Little league

It's a beautiful spring day and I am field side at second grade soft ball. It's  62 degrees. A quick calculation.... Minus 30, divided by 2.... 16 degrees Celsius. It feels warmer than that in the sun.  My small child is in her element, friends, a game, lots of giggles. But there's a serious side to this game, it's on the faces of the parents on the sideline, is my kid good enough for the big league one day?

There are 3 Softball pitches at my local park. The games at this age are primarily about fun, and in the beginning everyone wins. There are almost as many coaches (dads) on the pitch as there are players. The amount of parental involvement in kids sport and kids activities in general is something I am not used to. Like most of my experiences here, the differences are not good or bad...they are just different. The teams are kitted out in full uniforms proudly displaying the name of their town. They have all the gear, the mitt, the helmet, the bat... its all or nothing. My daughter loves it. It's a game she's never even seen, played on a small scale in Australia and in some cases in a modified version. I can't help but wonder if softball/baseball has its roots in cricket. A game we know and love in the Southern Hemisphere. A colonial sport that essentially does not exist in the USA. I have tried to explain the game to an american friend, she was bewildered. I wonder if I will ever get used to that feeling of alienation when I try to tell the locals about life back home. Im discovering that it is pointless to do so. Again I sense a cultural rift, I move beyond that, the best recourse is to embrace the new experiences.... When in Rome....

Note to self, research history of baseball. While I'm at it, read the rules of the game.