For Sunday, there is only one game. All the teams are playing at the Reno Sparks Convention Center. It was a crowded, overwhelming time. It's been advised one should arrive early for good parking and it's true. The parking spaces were packed. The Convention Center was full of court action, vendors and crowds. Food filled the air. The atmosphere was electric. It was well organized chaos.
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| 5th grade chasing down the ball |
M. Luyon did a spin move to the basket sinking 2 points. Veterans like N. Gloria and B. Peterson performed great with determined dribbling to the hole. The rotation was done so well, every player contributed to the win. People were keeping us in touch with the 6th grade action. They won their game. It sounds like they played with a commitment to win. 2 wins to start the Uptempo Hoops day. Great job to the 5th graders and Coach Narciso and Coach Peterson. Great job to the 6th grade and the much needed win and Coach Irwin, Coach Tria, Coach Bautista and Coach Ilustre.
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| Coach Peterson's pep talk |
Could this day get anymore exciting? YES! Yes, it can!
Onto 4th grade action. The youngest team made up of a talented group of boys, most are 4th grade and 2-3rd graders. They may be small, but they are quick and they play hard. Most sacrificing their bodies for a loose ball or driving into defenders to get the foul call. These boys think quick on their feet. Day 2 was against the Clayton Blaze. Warm up time.....where is the team we are facing? What them??!! Those giants?! Some players were bigger than our 7th graders. It's not just that they are large 4th graders, it's obvious they are older. At least half the team.
The game grew physical quickly. There was a lot of shoving and pushing. The fans got louder and louder... and LOUDER. The officiating was less than perfect (far less). The Uptempo Hoops 4th grade moms were up in arms, screaming, yelling, cheering. Why? Because R. Noriega was slapped by 3 separate defenders...no foul call. C. Carlton took a charge, which he knows how to do...a foul called on him. D. Ravara and T. Inciong being body bumped...more like body thrown...no foul call. The ref ignored obvious reach in's and travels by the other team. Tip for future ref's: dragging the pivot foot IS travelling. And, yes, that WAS a charge. The ref repeatedly ignored 3 second violations. It was apparent this ref wasn't as experienced as the other one. It became increasingly frustrating after coming off a game of bad officiating just to end up in another game with bad officiating. Yes, we were screaming. We wanted her to watch BOTH sides, not just the smaller boys. Maybe she felt threatened by the other obviously larger players. We were hushed by the staff and security was brought in. It's understandable. We were very loud and emotional and the other fans were very animated and physical, stepping onto the court, not once, but twice. The other team received a technical for their behavior. Both sides received warnings. We complied to the best of our ability. We didn't want a technical. A. Brar shot the technical making beautiful baskets.
The game was exciting and full of drama. Fans came over from another game to watch us, wondering what all the noise was about. The excitement was magnetic. This is just for the 4th grade. They are brand new to this venue. But we cheered as if they were returning players twice over. We screamed until our throats were hoarse and forced more shouts after that. We WERE loud. Let me explain, yes, the mom's were loud and obnoxious. Me right along with them, if not, at times, the loudest. It was not because we wanted just to shout at the ref. We are not the types to throw popcorn at strangers in a movie theater. However, we protect our boys. We're mother bears. A mother to one: a mother to all.
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| Noticeable size difference. Poor J. Yabut and A. Brar.... try your best to block out boys! |
Our boys played hard. With all their heart. They played to the very last second. There were no ice packs given out because no one wanted to sit. They all wanted to get out there again and play and play hard. They were finally getting the message that to win, they had to push back. One player even said he wanted to win because today was coach's birthday. The size of this team was intimidating. One player was growing a goatie, which we just explained as a hormonal imbalance (yeah buy that one). One of our most experienced coach's response was "this is not a 4th grade team". Our UH 4th grade lost. Tears ran as head's hung low. They didn't want to look up. They dragged their heavy feet in disappointment and shame. They didn't have to.
What dried up those tears? Maybe it was the coach's pep talk. Maybe it was the mother's hug. Maybe because the game finally ended. What I think cheered them up was to see more than half the Uptempo organization there. They came in between games to watch their little brothers play their hearts out. And when the tears did come...it was the older players with the words of encouragement that made our boys feel proud. So many compliments filled up their ears. The tears wiped away by jokes and jabs at the other team. Tears dried up by the positive pats on the back. Simple words of encouragement travelled miles in the young players' ears.
Picture time. No, not a team picture. A picture of brotherhood. The organization players stood strong with each other in the picture. Shoulder to shoulder. UH brother supporting UH brother. Win or lose...they were there. The older, more experienced and skilled players were there and they were saying "great job". One mother of a 7th grader asked "how is it we lost, but here we are cheering the loudest?" We were. We cheered together. We had the most fans with us. "When I say UP you say TEMPO!!! UP!! TEMPO!! UP!! TEMPO!!"
One last classic quote which I love...."yeah, the 4th grade is hard the 3rd time around"
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| UP!! TEMPO!! UP!! TEMPO!! |
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