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Posted By Katie On March 14, 2012 7 Comments

Old athlete’s life lessons

Filed Under: Family Values Tagged With: family fun 7 Comments

Any other mamas outside remember back to when they were athletes? In my mind, I am still an athlete. But I was humbled this past weekend and freshly reminded that I am an old athlete.

 My feet don’t move very well. I am slow. My baskets don’t fall when I think they should.

I am best when I am passing the ball…which that was to another mom, our friend Nancy who was visiting with her husband Casey and their three kids. Nancy and I teamed up against Hunter, age 14 and Noah, age 9.

Hunter blocked my shot and boxed me out a few times. I threw elbows and fouled him as much as I could. I might be slow and my shot might be off but my elbows are still mighty sharp.

Nancy had way more game than me, thankfully. We held our own for awhile against our sons. Then we called in reserves.

The Dads. The dads got to work against their sons. They were huffing and puffing but proved they still have game.

I retreated to the sidelines where I am now most comfortable. In my mind I can still have an inner athlete within me that moves swiftly. But she isn’t what she used to be. My best role is now the encourager on the sidelines. I have a son who plays sports and little girls to help them find their inner athlete and develop it.

They have big dreams like their brother. 

I don’t anticipate any future mid-life crisis of me trying to relive my past athletic years. I needed too much Aleve or Advil to recover from 20 minutes of pick up 2 on 2 pick up basketball to push myself to any new heights. But I was reminded why I love sports from our basketball playing this past weekend.

 
I love the team aspect. I love the challenges. I love the discipline, work ethic needed to achieve success and the sense of accomplishment. All are crucial life lesson I learned through sports at a young age. Even if I am old athlete today, teamwork, taking on challenges with discipline and working towards a goal, knowing I can achieve success is applicable to my every day personal and professional life. 
Success does not need to be defined with trophies or medals but small wins can be found in every day tasks in life. Success changes as life evolves. 
My next success will be launching kids into the world that have learned life lessons of hard work and self discipline. They will be taught…on the court and off the court by old athletes inspiring new athletes.
How do you define success?
Linking up today with Wordless or Wordy Wednesday bloggers:

Live and Love...Out LoudDagmar's Momsense
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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    March 14, 2012 at 5:29 am

    Wow when I get there, I better get out to the hoop and shoot quite a bit! I have been playing co-ed with a women’s ball. It’s really too bad I can’t get some of my other friends to Wishek to beat up on some of those Wishek ballers! I know of few guys that could, but with their size and skill, just a few. 🙂
    -Brother Joe

    Reply
  2. Kirsti Craig says

    March 14, 2012 at 5:43 am

    Really? You have sharp elbows and foul mercilessly?
    …haha I should’ve warned Hunter. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Prairie Mother says

    March 14, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    I can sympathize!! My boys are.just starting to get interested in sports…and they already make me feel old and creaky!! But I agree..my job isn’t to be an athlete anymore. it’s time for me to be the cheerleader…(without the skirt though!)

    Reply
  4. TexWisGirl says

    March 14, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    looks like a lot of fun. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    March 15, 2012 at 3:02 am

    Someone once told me – “there is to much sports in schools” I disagree – I think there just needs to be a balance. Education is important to all our children but sports teaches children so much about life that they can’t get from a book. Working hard, accepting disappointment, learning to put team before themselves and most importantly, it teaches our children to set goals. I was never an athlete but all of our children were involved in sports. Crazy schedules, lots of miles, late nites and early morning practices, but I would never trade one moment of being their biggest fans. Our children are long gone but we still love supporting our local teams. This season has past but we are already looking forward to next year.

    Reply
  6. Lana Wallpe says

    March 15, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    I think success can be found in the attempt and lessons learned as well as the final outcome. Great post!

    Reply
  7. Kristi, Live and Love...Out Loud says

    March 15, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    You have got to be one of the coolest moms! I’m sure your kids are stoked that they’re mom can throw elbows like that. I’ll never forget the look on my teen childrens’ faces when I showed them that I could still breakdance. Priceless! Loved these photos…

    Thanks so much for stopping by and linking up. Have a great day! 🙂

    Reply

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I am a mom of three kids and a wife to Nathan. Together we live on the North Dakota prairie, 97 miles from a Starbuck's. I share about family, food, farming and the prairie that I love. I used to commute 98 miles one-way to work but it required too much coffee. So now I am home, consulting, speaking, writing and primarily, juggling family life.
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