Baseball dilema

Baseball

Elijah

baseball may as well be Elijah's middle name. He loves baseball more than just about anything in his life. He would eat sleep and breath baseball if it were possible. He has always been a decent player. Chosen for all stars 2 years in a row. 2 years of tournament ball. Then this past spring a couple things happened that affected his performance on the field. I really think it comes down to confidence.

His confidence was damaged because of some things that were out of his control. He began to have seizures. At first they were small and infrequent but by the time the season was in full swing he was having 3 or 5 a day. He was always nervous that he would have one on the field. About half way through the season he made 2 errors in one game and his dad and the coach came down pretty hard on him. Elijah is not the kind of kid who responds to yelling. He just isn't. Some kids do, some kids take that and use it to push forward and do better. Grow. To Elijah it meant he was a disappointment to coach and Dad. Then the next game he began sitting the bench more and more, pretty soon he was riding the bench more than he was playing. This just confirmed to him that he was no longer good enough. All through the season he kept a good attitude he never let anyone see his disappointment and discouragement. The tears would flow only when the doors to the van closed and no one else could see. A huge testimony to his character both on and off the field. Never disrespectful, no tantrums, no pouting. Always encouraging his team and showing up no matter what.

Then came his hospital stay, with that brought hope. He was not crazy. He was not imagining these episodes. Diagnosis and meds and we have a new boy! He was averaging 3-5 episodes a day before meds and now has only had 5 since he started taking them.

His confidence has returned, he is not only more confident on the ball field but also in his day to day activities.

He has had an excellent fall ball season so far. He has regained all of his confidence and built onto it. Coach has realized his potential and he has played most of every game. His character has not changed his attitude has stayed steady. He is stronger and better. I am so proud of him.

So here is the dilemma.

We were on a tournament team we believed he would be on and grow with for the next few years. We had no idea there would be try outs at the end of the spring season. tryouts were the day after Elijah discharged from the hospital. Bright and early that morning he reported to the field and attended try outs. confidence at an all time low.

He did not make the team. He wasn't ready. Had tryouts been even 1 month later that would have made all the difference in the world.

Elijah was devastated. DEVASTATED. I know some people will say. He is only 12. But baseball to him is no different than a dancer putting hours into their art, or a gymnast or swimmer putting hours upon hours of training in each week. It may sound silly to others but Elijah truly does want to play high school then college and onto major league baseball. Do I think he is good enough right now? Heck no. I am not saying he is a super star player. But he is a very good player. He needs mentored encouraged and allowed the opportunity to play. He needs to learn that errors happen even to the best players. We appreciate the coach he has had. He is a good man and a great coach. But in hind-sight he is not the right coach for Elijah at this time.

I will do anything to encourage him and support him and help him to grow and mature into a stronger player.

We have been looking for a new team for Elijah. Not having a team to play for is a very difficult thing for Elijah to imagine.

He likely will try out for 2 or 3 different teams in the next couple weeks.

One of the teams I know he will do well on but has little potential to grow. Another team has great potential to not only grow as a player but to be mentored. The 3rd I really don't know much about.

The dilemma. choosing the right team for Elijah.