T-ball closes its season with a scrimmage between class participants. That's T hustling after the ball in the center of the picture there. He's well out of position, along with everyone else.
Monday was T’s final T-ball class this season. Our class session was scheduled to end in February, but with all of the rainy day make-ups tagged onto the end of the season, it pushed a few weeks longer than expected. If you have kids in winter classes yourselves, RMT’ers, I am sure you can relate to extended class sessions. Extensions are both good and bad really, bad in that it can cause a few scheduling conflicts, not that the kids notice that so much. They just see it as the fun going on and on… and on….
T helps clear the T-ball field of sticks before class begins.
The coaches at TriFytt Sports were great about establishing a wonderful habit of stretching and warming-up before every T-ball class.
A very happy T stretching before one of his T-ball classes this winter. Yes, he's in shorts, as are the other boys pictured. That's winter here in Southern California, RMT'ers! Hard to believe we had so many rain-outs when we had 70-degree afternoons like this one sprinkled into the mix!
Oh, T, leave the weeding to the gardeners... then again, what a classic (cliché, even) shot of a four-year-old boy playing third base. I'm sad I forgot my good camera on this day, but at least I captured the moment.
I’m not sure how much T actually enjoyed T-ball, truth be told. A lot of the time it seemed that he had more fun running around gathering sticks before class, or chatting with his coaches and peers during the warm-up exercises and playing “rooster” tag. But then again, he’s four, and those are the things that four-year-old boys tend to gravitate toward rather than rules and regulations of an actual, organized game. At least the coaches at TriFytt Sports – mostly females – were in tune with the fact that this group of boys (sadly, no girls joined up for the entire session) needed to burn off that extra energy before settling them into class.
T up to bat at his last T-ball class!
T swings... and gets a hit! Yep, a lefty in the making... for this at-bat anyway.
It was sort-of weird to watch T-ball being taught in a class setting versus team match-ups, but at the same time, with a group of three- and four-year-olds, it really is the only way to teach a sport without overdoing it on the competitive angle and losing their attention altogether. And to the coaches’ credit (there were always at least two coaches at class, which was nice), they did always break the group into two smaller groups – teams, I suppose – for better one-on-one attention.
C tosses T the ball, and a new tradition begins!
T catches the ball! Yep, he already knows that it takes both hands to catch: Glove-hand and cover-hand. Never too early to start learning the right way to do things, RMT'ers!
And T-ball also inspired C and T to start yet another traditional father-son activity together: Playing catch. We went out at the start of the season and got T his first glove, and that inspired C and I to dig our mitts out of the attic, too. While T hasn’t asked to play too much just yet, we’re ready whenever he is. Yes, I said we; after all, I put more than my fair share of Little League myself, so I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing also.
T getting hands-on instruction - this time, right-handed - from Coach Kristen with TriFytt Sports.
So thanks again, Long Beach Parks and Rec – another class comes to a successful end! What’s up next? I don’t know… guess it’s time to spring into action with a decision soon!
T proudly stands on first base after one of his many hits during T-ball class. Thanks again to TriFytt Sports and Long Beach Parks and Rec for a great season!
Real Mom Time (RMT) 