I mentioned J is on the cross country team. He loves it. He loves to run to begin with. He'll run all over our neighborhood rather than ride a bike. It's because of this that he doesn't know how to ride a bike, and he's shown no interest in learning. I don't know if that's good or bad.
Anyway, J is on the cross country team. While he loves to run he's not the best on the team - like he wants to be. The first race he ran he came in dead last, a long distance behind everybody else. This made him upset and he wanted to quit. He then found out one of the neighborhood kids, who's one of Y's friends, is on the varsity team. He told J that he was in the same spot J is now when he first started CC in 6th grade. He was always one of the last runners across the finish line. But he stuck with it. Now, in 10th grade, he always finishes in the top 15, sometime 10. This encouraged J quite a bit. It shows in his practices - his coach has seen more determination from J - and in his meets. He's had two more so far and in each one I've seen him, and the coach has told me, do better. He's had better time and has placed better. He's still placing towards the end but he's gaining from each previous meet.
This is that determination and drive he has that kicks in when he sets his mind to doing something and won't stop until he succeeds at it or does his best. I don't know what J's thinking or aiming for but I expect to see continued gains as the season goes on. It's short; only until mid October, but J has his mind set now. I can only imagine what to expect as the years go on and what he'll accomplish.
Anyway, J is on the cross country team. While he loves to run he's not the best on the team - like he wants to be. The first race he ran he came in dead last, a long distance behind everybody else. This made him upset and he wanted to quit. He then found out one of the neighborhood kids, who's one of Y's friends, is on the varsity team. He told J that he was in the same spot J is now when he first started CC in 6th grade. He was always one of the last runners across the finish line. But he stuck with it. Now, in 10th grade, he always finishes in the top 15, sometime 10. This encouraged J quite a bit. It shows in his practices - his coach has seen more determination from J - and in his meets. He's had two more so far and in each one I've seen him, and the coach has told me, do better. He's had better time and has placed better. He's still placing towards the end but he's gaining from each previous meet.
This is that determination and drive he has that kicks in when he sets his mind to doing something and won't stop until he succeeds at it or does his best. I don't know what J's thinking or aiming for but I expect to see continued gains as the season goes on. It's short; only until mid October, but J has his mind set now. I can only imagine what to expect as the years go on and what he'll accomplish.