Basketball for Dominic

Dominic had been asking to play basketball, and we had seen him practicing outside, shooting baskets by the hour, day after day, for a long time.  So I signed him up for the winter session at the YMCA.  I was a little apprehensive for him, as he was 9, playing for the first time.  He was good at shooting baskets, but learning how to play the game is a different story. 

It was so much better than I expected.  First of all, he got put on a team with a coach who was more concerned with teaching the boys how to play and making sure they enjoyed it than he was with winning.  Secondly, the boys on his team were good kids, nice and fun to be around.  Even though they had all played together for a couple of years, they readily accepted Dominic as one of them.  One interesting thing was that there were three brothers on his team who were part of a set of quadruplets!

It took Dominic a couple of games to get the hang of it, and then he improved greatly over the course of the season.  He practiced constantly, on his own and with Daddy, and then once a week with his team.  His team won a few games, Dominic learned lots of new skills, and he had a great time.  I call the experience a success!

Ready to play, Dominic was #20 in white.

Under the basket, ready for the rebound.

Getting instruction from the coach.

Dominic in center of picture, waiting for his teammate to bring the ball down.

Dominic and his team.