Boys of summer (and spring and fall)
Baseball has started up again.
Our Saturdays resemble typical American suburban weekends--up early for soccer, a stop at Starbucks in between and then on to another child's sport, baseball.
I really appreciate how Sports Beijing is handling baseball this spring, too. The kids in the under-12 age groups have two options--competitive and recreational. The competitive teams practice several times a week and will play games against local sports academies' teams and those from similar leagues in other cities. The recreational league only meets on Saturdays and allows for basic instruction followed by games. Similar to how the soccer league is managed this year for the young kids, all of the recreational league baseball players have identical uniforms. The shirts, though, are reversible, so at game time half of the kids can switch from red to white.
By separating the kids into these two groups, more families seem to be enjoying baseball this year. The kids who are ready for competitive baseball aren't held back by others who are only just learning the sport. And for kids like Myles who are still just getting a handle on the game, they have a chance to grow in skills while not affecting a deadly serious game.
Of course, it's impossible to talk about Sports Beijing Baseball these past two seasons without mentioning the incredible new coach running baseball. The organization is so fortunate that Coach Koch came to Beijing, looking for baseball opportunities. A school teacher and experienced baseball coach of competitive levels up to college-level, his enthusiasm for the sport is obvious and inspiring. We just have to forgive him for being from Philadelphia.
Our Saturdays resemble typical American suburban weekends--up early for soccer, a stop at Starbucks in between and then on to another child's sport, baseball.
I really appreciate how Sports Beijing is handling baseball this spring, too. The kids in the under-12 age groups have two options--competitive and recreational. The competitive teams practice several times a week and will play games against local sports academies' teams and those from similar leagues in other cities. The recreational league only meets on Saturdays and allows for basic instruction followed by games. Similar to how the soccer league is managed this year for the young kids, all of the recreational league baseball players have identical uniforms. The shirts, though, are reversible, so at game time half of the kids can switch from red to white.
By separating the kids into these two groups, more families seem to be enjoying baseball this year. The kids who are ready for competitive baseball aren't held back by others who are only just learning the sport. And for kids like Myles who are still just getting a handle on the game, they have a chance to grow in skills while not affecting a deadly serious game.
Of course, it's impossible to talk about Sports Beijing Baseball these past two seasons without mentioning the incredible new coach running baseball. The organization is so fortunate that Coach Koch came to Beijing, looking for baseball opportunities. A school teacher and experienced baseball coach of competitive levels up to college-level, his enthusiasm for the sport is obvious and inspiring. We just have to forgive him for being from Philadelphia.
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