Working out is hard to do!

The AOSR Sport Season finished up this past weekend, and they had the Awards Ceremony celebrating their victories. For a small school we did quite well against other much bigger European teams. Our boys basketball team took second and the soccer team was in the finals. The smaller sport venues had other schools sitting up and taking notice of the little AOSR team that could... Their courage reminded me of stories of the 180 Alamo inhabitants against the hundreds of Santa Anna's army; the 300 Spartans against thousands of Persians in Thermopolyae, and 500 Christian Knights against the 48,000 Muslim Turks on Malta. Except for the last case, they lost the wars but won the pyrrhic battle (a victory with a devastating lost to the victors)

Here is Trevor with his cross country team. His coach, Susan Siloquini, said there is no harder or lonelier sport than cross country. Even though it is a "team sport" you run the grueling, fast paced 3.3 miles all by yourself. This team started out as 20 strong and dropped to these 6. Susan is a die hard marathoner and she recounted how she threw at them killer workouts and these 6 didn't waste their breath complaining. She told everyone about the first practice: it was incredibly hot and she took them to this vertical hill to run sprints. On the fifth hill repeat, Trevor threw up but just kept going. She said he set the tone for the season.
This is Trevor's wrestling team. Trevor's "coach" was just a wrestler from the team last year, and never really showed up for practice as it conflicted with his college class schedule. Trevor was the Team Captain but basically was the coach. Everyday he drug out the heavy mats, ran everyone in drills and workouts and encouraged his team mates along the way. No surprise that he received the "Coaches Award." The two Athletic Directors said there would not have been a team without Trevor. They thanked him for his work ethic and positive, encouraging attitude
Despite winning several matches, Trevor did not make it to the European Championships but the coaches of other teams and fellow wrestlers told him what a great warrior he was. We are sending him to OSU for a 14 day intensive wrestling camp and hope it will help gain the skills necessary to be successful this next season.

At the end of the evening, Trevor got up and elequently spoke about his team mates and his coach and received loud applause.

As a parent you see your flaws and mistakes, your children's weaknesses... but it's nice to have those moments where you see your child's potential and see them forming the characteristics that will make them capable adults.