Last night we had the absolute pleasure of getting to watch Mckenna Woliczko play in the California High School Open Championship game at Golden 1. The game was pure intensity on the court and 1 of the funnest games I have ever watched, especially considering it was a High School game where neither of my children were on a team.
The storyline had been set up pretty well with the Northern California Mitty girls vs the Southern California Etiwanda ladies for the best High School Basketball Team in the state. This was the open division meaning the top division and was the last game of the night for the girls division. I wasn't sure what to expect but I knew 1 player would be there and that was who we showed up to support. Wow were we blown away.
In the picture above is a quick snapshot of what brought on this blog. Admittedly I'm a day late as I wasn't sure what to write about until this morning. I often have conversations with other parents or friends about the success of my kids or other kids I have coached or know. I will sometimes try and explain the hard work and extra practice. I will try to explain natural talent and genetic lottery theory. I usually forget about that one trait that separates most kids I love to coach and be around and it's in the picture above.
Mckenna is what you might call a phenom or top recruit. She is a freshman at one of the most prestigious High Schools in Northern California where she starts and oh does she score. In last night's match I don't think she was subbed out for more than 2 or 3 minutes of the game. A stellar athlete. Her accolades are all over the net and her offers have been rolling in since she was in 8th grade. Her most recent offers being from USC and Stanford. Yes she is that good. That is not what I am writing about. You can follow the prep reports and max preps for her stats. The picture above is what will set her apart from nearly all of her competition and something for us parents to focus on.
The game ended with a 1 second buzzer beater for Etiwanda on an offensive rebound with Mitty taking their first loss in months and losing the state championship. The Mitty girls were devastated as the Etiwanda girls dog piled the center court and accepted their awards. This game was literally down to the buzzer. What happened after was the key ingredient for me. As the Mitty seniors and most players were in tears this Freshman was right there consoling them and being that shoulder. Not only did she have a great night on the court, it appeared that her super talent was her compassion as a person. We have seen the superstar kids who don't get a call and love to throw their hands up or pout in the corner after a tough loss. Not Mckenna.
After the team talks and coaches released the girls, they all took that walk from the locker rooms to their perspective parents, friends and families. This was the "Aha" moment. Mckenna probably had 10 or 15 people there to see her. Without hesitation and without being told, she individually went to each them and thanked them for coming and greeted us. I was in shock. She has just played her heart out and I would understand if she wanted her mom to just take her to the car to think about all the what ifs but not Mckenna. Yes she was bummed and disappointed but damn was she mature and a pro. For a first time live performance I became a lifetime supporter. Truth be told I probably already was. Mckenna's mom and I have been friends since elementary school. Mckenna was the first 8 yr old to ever catch one of Savannah's long pop flies in a 8u softball tournament. It's crazy to think our daughters would also be friends as we have been but it's absolutely cool and I love it. They can start to network with each other and bounce ideas and questions off of moving through the high school and college ups and downs.
YOU ARE THE COMPANY YOU KEEP! I was reminded of this last week, when our pastor brought up the Bronnie Ware study about what people wish they had prioritized in life. It discussed friendships and how sometimes we don't value or prioritize them. I hope to help my kids prioritize friendships that will help them excel and achieve not only their goals but those of their friends as well. Hanging around girls like Mckenna can only help Savannah and Joey become great athletes and better human beings.
Yes it is important to get in extra shots, batting practice or whatever the bare requirements of your child's sport are but don't forget about the stuff at the dinner table. I often use the term " teams are usually destroyed at the dinner table". This is also true for your child's character. We have to pay for pitching lessons and hitting lessons but these life lessons should be free and natural. Yes we need our children to have passion but perhaps equally important is compassion. Being the best player on the team is awesome but being the best teammate as well is pretty phenomenal and special when you see it.
I have no idea where Mckenna will end up for college but I know that our daughters have some similar goals in life and I can only hope they end up wearing the same colors one day. Either way I know I will always be rooting for the girls with whatever they choose to pursue. To Aaron and Erica, well done, you guys are doing a great job.
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