Kaylee desperately wanted to join a team at Awanas to compete in an event against other churches' Sparks teams. I didn't think she'd like it after the first practice, but she did, and she went to all three practices. This morning Steve and I took her to the church/school where the competition, called Sparks-A-Rama, was held. There were three teams this year from neighboring cities and Kokomo. Kaylee was on the Red Team for Kokomo Bible Baptist. I was watching these other teams warm up with real stretches, while our team mostly ran around and goofed off, and I thought to myself, "Oh, this isn't good." The teams are supposed to be made up of 15-17 kids, second graders with top priority, then first graders, then any slots left over, Kindergartners. Kaylee made the team-not because she's so good, but because they didn't have enough kids to fill the team. So THIS team is mostly kindergartners with a few first graders. The other teams had more second graders. They've had a total of THREE practices before the event. I think to myself again "Oh, this isn't gonna be pretty." See, some churches take this competition rather seriously. I know. I went to one when I was a teenager. :) We practiced all season long for the "Olympics" as they were called. So I tried to prep Kaylee to be a gracious winner, and a gracious loser. I was more concerned about the losing part. Later Steve tried to tell Kaylee to be a good sport if she lost, a "good loser". Kaylee says "You want me to be a loser??" We laughed and said "No, we want you to be NICE about it if you lose."
They didn't lose! That little group of Sparkies didn't just win, they Creamed the other two teams, beating the second place team by 20 points and having almost double the score of the third place team. I have to admit, I had fun sitting in the bleachers and watching. Kaylee did a great job in the events in which she participated. They had two races around the circle that she wasn't part of, which tells me she didn't "make the cut" there, but the things she did do, she was pretty good at. There was one event, "Hunters and Rabbits", which is really "Dodge Ball". Well, I noticed a kid on an opposing team who got hit with the ball-but cheated, and didn't leave. I muttered to Steve "I'm TELLING, that kid got hit and he didn't leave!" We laughed, and moved on. The next team's turn came, and suddenly from behind me I hear "Hey, that kid got hit and he's not leaving. That's not fair. That kid should leave. They're counting him, and they really have one less because that kid got hit and didn't leave!" I almost busted up. I think that dad briefly considered standing up and pointing out the offending six-year-old. :D
For the first event of the day, they did a crawling race. Everybody on the team had to race across the floor-on their KNEES. Some kids had knee pads on under the pants, but I didn't have any knee pads for Kaylee. I told her ahead of time that her knees would probably bother her, but that she'd have to suck it up and just go as fast as she could, no whining. After the event, in which she did very well, Steve said "You crawled really fast on your knees, even without knee pads! I'll bet your knees hurt, huh?" She said "Yes, but Mommy told me to do it anyway so I did." Atta girl. :)
Every time her team would win a race, which was most of the time, she would dance around like a crazy girl down there. It was really funny. She was definitely the most...enthusiastic...one there. This photos is part of her Victory Dance after they won the whole event. It's blurry because I couldn't get my camera to focus fast enough on her racing across the floor with all the closer stuff it kept focusing on. But at least you get the general idea here. She's happy, she jumping, her arms are up in the air, I see her dimples, and it's fairly obvious her team won and she's pleased. Competition has its place in the world. Nothing builds self-esteem like having to work at something, and then succeeding at it. Of course when you FAIL it kind of STINKS, but for today we'll just go with the glow of winning. ;)Oh, photos are up on her site HERE. She can be hard to spot in there, but you get the general idea anyway!
As for me, I feel a little...nostalgic in a weird way...about it all. Since I remember being in Awanas, in her age group, and beyond, seeing that circle all laid out with the colored tape and the pins and the teams and the events, it was a little (okay a big) deja vu! They use a little air horn these days and it's not too loud. Ours was always a cap gun or some kind of gun, and man it was loud, and it used to just propel me off the line. I'd jump a foot when it went off, like a skittish race horse. Of course I am a nervous person when it comes to loud noises anyway-and more so back when I was a kid. My heart rate would go up to the triple digits just waiting at the line for the gun. So I'm kind of glad it's a quieter starting noise these days. I did catch Kaylee plugging her ears on the sidelines a few times when she didn't like the noise of the crowd cheering. Couldn't blame her there!
Afterwards we went to Harvey Hinklemeir for lunch, and celebrated her success with a pizza and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. :) We came home, and Steve headed off to take a flight, while Kaylee and I goofed around at home. I played "We Are The Champions" on iTunes, and she just yelled out the two phrases she knows over and over. It was pretty funny. That started us off on a dancing thing. We danced around the living room until I got dizzy. (She loves the Trans-Siberian Orchestra). Next is a tea party that I've been invited to attend, with cheese puffs, yogurt, cottage cheese, water, milk, and fruit rollups. lol So, if you'll excuse me, I have to RSVP about a Tea Party...
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