2002-01-30-9:50 p.m.

Warning: This may be a long entry, the writer suggests to the reader that a good cup of coffee may be needed for what pointless rambling my transpire.

Ok, now that that's out of the way. I'll talk about a few things.

Dimitri and Soccer

Dimitri is soon to be member of Riverside Soccer Club. He used to be member of Colorado Rush Soccer Club.

The Colorado Rush is very high on developing players to play the next level of competition, be it college or pro. I can't knock them as they consistently place high in National Tournaments, and the list of alumni and their accomplishments is staggering. But, Dimitri is not yet the most accomplished player, the coaches he had his first year of soccer with Rush didn't seem to have any plan of teaching. While I saw other kids on other teams doing fundamental drills, the same can't be said for his team. It doesn't bother me if Dimitri isn't good enough, it does bother me if he isn't taught correctly.

So last week we got a flyer from the Riverside Club, and by first impression I think they take much more time making sure every kid gets the most out of their club. So tomorrow we're signing Dimitri up, and hopefully he learns a lot more about how beautiful the sport really is.

Dimitri and Baseball

He wants to play. After taking him to the park to hit I think this is where he might find his place. We still need to help him with fielding and baserunning, but as far as hitting goes, he's got about the best form I've seen, pure, natrual swing.

My friend Danny and I used to take Dimitri and Dan's son, DJ, to the park or yard and teach them how to hit. Stance, bat position, stride, etc, etc...

Last week watching him I realized everything I was trying to teach him he remembered. This is going to sound like the typical DAD thing to say but, as much as I tried, I didn't have the natural ability he's showing now. For his size, he can drive the ball very well, his hands are quick and he can turn hard and pull the ball better than I ever could. Geez, I sound like freakin' "coach dad" or something...I'm just excited to see him do well, that's all.

So we're going to look into baseball in the summer and see how he likes it.

Dimitri and School

He's smart enough, he just is so overwhelmed by the amount of work put in front of him he gets frustrated. I'm not entirely sure exactly how to help him with this. He can do the work, most of the problem is just like any other kid he'd rather play.

So I think soccer in the spring may be a good way to keep him organized with school. This may sound backwards but the way it was in the past, he'd go home, do his homework and then take off to practice. Now, he goes home and plays around and tries to avoid his homework. Does it make more sense now? He understands when he's playing a sport that his schoolwork comes first, without the sure thing of soccer practice, he seems to get lazy about the homework.

But I don't know yet. It's a lot more work this year than last year, he may just fry.

Being a parent isn't all about the kids learning. I learn more and more each day. The best I can do is give him avenues to learn and be diverse and hope that along the way, we'll both come out ok.

d.