Tag Archives: Caleb Hatch

Wrapping Up Spring Sports For Sloan and Beau

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A very busy spring sports season will wrap up for our family this week. Sloan will conclude her soccer season this evening with her team’s end-of-year party and Beau will play the final game of his tee-ball season on Wednesday night.

It was a fun season watching both our kids play their spring sports.

How did my kids do? Well, neither Sloan nor Beau will earn MVP honors for their respective teams. 😜

Sloan and Aminah after the first game of the spring for the Purple People Eaters.

But being the best isn’t what playing sports is all about. And you can take that from your esteemed blogger—because I know firsthand. 😉

Beau batted at times right and at times left during the season, causing him some confusion.

When it came to Sloan’s spring season with the Purple People Eaters, it was incredible to see how much the team improved. They went from a squad in the fall that probably lost more games than they won to a force to be reckoned with in the spring. They won most of their games, blowing out many of the opponents they faced. Although Sloan doesn’t match the talent level of most of the girls on her team, she still put forth a solid effort. She exerted some moments of brilliance and kept showing up.

Sloan during a soccer practice this spring.

As for Beau, I didn’t see as much progress as I would have hoped from last season. However, it wasn’t entirely his fault (watch his highlight/blooper reel here). He batted from the left side of the plate the entire time last season. This season, he would be lined up to bat right on some occasions and left on others. This caused him major confusion as he never really knew where to stand when he went up to bat. During the off season, I must do much better finding out exactly whether he is a righty or lefty at the plate and make sure it feels second nature for him.

At the first game of the season, Coach Jason Willey helps Beau with his stance.

Even with the inconsistency at the plate, he still had a wonderful time playing. And when I saw “playing” I literally mean playing—as in jumping around, throwing his hat in the air, and chasing balls hit to the other side of the field. With all that said, he still exhibited some moments of promise. He volunteered to play catcher multiple times, he made some excellent stops on ground balls, and he did make solid contact for some nice hits.

Beau played catcher a lot during this tee-ball season.

If there was one obvious consistency between the soccer season of Sloan and the tee-ball season of Beau, it was excellent coaching. Caleb Hatch was Sloan’s soccer coach once again…a true blessing. Sidney and I have been so impressed and grateful with the patience and kindness he has shown Sloan. Even though there are some excellent athletes on her team, Caleb has never looked past our daughter. As for Beau, the organization and communication saw a major upgrade this season under the leadership of Jason Willey. Things definitely weren’t as chaotic this year.

Can’t say enough about Coach Caleb Hatch and how he has been such an awesome coach for Sloan.

Even though our kids weren’t the stars on the field, I can’t express enough how glad I am they both got to play a sport this spring. Even at their young ages, playing with others and honoring a commitment are important lessons to learn early in life. I am proud of Sloan and Beau for competing and making it through their respective seasons. 👏🏼

Special thanks to my parents for attending so many of the spring sports games (and helping with the transportation) of Sloan and Beau.

Sid and I will be happy to re-establish some order back into our weeks. The spring sports season took up pretty much every weekday in April and May. However, even though some nights we would question our hectic schedules, we are happy for the experiences afforded to Sloan and Beau through these initial forays into athletics. Don’t Blink.

Apple Thursday Rundown

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Is the Memorial Day weekend within your grasp yet? I know a few of you out there will be playing hooky tomorrow. I will be working but let me promise you, I won’t let my envy deter me from writing my latest Thursday Rundown. Here we go…

Apple Jacks Pop-Tarts – Alright, after boycotting Pop-Tarts for a few days because I was so disappointed with “Unfrosted,” I am back to eating them again. And not only have I resumed chowing down on them but I am once again seeking out weird and limited edition flavors. This week I tried Apple Jacks Pop-Tarts and in the same way that “Unfrosted” didn’t resemble the actual origin of Pop-Tarts, Apple Jacks Pop-Tarts didn’t resemble the actual taste of Apple Jacks. Actually, that first bite I took was pretty bad. But it grew on me as I went along—it tastes just as you would expect an apple-flavored pastry to taste. Also, for what it’s worth, my wife came downstairs about 15 minutes after I toasted mine and said, “What smells so good?”

These Apple Jacks Pop-Tarts were decent.

Apple Pizza – From Apple Jacks Pop-Tarts to apple pizza. No, I am not talking PINEapple, I am talking straight up APPLE. On Tuesday night during our WSU System Marketers and Communicators Conference, I went with some colleagues to a pizza place in Moscow, ID, called Maialina. I ordered the Mela, a pie topped with caramelized onion, gorgonzola dolce, cow’s milk ricotta, cream, sage, and APPLE. Always good to try something different but I don’t think I would order it again.

When we dined at Maialina, I ordered the Mela. Probably not something I will order again.

Spirit Week – It has been a week of fun and creative outfits for Beau and Sloan. It is Spirit Week at St. Mary Catholic School so the students have ditched their uniforms for sillier options. Mismatch/Crazy Hair Day, Career Day, Sports Day, and Decade Day have all transpired throughout the course of this week. Much gratitude to Sidney for serving as the architect of putting all these outfits together!

Sloan and Beau pose in their mismatch clothes (left) and then in their career clothes (Sloan is a teacher in the top right image and Beau is a police officer in the bottom right image).

Sloan’s Soccer Season – I took some time earlier this week to recap Beau’s t-ball season so I also want to recognize Sloan’s soccer season. She concluded her spring slate of games this past Saturday. She improved a lot from the fall and I really enjoyed watching her engage with her teammates and the enthusiasm she constantly displayed. Sloan’s coach, Caleb Hatch, is so patient and knowledgeable. The Squids won more games than they lost (although they don’t keep score) while playing up a division. Congrats to Sloan and her teammates!

That is one happy bunch! This photo was taken after the last game of the spring season this past Saturday.

Archives – Since I don’t have anything better to do, I thought I would reach into the archives for other blog posts I have written on May 23 in the past. Back in 2013 I described the importance of checklists. In 2015 I wrote about ice cream pie and how it became a birthday tradition in the Reser household growing up. In 2018 I wrote a blog post I find myself sharing at least a couple times each year—my top 5 favorite beers. In 2022 I told the story about a high school teacher of mine who conveyed in dramatic fashion that cheating is not okay. Alright, is that enough?

Sidney made me an ice cream pie on my birthday in 2015.

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That will wrap things up for tonight. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, everyone! Don’t Blink.

Sloan’s Soccer Season

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I didn’t know how Sloan’s soccer debut would go. I dropped the ball and signed her up late. Because of the tardiness, she was waitlisted. When the Spokane Youth Sports Association (SYSA) finally got back to us, they said there was a spot for Sloan but she would have to “play up.” SYSA organizes leagues according to birth year. So my “2017” baby would have to play with “2016” girls on a South Hill team that had already been playing together for a couple years.

Sidney provides Sloan with some pointers during a soccer match this season.

Sloan was up for the challenge.

Sloan dribbles the ball during her first soccer practice.

This past Saturday, Sloan concluded her season with the Inky Squids. The team played a six-game campaign that introduced her to a new sport and new friends. Throughout the season, which included seven practices, I saw incredible improvement in skill and confidence.

Thumbs up from Sloan for rising to the challenge of playing soccer with an experienced group.

A lot of that was the result of the coach. Caleb Hatch welcomed Sloan to the team with open arms and treated her with kindness and patience. When I responded to his “welcome” e-mail by saying Sloan might not be at the talent level of the other girls, he said “don’t be concerned” and that everyone deserves to play the game of soccer. He took Sloan under his wing the entire season and really helped her to enjoy her time on the field.

The Inky Squid’s soccer coach, Caleb Hatch, speaks with the girls during a game.

It was so much fun watching Sloan and her teammates play. We had beautiful and sunny Saturday mornings for pretty much the whole season and going to the practices on Thursday evenings was a nice break in the school/work week for the both of us. Sloan got to play in front of her grandma for every game, her grandpa for most, and for her aunts/uncle/cousins for some.

Sloan also had her brother at every soccer game.

Although I think the desire was partly fueled by the lack of running involved, Sloan embraced the goalie position and played it for a portion of every game. Nothing gave me more pride than watching her get a save! She also became a little more aggressive by the end of the season and when she remembered which way the opponents’ goal was (😂), it was fun to watch her kick the ball. She actually had a shot on goal this last game which kind of put the icing on the cake for her season.

Sloan defends the goal during one of her games. She embraced playing goalie.

For as much as I talk about Sloan taking a leap of faith to play soccer on an established team, she wasn’t alone. Sloan’s friend and classmate, Aminah, also joined Sloan on the Inky Squids. The two “outsiders” from the Valley did a great job of meshing with their new teammates although it helped that the returning girls were always so warm and welcoming.

Aminah and Sloan are close friends and they stayed close on the field (literally) too.

Sloan is already pumped to continue the two-part soccer season in the spring. I will be excited to see further improvement and perhaps even a goal from that curly-haired girl wearing the #7 jersey. Great job to Sloan for trying something new, honoring her commitment, and playing hard. Don’t Blink.