But, I was correct in saying ODP, as in Olympic Development Program.
JJ had the opportunity to "try-out" for the ODP. The ODP is a program that provides promising young athletes with more intense training and skill development. They hold regional tryouts and then form a small team that trains several Saturdays throughout the year. There is also a summer tournament that the kids participate in,
JJ had no idea what he was doing. We told him he was going to practice with some new kids. We said some of the kids from his team would be there, but there would also be a lot of kids he didn't know. We told him we didn't know much about it, but we thought he would think it was fun.
He was given a jersey with a number on it.
He thought that was pretty cool. He's 448. There was probably 25 kids in his age division. This was the first year he was eligible to participate.
They spent time doing drills. We noticed that JJ was slacking when it came time to juggle the ball. Juggling is the one thing that he struggles with. I can't blame him, I can't juggle either. But, we've noticed that every coach so far has emphasized it, so it must be important. I told him he needed to practice juggling 20 minutes a day, just like he's suppose to read for 20 minutes a day!
JJ has always been told he has great ball handling skills. His foot work is always noted. He can easily move the ball with the left or the right foot. He actually prefers to use the left, even though he is right hand dominant. We watched from the side lines, farther back than we do for games. The parents stayed corralled far from the action as to not disturb the athletes. They would come over for water breaks,
JJ spotted me and the camera. I'm glad he is used to it in his face. Sometimes I actually think he likes having his own paparazzi. After an hour or so, the training was over and we were told we would hear something by email later in the week. JJ didn't quite understand, but he asked if he could do it again. In his words, "That was AWESOME!"
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