During the WAC league we were able witness Kyler and Damon's team play one another. Damon always gets super nervous and anxious. He gets so hopeful that they can beat the older team. Kyler's team always gets nervous playing the younger boys because they really don't want to lose to them. It's a hard place to be as a parent because I cheer for both teams and want them both to succeed, but at the end one team loses.
This game Kyler and Damon both played more aggressive than they usually do. They both had more fouls in this game than any other game the entire season, and I think they were all against each other! Damon's team really didn't play as well as they usually do. Their passing was not as good and they didn't use their speed as much as they should. The first half was pretty close, but Kyler's team pulled away in the end. It will be super nice once they are playing on the same team!
It's hard to see in this video, but Kyler and Damon crash into one another pretty hard.
Damon would have never fouled another kid like this. He is usually very smooth and clean when he tries to strip the ball from someone. I have never seen him do something like this, especially in a game. However, playing your big brother brings out some aggression I guess!
Kyler has done a great job this year. They had to play against a lot of older boys in the 6th grade division. He looked pretty small out there, but did well not getting intimidated and played hard. He is getting more confident and sure of himself. He doesn't use his speed as a weapon like Damon does, but he is far from slow! There was not a kid he couldn't run down on a fast break, if he wanted to! There were many times that Kyler was defending the biggest and strongest player on the opposing team. He never hesitated and tried his best. He blocked out really well and tried to stay tough! The team continues to grow and they are a great group of kids.
He got some great fast break opportunities.
He didn't make the shot, but it's so fun to see him take more opportunities!
The shot didn't fall this time either, but he sure beat that kid driving to the hole.
Kyler had several shots like this through the season. He's got a nice touch!
Damon's team had a very successful season this year. They were the older boys in their division in the Altus league, and they learned how to pass the ball really well. If they listened and passed the ball they dominated! It was really fun to watch them and see the growth in so many of the boys. Kenney does such a fantastic job coaching and trying to rein them in. All the parents, myself included, saw a side to Kenney we had never seen. He actually yelled to get a call from the refs. He has tried to teach the boys that they need to always be respectful to the refs and to not gesture or mouth off to them. He told them if it is bad enough he would yell for them. Well, it got bad enough one game. He did yell and asked the boys if they heard him. They all confirmed they heard him, haha!
This group has a lot of speed and great potential for the future. It was amazing to watch Damon at times. His athleticism is so natural and instinctive, and his speed is impressive. There was never a kid faster than him. His ball handling and layups needs some fine tuning, but the kid LOVES to compete and it's so fun to watch!
Their team remained undefeated in the Altus league and won the tournament! They then entered the WAC league and had to play with the big boys! There were only 2 4th grade teams to enter so the teams agreed to play the 5th and 6th grade boys too. They were able to win against one of the 5th grade teams and ended up winning the '4th grade division'! It was really good for them to play against the bigger teams. Overall, the boys did really well this year. Hopefully they can continue to grow and get better and better, if only they would listen to the coach, haha!
This was a pretty easy steal for Damon, but he swipes that ball frequently from anyone and 95% of the time he does it cleanly without fouling.
Damon's friend Westin #2 is the most timid and least confident kid on the team. He made a great play by stealing the ball and then Damon made a good pass. He's always trying to look for opportunities to give him the ball and shoot. This time it worked! I love Damon's reaction. He gets so excited for his teammates; it's amazing to watch!
Damon is great at passing the ball. He sees every opportunity he can to pass. He does a lot of no look passes so his teammates have to be ready.
We had a Come Follow Me lesson about patience and these kids were part of an experiment. They were all told they would get an Oreo, but if they could sit there for 15 minutes and not eat it, they would get a second Oreo. I was super impressed that all of them were patient enough to wait it out and get 2 Oreos!
Kenney started some seeds for the garden and these leaves couldn't bear to part, haha!
These girls were troopers through all of the basketball games they had to sit through. When it was warm enough, they always wanted to go outside and play.
She's becoming a pro at the monkey bars, even has the callouses to prove it!
Cute, cute girls!
This girl is constantly doing something to keep us entertained.
This is a lost video from when Radley was in kindergarten. He was dancing to the music with his friends while they waited for their race to begin. He is in the red shirt and grey shorts on the far right. He's got some moves!!
Kyler and Damon both decided to sign up for the school talent show. Kyler immediately thought he should solve his Rubik's cube. We thought it would be fun if they showed a timer with a countdown the audience could see. He also added some drama by blindfolding himself in the beginning and mixing the cube up before he solved it. Originally he wanted to solve it in less than 60 seconds (his best time is 56 seconds), but we thought with nerves and such he should put his timer at 90 seconds to insure success.
Damon struggled to figure out what he wanted to do. He finally decided on break dancing. We encouraged him several times to find some music, but he never did. So he got up and did the dance moves without music!
We were not able to attend the show because of COVID restrictions, but they steamed it live on Facebook for us to watch. Oma, Papa Dude and Zadi all watched it live. Kenney was even able to watch it at work with one of his patients! I was super proud of both of these boys. They are not the most extroverted kids so this was a stretch for them to get up there. It was a great experience for Kyler, especially on his birthday!
They started the timer a little early, but he made it just in time! It was so fun to watch how all the kids were cheering him on and supportive.
One of the moms that works at the school sent me this video, and I love how you can see the clock from this angle.
Here are Damon's awesome moves. I know this was really hard for him to do because he does not like a lot of attention just on him. I'm really proud of him!
