For the love of the game

My daughters were at basketball camp this past week, one that emphasizes fun, and builds the foundation for "loving the game". I race around to drop them off, then come back early enough to watch a few hours just to watch them play. Note this is the first time they've ever played organized basketball, even though I've coached for many years. I just sit there and observe, watching them smile, make mistakes, make some plays, make some shots, run back and forth, laugh and joke around ... in a word ... play.

I was talking with the camp director there and I was telling how him how much I appreciated their approach to running the camp, that I felt it was the right way to do it, especially at this age. We were definitely on the same page as far as that's concerned. The coaches there are so positive, so energetic, and truly enjoy spending time with the kids.

Now, I've coached competitive basketball for many years, and I've always taken it seriously. But, at the same time, I've always stressed that basketball is a game, and should be enjoyed as much as possible. We don't have much time to be as strong and as good as we are when we're young, since basketball is truly a young person's sport, so we need to take advantage, work hard, and have fun doing it. I'm understanding that now that I'm playing here and there again. Boy, it's hard to shoot, dribble, play defense, and move like I did when I was a kid. It's not the same with a 41-year old body, but it's still fun.

Lastly, my kids appetites have been very healthy since they have gone to camp. Running around for 8 hours in a day will tend to that. So, bottom line, if you have the resources and the time, try and send your kids to an athletic camp, have them move around and have fun with other kids, and learn to love the game, whatever game that may be. The exercise they'll get now, learning to love it, will be invaluable for them later on ... to combat the sedentary, video-game based lifestyle that's so prevalent today.