Drive to Succeed

Last week J began the training program Coach C put together for him.  He knew going in that it was going to be tough to stick to the program, keep up with schoolwork, and give his all to both the swim team and his current Little League team.  I have to say that the dedication he's shown to making it all work has pleasantly surprised me.  His days are long, and chock full of activity.  His days begin at 6:00 and he usually is able to go to bed by 10:00.  The hours in between are filled with school, daily swim practice, weight lifting, running, baseball practice, and hitting lessons.  He recently hit the times needed to be classified as a varsity swimmer.  And he's doing well in his classes, though honors chemistry is giving him a bit of trouble at the moment.  J is handling it all well, with little complaint.  Sure, he moans and groans a bit, but for the most part he just plugs along, checking off the days requirements one  by one.  Even when he does complain and drag his feet about doing a workout or homework, it only takes a little prodding to get him going again.  J knows this is just the first step on the long road to college baseball.  It's a road he's more than  willing to travel and we couldn't be more proud of him.   

I'd also like to say how proud I am of N and A as well.  J's baseball tends to consume our lives.  We spend countless hours at practices, lessons, and games.  Throw in J's new training program and the entire families days are planned around fitting it all in. My hard and fast rule is that J's baseball not prevent his siblings from pursuing their own activities and interests.  They both have classes, scout troops, and lessons of their own.  But their lives still revolve around J's baseball much of the time.  And they, for the most part, handle being baseball siblings very well.   They have spent much of their young lives at baseball fields, cheering on their big brother.  I hope J realizes how lucky he is to have their love and support, and how proud he should be to have them cheering him on as he pursues his dream.