Casa Grande, AZ: League Water Volleyball & Competition

Here at the Casa Grande Golf & RV Resort I have been playing water volleyball almost every day from 2 pm to ~ 5 pm. There is also a competitive water volleyball league that plays every Monday & Friday from 11 am to 1 pm. We arrived 3 days after the sign-up period for the league closed so I have not been able to play in the competitive league. 

This was disappointing because the competitive league plays six on six; that is, six people on each side. This makes for a very exciting game with lots of action. With only six players (three on the front row & three on the back row) you have a lot of ground (water actually) to cover. The level of play is higher which makes the volleys longer which means you get a lot more action & exercise. 

I have been pretty competitive my whole life and don't see that changing any time soon. In fact, Mary Lynn would get mad at me when I was playing games with my children because I wouldn't just let our children win the games unless they beat me. She felt & still feels that the adult should "take it easy" in order for the child to win. 

Not me. It's a tough world out there. Our children need to understand that they have to fight hard in order to make a living and in order to find your way in this world. I wanted my kids to be tough, physically & mentally, in order to take on the challenges of this world. I told MLA our kids would never be able to thrive in this world unless they were tough & hardened against the realities of life.

MLA pointed out our oldest was only 4 and making him run laps and lift weights before a t-ball game might not be the best way. Rubbish I told her, and increased his morning calisthenics. 

OK, I might have overdone it when my kids were young. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to let them win at Checkers or Parcheesi, I don't know. 

Not that I didn't try. I signed the girls up for a t-ball league, determined not to be the pushy & loud father. I went to the first game determined to be supportive regardless of how anyone played. In my mind I imagined fluffy clouds, purring kittens and long pony rides. I was ready to nurture my children's inner being. Reassure them and smooth the troubled waters...

When the coach announced they did not use umpires I felt my blood pressure rise slightly however after a few moments of deep breathing (not easy while you are biting your tongue) I calmed down a bit. 

As the little boys and girls proceeded to swing at the t-ball, the coach informed us the child could take as many swings as they needed in order to hit the ball. Again I felt myself tense as child after child flailed at the ball sitting atop the tee until they finally, mercifully, managed to knock the ball off the tee and take off for first base. 

One child, after swinging repeatedly for several minutes without hitting the ball or even the tee for that matter, was told by a coach "that's OK, just run on down to first base". Wait a minute I thought, how can you do that to this child? Not one of my children mind you; each of my children had mandatory t-ball batting practice every morning before school and again after dinner. 

My mind reeled at the idea anyone would allow this youngster to run to first base as if they had actually hit the ball. At this point I was almost in tears from biting my tongue and finally I couldn't take it anymore.

"Coach" I cried out, Is that legal? Will his run count the same as the other children who actually hit the ball and ran to first in the manner baseball was intended to be played?".

"It's OK" the coach tells me, "We don't keep score".

Hearing him say they don't keep score caused the pressure in my chest to skyrocket and my head was spinning faster than a titanium drill bit through balsa wood. It was a race to see which would explode first, my head or my chest. 

Not keep score. Had I gone to sleep and awoken in some communist state where socialism ruled? 

It was too much. I collapsed right there; right next to the scorekeeper who was drawing little hearts and flowers next to each child's name, having already completed the task of cutting oranges into wedges for the "Every Ones a Winner" party held after the game. For both teams. All together. Aghhhh. 

And that's exactly what happened. At that age, the kids can't really catch the ball, and, if they should somehow stop the ball, they can't throw the ball with any accuracy, so, we sat there for several hours watching all the children run around the bases until, mercifully, the game ended on account of darkness. 

At the "Every Ones a Winner' victory party, even the kids were confused. Many a child would ask "Who won?" and each looked equally confused when some parent or coach would say "You all won". I almost cried.....

So you can believe me when I say I am competitive. 

So several weeks ago I put my name on the alternate players list, waiting for an opening on one of the competitive water volleyball teams. When one of the team captains called last Saturday to ask if I'd be interested in playing on a league team, I was ecstatic. When I hung up the phone, MLA thought I had a bee in my shirt as I danced around the RV. 

You should have seen the look she gave me when I told her my reason for celebrating was getting on a league team. And yet, as always, she humored me, told me she was happy for me, and in general tried not to let me see that she felt I was a complete nut. She tried but I've seen that look before, the little sigh and the drooping of the shoulders. She tried but I knew what she was really thinking....

In any case, today was the first day I played in the competitive league. The game started at 11 am; I was there at 10:30 am. Why you ask? Well there is a lot of preparation before the game. You have to take a 30 second shower and you have to wait 15 seconds for the shower water to warm up and you have to, well, ah, well that's pretty much it as far as preparation before the game is concerned.

No coach's strategy session, no review of the rules, no instant replay cameras, no announcing of the players names; heck they didn't even play the Star Spangled Banner. What's wrong with these people? 

Truthfully I had a great time. Lots of action, lots of laughs and of course, lots of competition. 

One other thing. In my daughter's first t-ball game, the actual score was 37 to 29 in favor of my daughter's team....    I just thought you would want to know... I know I did!

See Ya!