Back in the fall Riley begged me to let him play basketball this year. I was a little apprehensive of the idea since he had never played organized basketball. He dabbled with soccer at a young age and told me he hated it. Even when considering other sports opportunity he always wanted to play baseball. At one point he played Fall Ball, Spring Ball and Travel Ball….yep year round baseball. When he wasn't playing baseball he was watching it on TV. So when this idea of him trying a new sport came up I was unsure of his commitment; however, we have a rule in our house once you are signed up for something you complete it - like it or not!
In December Riley started playing basketball with Upward Bound, a christian based organization through First Baptist Church of Tallahassee. We decided that Upward was the best place for him as they focus on truly learning the sport of basketball through an encouraging and non-competitive aspect. Scott and I have been thrilled with this organization and I am sad we didn't discover them sooner! Riley has thrived throughout the past few months. Each practice ends with a devotion and bible study time. Most of the games have a small devotion during half time. Who could not love that?!?! Truthfully, the older teams are a little more competitive than we thought they would be but man can these kids play some basketball.
Scott and I with Riley after his first game!
Riley has blossomed into a great player himself. There are days when we leave the court and think "where did he learn to move so quickly!". We have watched Riley make shots that happen so fast if you blink you would have missed it. This season has been a real joy to experience. We are heading into our last weekend of Upward Basketball and to be honest I think I am really going to miss it! I am so proud of Riley for pushing me (and his Dad) to let him out of the box we had him in and try something new! It's always funny to me when he puts his foot down; I am quiet certain I know where he learned that from! Every single time he proves to me he can do anything he sets his mind on accomplishing.
Such a close WIN!
While we have been enjoying the weekends watching Riley play ball, I have been working towards a new out of the box adventure of my own. I am working toward the crossover from group fitness participant to group fitness instructor. Yep, you read that right, I-N-S-T-R-U-C-T-O-R! I have been studying the American Council of Exercise group fitness manual. That could be going a little smoother but I will be okay, there's still plenty of time to work on that! In the meantime, I am attending my first fitness certification this weekend.
Most of you know, I have been attending Tabata Bootcamp at Badass Fitness since May 2013. I remember Shannon being so excited to bring this program to Tallahassee and being so nervous at the time when I signed for the first 8 week course. That first course taught me and the others that the program works. You put in the effort for 8 weeks and you see results! Tabata Bootcamp is not just a diet or a quick easy "fix" it is a lifestyle change. For me, the confidence that I gained since becoming a student of the program out measures inches that I lost. The scale this round has maintained a consistent number; however, I am stronger. I must mention that maintaining the number on the scale was my goal for this round of Tabata. I have tried to set different goals for all 3 rounds that I have completed and each time I have been successful.
Top : May 2013 - 1st day assessment for 1st Round of Tabata
Bottom : January 2014 - 1st day assessment for 3rd Round of Tabata
Top: January 2014 - 1st day assessment
Bottom : March 2014 - 6 week assessment
Here I am almost a year after experiencing my first Tabata Bootcamp preparing for my own certification to become an instructor. EEK, typing that actually makes me want to throw up a little bit! Thanks to an email from our Master Trainer, Shannon, I know exactly what to expect for Sunday's class. It will be a long day but in the end it will be worth it!
If you are having thoughts of getting out of the box and trying something new I encourage you do it! I never in a million years dreamed this would be happening. I am so excited to see where it may lead in the future. For now, I will prepare myself for Sunday!
Check back next week for an update on certification weekend!!
I think this all rocks. I have great memories of Wayne Kevin doing upward camp in the summer. And you'll be a great instructor; can't wait to come to one of your classes!
ReplyDeleteThank you Paula! I truly appreciate your friendship!
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