Laney Brown 5K Run/Walk

Today was a first for both me and Timothy.  We participated in our first 5K.  It was a benefit in memory of a young cancer patient to help raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer.  There were 750 people participating in the race.  Timothy did really well.  He had a few struggles with the crowds and with it being such a new experience, but overall, he did great.  We did some running, some jogging, and some walking, finishing in 50 minutes.  We will find out our exact placements by Tuesday -- I think we were somewhere in the lower 500s.  :)

Bulldogs Win!!! 40-7!!

Today was Timothy first official football game.  The Van Reed JV Midgets played Mifflin JV Midgets.   Timothy was really nervous all morning.  He had to be there at 10:15 to begin warming up and practicing.  The game before his game lasted longer than expected, so his game was later starting.  Rob was there to give him a few last words of encouragement before the game started (pictured right).  

They played Mifflin last week in a scrimmage game and did really well, and today they did even better!  Timothy held his own.  Even the coaches were cheering for him at different times during the game.    In practice, before the game started, they taught Timothy a new position with special teams being a part of the kick-off return team.    He handled that role just fine.  He also played defense on almost every defensive play.  He did great!!

Next week, they play Wyomissing which is a much better team.  I'm so glad he got this first game under his belt and it was a great success!!

He is really proud of himself and he has every reason to be proud of himself!

Ready for Tomorrow's Big Game!!

 Timothy is ready for his first game tomorrow!  We went through a trial run with his game uniform to make sure everything fit.  Then we went up to the stadium to take a few pictures.

This evening, we went to the high school game, and it was an awesome game!   It looked as though Wilson was actually going to lose - which is incredibly rare!!  It was super crowded, and Timothy needed to get to bed at a decent hour, so we left in the 4th quarter.  

Well, as we were walking home, Wilson scored - and then scored again.  They eventually tied the game up with seconds to spare.  They went into overtime, and Wilson won!!!  What a come back!!!   Now we just need the Van Reed Bulldog Midgets to beat the Mifflin Midgets tomorrow!!!

Determination

Timothy has shown tremendous determination again this week in practice.  It's been a tough week, but through it all, he's never considered giving up.  The past two nights, the 6th grade defense has gone up against the 7th grade offense.  There's a big size difference between Timothy and those 7th graders!  He's gotten tackled to the ground many times, but has always gotten right back up and tried again.  I couldn't possibly be more proud of him.  :)

Tough Night

Question:  What happens when the 6th-grade defense (which includes Timothy) is put up against the 7th-grade offense?

Answer:  Those 6th graders (including Timothy) spend a lot of time on the ground!!

Teamwork

Tonight was the hottest night yet for football practice.  It was 86* when practice started.  The boys were all hot and exhausted.  The practice was pretty uneventful, but the sweetest thing happened at the end.

The coach had them doing a different kind of sprint/suicides.  Timothy was giving it his all, but he was still last.  He was half the length of the football field behind on the final sprint.  The coach had the whole team run out to meet him, and then cheer him on to finish.  It was so cool to watch - they were all cheering and he was running harder at that point than I thought possible for him.

Now that's teamwork!  :)

First Berks Brawl

Today was Timothy's first Berk Brawl.  He had two scrimmage games this afternoon, but before that, he spent time with Rob getting acclimated to everything.  He had to report to his team at 1:00 for an hour of warm-ups and practice.  His first game was at 2:00.  It was against Governor Mifflin.  The bulldogs totally dominated the whole game.  They score 6 touchdowns on just 10 downs.  It was great.   Timothy played all 20 downs on defense.  He really did well.

Size-wise, it was a pretty fair match-up.  Mifflin had a much larger (in number) team.  Our Bulldogs only have 15 on the team which means many kids have to play the entire game with only 4 kids able to rotate out at a time.  Mifflin had at least 10 kids to rotate in and out of the game.  It didn't matter though because we won.  Timothy said he thinks their first real game is going to be against Mifflin.

The second scrimmage game was against Exeter.  There were bigger in size and number.  I have to admit I was intimidated by them when they came on the field.  We still beat them, but not as easily.  Timothy did well, but toward the end of the game, he got tackled to the ground.  It looks pretty painful!   It knocked the wind out of him and he was hurt -- not badly - just shaken up most.  The coaches had him sit out for a few minutes.

When he got to the sidelines, he was still crying, and his teammates tried to comfort him. It was so sweet.    I was really proud of him because I knew he was hurt and upset, but he held it together, composed himself and got over it.  These boys really are teammates with each other.  So sweet....

No practice tonight

There was no Van Reed Bulldog football practice tonight, but there was a Wilson Bulldog football scrimmage game.   Timothy wanted to go watch it, so we did.  He has been eager for the first Wilson game so he could wear his new jersey like he's seen other kids do in the past.

Tomorrow is a big day!  It's the "Berks Brawl".   It's all day scrimmages for area youth football.  Timothy plays at 2:00 and again at 4:00.  The weather is iffy.  It's going to be cool and possibly rainy.  I am hoping it won't rain because I really want to take lots of pictures!!

6th Grade Dance

No, tonight's entry isn't about football practice.  Tonight was 6th grade orientation for West Middle School.  The rest of the football teams had practice tonight, but the 6th graders did not because of orientation.  After orientation, there was a 6th grade dance.  That is something that normally would have had Timothy screaming and running to get as far away from it as possible.  However, he actually wanted to go to it.  Both Rob and Timothy's autistic support teacher had encouraged him to go, but it wasn't until he heard some of the kids on his football team talking about going that he decided he wanted to go too.  This is a HUGE step for Timothy.  He has always avoided situations like this - and now to voluntarily go - it's just incredible!

I am still utterly amazed at the changes in Timothy these past 3 weeks since starting football.  He has self confidence for the first time in his life.  He is proud of himself.  He is calmer.  And, he is generally a much happier kid.

First Scrimmage

Tonight, the teams from Wyomissing came to join us for practice.  They did drills together and then scrimmaged at the end.  I was really nervous about Timothy being up against an opposing team.  He's done fine with his teammates, but going up against another team was scary.  They put Timothy on defense, and he did well.  He played about half the time. (They rotate players).  He got knocked down a few times, but did well most of the time.  In this video clip, you can see him blocking.  :)  So proud!!!

Timothy's First Fan (well, outside of family)

He may be last in the running drills, but he never quits.  He may get knocked down during the tackling drills, but he gets right back up.  He never quits.  His motto continues to be, "I must continue."

Tonight, he got a special treat.  His new autistic support teach from school came out to watch him practice.  He played football in high school, so he's especially interested in Timothy's journey to become a football player.  He (Mr. Galan) was impressed with how the players and coaches interacted with Timothy.  He was amazed at how well Timothy was doing.

After practice, he talked with Timothy for a few minutes and took a picture of him to put in his classroom.  Timothy posed like a real football player!

No Intimidation!

Week #2 of Van Reed Camp began tonight.  Timothy jumped right back into the swing of things with a great attitude.  Near the end of practice, they all got into a big circle with one player in the middle of the circle.  They all had to run in place.  The coach would call a player's name, and that player had to run and tackle the player in the middle.  They would periodically swap out the player in the middle.  It seemed that most kids had had a turn in the middle except Timothy.  They asked if anyone hadn't had a turn in the middle, and Timothy raised his hand.  I was horrified.  The coaches asked him if he was sure, and he said yes and ran right in.  He held his own pretty well.  He got knocked down a couple of times, but got right back up and took the next tackle like a champ!  The other players and coaches were cheering for "Mash"!

Easier Practice Night

Only the Midgets (the oldest kids -- 11 & 12 year olds) had practice tonight.  The other divisions had the night off.  Thankfully, it was an easier practice.  They still had to do all their drills, but then they worked on kick-offs and returns.  The kids are all exhausted. It's been a long week, but they all kept working hard.

Persevering!

Van Reed Camp Day #4 - Tonight was drills, drills and more drills.  I can already see the progress he has made in just a few short days.  Most of these kids have been playing for 4 or more years, so he has had a lot of catching up to do.  It's good to see the other kid interact with him.  They all seem to be very supportive and encouraging.  The coaches are great with him as well.  :)

Knocked Down But Not Out!

Timothy overcame a huge hurdle tonight.  They were working on tackling and blocking.  He got tackled, went down hard, and got the wind knocked out of him.  I watched it happen in slow motion.   The coach helped him up, patted him on the back, and then had him sit out for a few minutes.  He whimpered for just a second or two, and a few minutes later, when the coach called him back in, he jumped right back in there and started tackling again.

He's been bruised, clobbered, and even had the wind knocked out of him -- but he still ended the night smiling and proud of himself!  That's my bulldog!!

Bulldogs Train in the Rain

Night #2 of Van Reed Camp was cold and rainy.  It didn't stop them from practicing though.  Timothy was worried he would have another panic attack during the sprints at the end, but he did fine.  He was last, but he never gave up.  Just like last night, he tried everything they asked him to do.  The coaches seem to be very patient and understanding with him.  They have given him the nickname of "Mash" and sometimes refer to "Monster Mash".  Me and Hannah can have a lot of fun singing the Monster Mash song for him!!

By the time practice was over, I was so cold, my teeth were chattering.  I remembered an umbrella which kept me dry, but I should have brought a hoodie to keep me warm in all the wind!   Timothy got to see Rob for a few minutes after practice.  He was all smiles and so proud to tell Rob how good he did again tonight!

Van Reed Camp Begins

Tonight was rough and tough!!  The Van Reed camp is a lot tougher than the Wilson camp.  It’s run like a boot camp.  Timothy was a trooper though – he kept at it – never giving up – even when he got knocked down MULTIPLE times.  I was so proud of him.  He did great.

Then, at the very end…. When they had to do sprints back and forth, I thought it would never end.  They were so hot and so tired, but the coaches kept making them run.  Timothy made it, but then fell apart when it was over.  He started to hyperventilate and panic. He cried and kept saying, “I can’t breathe right.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” 

He got over it really quickly, and was completely okay after that.  He’s still excited about going back tomorrow.  He’s just scared that he’ll have another panic attack. 

He worked so hard tonight – even though he was almost always the slowest AND got knocked down most of the time they were tackling – but he got right back up, kept trying and never gave up!!  Rob told him his motto for football is, "I must continue."  So far, he has definitely done that!

He got his first football bruise tonight.  He said it looks like a Nike swoosh on his forearm.  He's really proud of that bruise!!

Final Night of Wilson Camp

Timothy had an even better night tonight.  During the flag football camp at the end of the Wilson half, he was up against an obnoxious kid who kept trying to block/tackle/push Timothy. It's flag football, and there isn't supposed to be any contact.  I was so proud of Timothy though.  He pushed the kid right back.  He stood up for himself.  That's huge!!  After this went on for a few plays, the high school kids finally broke it up and told the obnoxious kid to knock if off.  Then, a few plays later, Timothy scored a touchdown.  One of the high school boys threw an easy pass to Timothy in the end zone.  He was so proud.  His teammates all cheered and gave him high 5s.

For the second half of camp, the Wilson coaches were in charge again.  Timothy did really well.  He attempted every drill - even bear crawls.  He was so proud of himself for trying everything.  He just doesn't give up!!  :)

Meeting Van Reed Coaches!

The first two hours of camp was with Wilson coaches and players. Timothy's aunt, grandmother, and cousins are here visiting for Florida and came to watch part of Timothy's practice.  They got to seem him play flag football.  He even scored a touchdown while they were there to watch.  He was soo proud!!

For the last half of camp, Timothy got to meet his Van Reed Coaches.  They did a mini-run through of what their practices will be like next week.  Again, Timothy left practice with a big smile on his face and ready to come back tomorrow!

Tonight, he got his camp t-shirt.  It's awesome.  It says, "Wilson Football Camp 2014... Where the little pups turn into big dogs."

Wilson Football Camp Day #2

Three hours into football camp on a really hot night, one of the high school players just told Timothy that he really loved his effort.   YES!!!  Three hours into it and Timothy is still trying so hard!!  :)

Where Little Pups Turn Into Big Dogs

Tonight was Timothy's first night of Wilson football camp.  I am not sure who was more nervous - me or Timothy!  I dropped him off and got him checked in.  I decided not to stay because I didn't want him to think he could run to me if he got hot, hurt, or tired.

He has been so worried that he'll be last when he runs or does anything.  That was one reason he was ridiculed so much in school -- because he was always last.  I told him that he may be last, but it was okay because linemen didn't have to be the fastest ones.  It was like a light bulb moment for him.  He suddenly wasn't worried about being last anymore.

When I got there to pick him up, he was playing flag football.  He looked like he was having a great time.  After he was dismissed, he *ran* to me with a big smile on his face.  He loved it!  He is ready to go back tomorrow night!!