We started with a local community league of T-ball when Lucas was 3. It was dreadful. Practices/games were twice a week and lasted 3+ hours each. A lot of times, they even dragged on past bedtime-I mean it's hard enough to keep toddler's attention in t-ball, but go past bedtime-well, you've lost me then too!
This past fall, we decided to make a change and head over to i9 Sports and flag football. My sister's kids have played flag football and soccer with them for a couple of years, so we thought we'd give it a shot.
One of my favorite things about the i9 leagues is the timing. The practices and the games are on the same day! You go to the field, practice and then the game is immediately following it. It's ONE DAY-for ONE BLOCK OF TIME! You play in the same location (alternating fields-but you can see them all when you get there) at the same time every single week!
The coaches are volunteers-and not only my son's coach-but you can see that ALL of the coaches are committed to the sport, to really teaching the game and the sportsmanship. Speaking of Sportsmanship-each week, one kid on the team received a medal for their improvements, good plays, or teamwork. The week Lucas got the medal-you would have thought he won the Powerball and the Superbowl all rolled into one. And at the end of the season, each child received a trophy as well.
Lucas loved Flag Football-and as his parents-we did too! We could see him thrive this year in a new sport-in a new environment-and a new league. He loved it SO much that we signed up for Spring Flag Football this year too!
There are three big important things that we are counting down to in our house right now: Our upcoming trip to Disney, Lucas' big 6th Birthday, and Flag Football Opening Day! (only 77 days to football!)
You can check out i9 too! i9 Sports offers youth sports leagues, camps, and clinics for boys and girls between the ages of 3-17 in today’s most popular kids team sports. While sport offerings vary based on the i9 Sports location, they offer flag football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and cheerleading in hundreds of communities each week. Follow i9 Sports on Twitter to find out more @i9Sports215!
**If you register before January 31st for Spring Sports you will save $10! BUT that's not all! MacKid has teamed up with i9 to offer an additional discount! Enter the code "MacKid" and receive an additional $10 savings for a total of $20 off spring registration!
