Jack and the Basketball

The holidays were pretty busy and we missed Jack's Junior Jazz basketball games until after the holidays were past, and then we simply forgot he was playing and missed them some more.  A gentle reminder from Makinzee put us back on track. We finally went and it turned out to be a great experience watching guys this young play basketball.  The hoops are lowered a little for them, but they are still way above their head so it is absolutely fun and inspiring to watch them succeed so far below the net.  Makinzee just did a great blog about Junior Jazz and Jack's experience.  Check it out: at MickMackMaddyJack & Lexi Lilly 2.

Okay, this post is about Jack.  But on a side note, I have to talk about my own learning experience through all this.   We took photos that day as well.  We returned last Saturday, the 19th where I tried out the movie option on the camera.   And then I decided I needed to learn a new skill and not just let the photos and movies sit on my computer.  So I pulled out PhotoShop, rolled up my sleeves, and learned how to splice and move segments and add music and work with the sound and in the end produce my own video using the program.  (The movie below is my second try - still not perfect - still learning, but that's the story of my life.) 

And the movie was really great resolution - but at about 620 meg, just too large to post anywhere.   So I dumbed it way down to put it here - like to 24 meg, which is such a fraction of the original that the resolution is kind of sad.  If you click on the square in the lower right corner, you can watch it full screen.  But that is distorted.  Oh well.  I'll give Mike and Makinzee a DVD of the higher resolution version so they can keep it to show  when he becomes famous.  

But in the meantime - this is Jack:

Jack and the Basketball!

(Look for the guy in white with the number 2 on his shirt in the video part.  In the still shots he's in the dark green top with yellow letters - still number 2.)

 

See if you can find the three baskets I actually caught on film  (hint - only two of them were caught on video, and the ending has the same one shown three times so it counts as only one basket).  Jack made 6 baskets on the 12th and 4 on the 19th, which is pretty good considering the fact that each day there were only maybe one or two more baskets made altogether.  Makinzee calls him a ball hog, but I say anyone who hustles as much as this kid does deserves to play the ball.  And he's learning to pass and work with the other team members, and even to dribble without traveling some of the time.  Good thing the refs are very lenient at this stage.

Here are some other photos I got on the 12th:

Ok, I put this in because I LOVE the girls on his team.  Are they cute or what?  They just kind of do their own thing while the boys get in there and play ball.

Dribble, dribble, dribble.

With their coach at the end of the game.

Smile for the camera, Lexi!

Maddy is into other things at the games, as you can see....

Kinzee spent most of the game watching from the sidelines while bouncing Lilly on her hip. Lilly spent most of the game looking the other way.

Smile for the camera, Mike!

Maddy wants a turn.   Don't you love her basketball uniform??????

Hey!  Way to go!  Maddy makes a basket, too!