reaching for the Gold!

Ok as the title implies yes WE GOT THE GOLD! I can't hardly believe it as Katie's team was considered the underdog team of the U12 division. We were thinking that we would be done with games on Thursday afternoon and were going to enjoy Zion the rest of the week. In turn we played until Saturday morning and returned home tired and weary. I was amazed at how well the team played. The tournament was scored by points not wins and losses, and Katie's team had almost double the points of the second place team and did not have one loss, in 5 games! I must say that I think that part of the reason is that we all stayed in the USS dorms during the games and spent alot of time together. I think that building moral emotionally for these girls is as important as building them physically.
We all had such a great time! In our one dorm room there were five bedrooms (two beds each), two bathrooms and 21 people (four families). To say the least there was never a quiet moment. On top of that our dorm was responsible for the breakfast and lunches for all of the girls. That made even more chaos because all of the other people staying in the other dorm rooms ended up in our room for breakfast and lunch! Even though it was emotionally tiring on Thane and I it was so worth it. The games were really intense, and my throat was so sore after each one. The girls played up, that means that most of the girls in their division were going into 7th and 8th (12-14)grade and most of our girls were only going into 6th (11-12). There is a big difference in maturity with the spectrum of those ages. Many of our games the girls towered our girls and had boobs! It made winning all the more better! It also taught Katie that if you set your mind to something you can accomplish it. After many losses this fall season, it was nice to come out ahead!
Of course all of our other kids had as much fun as Katie. We counted over 20 kids (not including team members) between 2 and 9. What fun. The kids ran through the dorm, played outdoor volleyball and enjoyed each others treats. During the games they played in the park together and ran the track together. It really felt good not to worry about them. It feels good to see my kids making friends wherever they go. You never know when people will return into your life and become a positive influence. Each of the kids enjoyed themselves and didn't necessarily rely on each other for fun. Little EJ makes friend so easily and found many little boys who would run and play. Jerra enjoyed the team, they included her in the opening ceremonies and she cheered them on from the sidelines. She was so excited that maybe she could participate next year. Hannah loved the whole thing. She is a well rounded child and played with all. Katie enjoyed her 11th birthday there. I bought birthday stuff and the team decorated her room. She was sang to many times throughout the day and we bought her a soccer cake and her and her team enjoyed it together. She told me it was the best birthday ever and reminded me how Friday the 13th has always been lucky for her. I guess the person whom had the hardest time with it all was Thane. He likes to have his quiet time and with all the "girls" and kids there just wasn't a quiet moment; but he loved to watch Katie succeed. He was the team timer. He would count down the minutes until our victories and would scream and clap louder than most. I loved it. I love being involved with the kids and this was another one of those times that reminds me how lucky I am to have such a good husband and a great kids. They all were on their best behavior. I realize how lucky I am to have us all together enjoying each other and the gold metal was just the icing on the cake!
Believe it or not I forgot to take the battery pack for my camera so there will be pictures to come!