Korran was never really interested in baseball at all. He began the Badges for Baseball program complaining about how baseball is not fun, and he didn’t understand the need for drills or why the team spent so much time working on different skills.
That changed at an intramural game with another Boys & Girls Club. Korran hit a homerun, had 2 RBIs and also a couple of double plays in the field at 2nd and 3rd base. His excitement grew and he began to love the game.
(Thanks to Rick Leandry at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore for sharing this story.)
One of my favorite things about camp is asking kids about what first experiences they had because of camp. There are always some obvious ones, like flying on a plane, spending a night away from home, or traveling outside their home state. There are some funny ones, like first time eating a waffle. And there are always some great accomplishments, like hitting a first homerun or climbing to the top of the rock wall.
But opportunities to try new things and encourage others to step outside their comfort zone or just explore the world are around us on a daily basis. Maybe we were right about not liking something, or maybe we were wrong about whether something would work, but we cannot know until we try.
What new things have you tried this year? What are you proud of your kids for trying?