WXII has a story about a boy in Yadkin County who is playing youth soccer despite some serious physical obstacles.  This one hit home with me because Erin has stepped up to Challenge level soccer where there are things like tryouts, not making the cut, no guaranteed playing time, etc.  While there’s a place for all levels of youth sports, from rec league to serious AAU-level competition, I think this story exemplifies what the fundamental purpose of youth sports is all about: participation, exploring boundaries, overcoming obstacles, exceeding your own expectations, dealing with joy and disappointment (winning and losing) and playing with kids of all types of background and ability.  Oh, and there’s that little thing called teamwork.  Love it.

Note: The WXII video didn’t play well with my Firefox so I suggest viewing it in Internet Explorer.