Mrs BC's House of Chaos: Take me out to the ball game

When The Gentleman was a few years old, we where convinced he was going to be the next Diego Maradona. Man, he loved that soccer ball. He seemed to be a natural, and we couldn't wait for him to be old enough to join a team and start playing. First game, he kicked 4 goals! I resigned myself to becoming a soccer mom and started shopping for a mini van. Second game, he became a bit distracted (he was only 5) and the coach yelled a bit. He still kicked a few goals, but it was the beginning of the end. The coach was a yeller, in the nastiest way possible. He would grab a little 5 year old by the shoulders and shout into his face Open yer EYES!! What's WRONG with you??! By game 4 we couldn't get The Gentleman out of the car on game day, and after several discussions about building resilience, we changed teams, along with half the other kids. But...the damage was done, and The Gentleman's soccer career was over. Not only had he lost interest in the sport, he had developed an aversion to most sport.

This is a problem, because at school, all of his mates play soccer or handball every lunchtime. So instead of hanging with his friends, he wanders the school yard, using asthma as an excuse. Don't get me wrong - he is occasionally asthmatic and this is a serious illness that shouldn't be made fun of. But it shouldn't be the excuse to not play with his friends either.

So you know that I am half of Blog Power Events, right? Rachel and I have been working with Baseball Queensland to help raise awareness of baseball as a children's sport, and to be honest we where both sold long before the blogger events last weekend. It is a nationally supported and internationally recognized non contact sport, for boys and girls of all ages. They have a very strict anti bully policy. They have awesome uniforms, which is something The Gentleman very much appreciates. (remember this post?) One of the things that I was excited about was that this year, the 12 year old winners of the Australian Little League Championships went to the USA to compete in the World Little League Series - what an awesome experience to have as a 12 year old! You would remember that your whole life! Definitely something to aim for.

So like any good blogger, I ~~made~~ invited my family along, so they could have a go at baseball and see if they liked it as much as I liked the sound of it.

First up, Coach Gareth. This guy is an absolute legend with the kids and engaged them immediately. All the mums and dad's thought he was brilliant, and on Sunday, someone likened him to The Rock in the movie The Pacifier, such is his skill with the under 12's.Actually, that part is played by Vin Diesel, but 'The Rock' sticks. (When I mention this in the club house, all the other baseball guys say Don't tell him that! We are never going to hear the end of it now! While Gareth the Rock sits there laughing. Those guys are so funny)

I was very happy to see team BC going along with whatever Gareth the Rock told them to do, and they worked up a sweat in no time. They didn't fight with each other or anyone else, which is a little miracle right there. There was no back chatting or whinging. It was awesome!

All of these photos where taken by Mr BC.

All of the kids payed attention to Gareth the Rock, and did whatever he asked of them. He taught them the basic skills of baseball, bit by bit, adding new things into the mix until they where playing a seemingly complicated game of kick this ball, hit that ball with a tennis racket, run around the bases, jump on the honking base, home! Everyone seemed to be having a great time - even the mums and dads, who all had a go at batting themselves. Yes, even me!

I was running around with my Blog Power Events hat on, instagramming like a wild thing, so I could see my kids where happy but because of that didn't pay them too much attention. I'm so glad Mr BC took these images because when I got home and saw them, this made me smile.

This is my son, enjoying a physical team sport, and laughing about it. He played nicely, he did well, he didn't stop to complain about a cramp or ask for his Ventolin. The thing that really made me tear up (seriously, I am such a sook!) is this small piece of video. The pride on his face at the end just kills me.

At the end of the morning, after everyone had had a hot dog and put on the Brisbane bandits shirts in their goody bag, they all posed for a photo. And then we went home, where The Gentleman kept that shirt on until 10 PM.

Turns out he really loves baseball, and we'll be signing him up at our local club on 3rd August.

If you think your child might like baseball, get along to your local club for open day. Sign on in Queensland is on 3rd and 10th of August, and they can start as young as 5 years old. You can find a list of clubs in Queensland here, or Google it if this isn't your state. Also! There is a great competition going right now on facebook for Baseball Queensland, where 5 winners will win their fees, a coaching session and equipment! Please go over and enter here.

xx