Tanner the Basketball Star

Tanner just finished his first season of basketball. He played through "Upwards" and he really enjoyed it. The kids on his team were so great. He made some great friends and he had some great examples of teamwork and sportsmanship. 
Here are the kids on his team, just for the record.
Back row: Josh, Tanner, Malachi, Brandon, Joseph and Ryan
Front row: CJ, Hudson & Noah. 
Julian wasn't pictured. 

I really loved "Upwards" because they are so Christ centered. Every game began with a prayer. 
The coaches, while very enthusiastic, were very compassionate and always reminded the kids what the most important thing was- being christlike in all aspects of life. 
The coaches even gave out little awards at the end of the game and one of the awards was always "Most Christlike". I loved that. 
Tanner came so far in basketball. He went in with very little experience and he made so much progress. 
He got really good at defense and would steal the ball from the other team multiple times each game. 
Chris and I both really enjoyed watching him play. 

Tanner really loved this action shot I took of him during his last game. 
It was an awesome steal and shot. 

We are so very proud of Tanner. He went out of his comfort zone and tried something new. He practiced and played hard and learned new skills. That kid is awesome. 

Here is a team photo. Mike Wilson was the head coach and then Coach Craig was the assistant coach. 
The boys loved their coaches and they really got along well as a team. 

I love this kid so much! 

Tanner's team made it to the semi-finals tonight after ranking second in their age group. 
Sadly, they lost by three points so they wont advance to the championship. 
The boys were so disappointed but we were so proud because they really played hard. The boys played hard on defense and offense. Tanner stole the ball from the other team atleast half a dozen times tonight. He was awesome. 
Way to go Tanner and TEAM HEAT! We are so proud of you!