Ryan now plays varsity lacrosse for his high school's team. And, even though he was a bit nervous when he got the confirmation text from his coach back in the fall, he was also really excited for the move up. Being on varsity means playing with some amazing boys that have become friends and working with coaches who are all in for the game. It also gives the team more playing experiences by attending different tournaments around the state.
St. George was one of those opportunities. Every year, the varsity team has traveled down to southern Utah to participate in the two-day tournament to play against teams from both Utah and Las Vegas. Since this is Ryan's first year on varsity, it was also his first time at the tournament.
We left Friday morning, which meant we had to excuse Ryan from school. Then he had to endure a four hour car trip with his parents. I think he handled the torture really well by sleeping most of the time or putting in his ear buds to drown us out when he was awake. I don't do well driving long distances, so Scott was the designated driver, which meant my job was to talk his ear off.
I'm lucky I have such a patient husband, ha!
We arrived in St. George in the early afternoon, just in time to check Ryan in at the team's hotel and let him rest for the game later that evening. Once we got him settled in, Scott and I headed off to find our hotel (we thought we'd let Ryan have a bit of independence by staying at a different hotel), which ended up being farther than expected (about ten minutes away). Scott got his sense of direction mixed up when he booked the hotel and thought it was in the same area that we had stayed at for our honeymoon 19 years ago, but it wasn't. It wasn't a big deal, but we joked that Ryan got his wish that his parents weren't hanging around. ;-)
Their first game was against East High, also a Utahn school. Unfortunately for us, the sun decided to disappear halfway thru the game, leaving us a bit chilled. The weather, however, didn't stop Ryan and his teammates from playing well and winning.
Moving the ball in towards the goal.
Winding up for a goal (which he made, woohoo!)
Nice start to the tournament.
Unfortunately, the next day, their first game (against Olympus, yet another Utahn school) was at 8am, and these boys proved they were not morning people. They were at the field, but they really weren't present, which cost them the game. I didn't bother to keep track of the score, but judging by the shock on Scott's face, I'm guessing they lost spectacularly. The funny thing is, the boys were indifferent. Most of them just wanted to nap. Which they did, under some shade off to the side of the playing field.
Wish I had a picture of them napping, but I don't think they would've appreciated it, lol. But, I do have pictures from the game.
There was a lot of ball dropping and fighting for possession...
As well as chasing the opposing team...
And, did I mention a lot of chasing? Yep, lots of boys with lacrosse sticks running around
Their third game went a lot better, although it was against Judge Memorial, who are also from Utah. After food and naps, Ryan and his teammates played much better and went on to win.
The last game was scheduled for late afternoon/early evening, and that was against Somerset, a team from Las Vegas, I believe. This team liked to play really physical and somewhat sneaky, which resulted in calls against our boys. But, Ryan and his teammates took it as a challenge to play harder; it worked because they ended up pulling away to take the lead and win it.
Just thought I'd add this picture: after being knocked down and pushed in the back (a no-no, btw), Ryan was still able to hold onto the ball and pass it to his teammate, who attempted a goal. We weren't the only ones impressed by that feat. ;-)
It did impress me that the team turned the game around after so many calls; in the past, they've let their frustrations overwhelm them and let it affect their performance. I guess it's all in your perspective; Ryan told me after the game that the other team were trash talking like you wouldn't believe, but it was so ridiculous that our boys decided to prove them wrong by playing better.
Afterwards, we let Ryan go off with his teammates for dinner, while Scott and I did the same. We ended up at Smashburger, where I chanced it with the buns and fries. With this gluten sensitivity there are some things that I should avoid, but I really don't know what they are until I have it; it's frustrating trying to find the foods that don't trigger me because I'm not ready to go completely gluten free.
By the time we picked up Ryan and hit the road, it was after 8pm, later than when Scott wanted to leave. The drive home was long and dark, and at one point, a bit heart-stopping when we hit some heavy snowfall (people were driving fast despite the huge snowflakes falling, and there were semi trucks looking as if they were going to tip over from the wind!), but we finally got home close to 1:30am. After that experience, I think next year we'll just leave the morning after the tournament instead of the pitch black night.
It was also a good experience for Ryan; this tournament starts off the lacrosse season, so it gives him an idea of what to expect now that he's playing on varsity. Hopefully, he steps up to the task and does his best in this upcoming season.
