   We worked hard to get EVERYONE an even chance of not just playing but also handling the ball and shooting.  We *almost* got there, as 8 of the 10 kids scored a basket during the season.  We tried so hard to get the other two, but we didn't get there.  I hope all of those kids keep with hoops.

As for me, the coach.   I got so much more out of it.  I bonded with Eloise.  But also with her classmates.  These are the kids she'll be spending time with over the next 8 years.  And they're now her 'basketball buddies'.  See the art Eloise made below!

But, I also got to share my love of basketball - and of playing on a team.  I have such fond, strong memories of my teams growing up.  From soccer to basketball to baseball, my favorite things in sports were all centered around team sports.  Sports teach you plenty of things that you can apply to life like dealing with adversity.  But team sports?  They teach you even more.  They show you that you can't go it alone.  That you can do more if you work together.

In today's working world, where EVERYTHING is team-based, getting exposed to being part of a team at a young age seems critical.


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