Senior Cross Country Banquet

Monday night we went to Belle's last country banquet.  It was certainly a bittersweet experience in so many ways.  You already know that this wasn't the senior season she hoped for personally, but the team overall had a fantastic season winning their district, region and placing 5th in the state.  While Belle wasn't one of the top runners she certainly contributed in her own way.  She was a superb teammate and always supported her team.  She pushed her faster teammates to do there best all the time and encouraged her slower teammates as well.  While I may be an insane sports mom, I do realize that high school sports is about much, much more than athletics.  It is about being part of something bigger than yourself and learning how to balance school and sport.  It is about belonging in a way that only being a part of a school group or team allows you to belong.  Most of all it is about achieving your personal best.

 So as Belle moves on I reflect on cross country and hope she learned life lessons from it.  We do have a couple more milestones this senior year, but the clock is ticking and soon my last bird will fly away.  I will have to cultivate new obsessions since there will be no daily sports fix here at home.  I am working on my application for grad. school.  At least it will keep me busy.  Life moves on.