Well the weather finally seems as though we have entered spring, and fingers crossed there’ll be no more snow in the near future.
With coaching coming to a close mid-May, I’m rather excited to have a little bit of free time with the warmer weather. Although there’s a chance I might sleep for my first few days off after volleyball finishes, haha. It’s been awesome being able to help coach both the 18U and the 15U team, but at the same time it’s starting to wear a little bit, which I guess after about four months going hard it was bound to get a little exhausting.
Despite saying that, with the end nearing, I’m already feeling like I’m going to be missing these great kids who are quite entertaining and well, it’s volleyball, so I’ll miss being around the sport too.
However, with a volleyball fundraiser in Redvers and beach volleyball during Lampman Sports Weekend, I’ll still get my fix.
I’m excited for all of the other summer activities though like riding my bike (though I need new tires for it and a new seat) and getting out on the water. Although I won’t get to be wakeboarding or wakeskating as I don’t really know anyone around here with a boat, I did buy a kayak last year and it fits perfectly in my truck so I think I’ll be exploring this year again.
Summer brings with it some of my other favourite things like bonfires and just being outside. Sometimes in the winter it gets difficult to force yourself into the cold, it’s just so nice and warm inside, that it’s sometimes a chore to force yourself to get up and out.
Something else I’m looking forward to is getting back into a hobby I had as a kid. They’re called devil sticks or flower sticks and I’ve decided to get back into it. It’s fun learning new things and there are countless “tricks” you can do with them. My original ones are flower sticks, which move a little slower than devil sticks, so in an attempt to challenge myself while learning I’ve bought competition style devil sticks.
Learning is something I absolutely love. When the kids I coach talk about not liking school, I actually shake my head. I loved school, but that’s because I love learning. Knowledge is said to be power, but I think knowledge isn’t necessarily power but is empowering.
The more you know the more well rounded you are. For example, knowing another language allows you to interact with others more easily. It empowers you to bridge a gap that was otherwise there. I’m actually disappointed in myself for stepping away from French, I had taken it all the way through grade 12 and was rather good with it, but now I’ve regressed to the basics.
As for learning how to juggle or use devil sticks, you improve your hand-eye coordination which empowers you in a different way. If you knock something off a counter, perhaps you’ll throw a hand out and catch it before it hits the floor and breaks.
Besides, it’s fun to whip out skills that others find impressive because juggling is difficult to learn; it takes time like playing an instrument or learning a foreign language.
There’s so much to do in this area during the summer and winter. I’m very much looking forward to the year and hoping we get a beautiful summer.
