Monday, June 7, 2010

Gus Macker weekend in Jamestown....

This is what it looks like when your team in struggling and time is almost up... it ended in a tie and then sudden-death playoff that went on for quite a while and then it was done... Next year they'll be in 4 different colleges, in 3 different states, but this weekend, they played together. Andrea - lose-win-win-lose....Alex - win, win, win, lose, lose.. And here's Dan's team... 3 of the 4 of them played his first year in the 10 and under bracket... some years they play together and some years they match up with other kids, depending on their age. It was a few years before Dan ever recorded a win...we used to call it our Gus Macker donation...this year win, win, lose, lose. But they play together a lot for fun...pick up games. It's something I miss from my childhood. Kids playing together, unorganized by any parents, no coaches, just kids, working it out, lots of batting, kicking, shooting, lots of catching and lots of missing. It's where you get better - doing it all the time, for fun. I see kids bat in Little league that I know never bat unless they are at Little League. I think mine is probably one of them. As kids, we played tons of wiffle ball and kick ball. We played right in the front lawn, but my mom planted a tree on second base, so we moved to the lot next door. That grass was from a hayfield, so it was quite prickly and not for bare feet...and bare feet was the attire for summer, because if your feet grew, your shoes were tight and new shoes were for school. You got sandels in the summer, and they weren't as good for kicking and running!! Don't think bad thoughts about my mom planting that tree... first base was right in front of our picture window and I am proud to report that it was replaced long after we all moved out, for energy reasons...yeah, we hit it alot with wiffle balls and kick balls. Maybe she didn't know where those round marks came from on the window---NOT!
Hope you are looking to summer with a smile and a plan of not planning it all. My mom delivered mail on a rural route for over 25 years. She remarked how you just didn't see kids outside just playing like you used to. Don't let that be your house. Kick those kids outside! Be mean!! send them to the woods with a stick to hunt some buffalo. One winter Alex kept digging holes in the snow trying to 'trap' rabbits. Don't tell them the rabbit can get out..just encourage them to create and imagine. How sad when kids lose that.... do you still have yours?? Cut it loose!!

3 comments:

Susan Anderson said...

I miss those days of playing unorganized games, too. We had so much fun, and I think today's kids miss out on some of that.

=)

Hen Jen said...

so true! I get mine out, but it is hard these days, there are so many electronic things beckoning them to stay inside!

Byrdbyron said...

Oh so true. I can't remember the number of times my Mother said. "Go outside and play and don't come in until chore time." We milked at 5PM. You’re right about imagination. I remember Robinson Crusoe at the creek and climbing the Himalayas in our gravel pit.