I’ll admit, I had my doubts. Hopes for a good outcome, absolutely, but Future Jedi can be really difficult to engage if he isn’t totally into whatever activity he’s signed up for. For example, he loves being in the kids’ Christmas program at church, but hates to sing. So he won’t. He’ll do all the choreography, do a speaking part, whatever, but nary a note will pass his lips.
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| The kid looks like a football player, at least. |
On the other hand, he wanted to play hockey after attending one game and seeing the players fight. He was mostly undeterred by the fact that he can’t skate, so my pitch to him for football was something along the lines of “You get to hit people, and you don’t have to learn to skate.”
Yes, I’m aware of all the research into CTE and traumatic brain injuries. I’m also aware that kids get hurt just as often playing soccer, despite that sport’s safer reputation. I don’t believe in perpetually cocooning kids in bubble wrap for their safety. I’m a child of the ‘80s. My brothers and I grew up riding bikes without helmets, playing outside for hours, and sleeping sideways on car bench seats. Technically we were still buckled up, not that it would have really mattered in a crash.
Point is, Future Jedi (FJ) is a very kinetic nine-year-old boy, who got bored standing around during baseball. He likes to hit things, wrestle with his siblings, and has been having trouble understanding that anger has both appropriate and inappropriate outlets. He may have a solid future career in the Marines. I figured that football would be good for him, if it could capture his focus.
For a change, I was correct.
Truthfully, his season got off to a rocky start. The first few weeks of junior football practice are kind of boring, as kids start off with non-contact drills, then put on their helmets, and eventually work their way into full pads and hitting each other for real. FJ was bored. When smart, active boys are bored, they tend to cause trouble. Fortunately, FJ’s coach was used to dealing with teamfuls of boys like that, and dealt with it well.
Things got better as the season went on. FJ found his place on offence on the line, lined up to the left of the Center position. He first got frustrated when opponents would send two players to try and move him, then made it a point of pride that he could tie up two defenders. On defense he started on the line as well, but as the season went on, his coaches saw something. FJ was pretty quick, despite being one of the bigger kids on the team. He enjoyed making tackles. Linebacker! Just like that, FJ found his position trying to pancake anyone with the ball.
More importantly, he showed that he was learning the lessons that I hoped he’d learn: that using anger to focus on an objective can be beneficial, but just being angry and exploding only hurts you and your team. That teams are only as strong as their members. That aggression is okay, when channeled appropriately. That discipline, focus, and hard work do pay off to achieve goals.
At the end of the season, he was awarded “Most Improved” by his coaches.
He already plans on playing again next season. He’s even inspired his younger brother, The Centurion (TC) to play as well.