I've been waiting for someone else to post first, but since no one has I'll be the first. Braden won't brag, so as his mom I get to brag for him. This last week was the basketball tryouts at Syracuse Jr. High, and Braden has been preparing for this since about the first grade. There were 75 7th graders who tried out for the team, and as you can imagine we were quite concerned that he might not make the team. We had heard that they were only keeping a few 7th graders so we prepared ourselves and Braden for the possibility that he wouldn't make the team. The first cut took the group to 25, and the second cut left 6, then they watched the last six play against the 8th & 9th graders, there were 4 taller guys and then Braden and his best friend Josh, who not only look alike, but are exactly the same size. They were the two smallest boys trying out. The final cut took place after this tryout and left 3 7th graders including both Braden & Josh. All three boys were from Syracuse Elementary which is really amazing, since 7 elementaries feed into Syracuse Jr. All 3 also played together on a comp. team. When Craig spoke to the coach after tryouts were over, he said the reason Josh & Braden made the team was that they took on the eighth & ninth graders with no fear. I think they had an advantage, since they are used to being the smallest and having to play harder than ever to compete. Just the Saturday before they were playing at the Rec. Center and several big boys came to the gym and asked if their group wanted to play a game and they said sure. Braden & Josh were the last two chosen, which is what usually happens when they play with a new group. The game ended and they decided to mix up the teams, and this time, they were the first two chosen. We are really proud of Braden as he has spent hours working out and preparing for his goal. We look forward to a really fun year.Now that the posting has started, hopefully others will follow. I can't wait to read about all your families.
