Basketball

We're so thankful that Perry Rec decided to hold a regular basketball season, since nothing has been guaranteed since Covid 19 hit. All three Shugarts played this year, which made for a hectic but fun start to 2021.

Owen had a great season. Last year his height made it difficult for him to even get the ball to reach the goal, but this year was a different story. He has grown taller and stronger, which made it so much fun to watch. In this league they are not strict on rules, as the kids are still learning; however, Owen (my sweet rule-follower) was probably the only kid in the league who refused to double dribble. His ball handling skills are excellent. His coach was super fun and encouraging, and Owen really had a great experience.

AK has never claimed that basketball is her favorite sport, but she was willing to give it a try this year. She ended up on the best team - it was made up of all boys who had been playing together on a travel team for months, with the addition of AK and one other little girl who has never played basketball before. The coach was amazing, and the boys were excellent at basketball - but even more than that, they were so patient and encouraging toward the two girls. They cheered them on, helped them know what was going on when they were on the court, and did everything they could to give them opportunities to score. I was truly amazed by these 8 and 9 year old boys. AK had a wonderful season, did end up scoring a goal, and grew in so many ways throughout the practices and games.

As hard as she played when she was in the games, giving 100% on the court, this is a very accurate picture of AK as soon as she stepped off the court.

Claire was also placed on a very good team this year. They went undefeated the whole season, and it was a great learning experience for Claire. She continued to handle the ball well and grow in her awareness of the game. Some of the games got pretty scrappy, causing me no small amount of anxiety on the sidelines, but she handled it all well and had a great experience.

At the end of the season, both Claire and AK's teams went to the final games of the tournament in each of their leagues and both walked away as league champions!