#105. ALL the Sports!

4th grade was a busy year for the twins.  Long gone are the days of Covid where the calendar was completely empty.  The twins participated in a myriad of sports this past year (which also meant a myriad of trips to ETHS and gyms/pools/etc at other schools!!).  We are thrilled that both Clare and Luke have found sports they enjoy and we look forward to seeing their progress in the coming years.

Fall Sports

Clare played in the Evanston AYSO soccer league from Sept through Nov.   

One weekly practice...

...helped the 'Courageous Corgis' to improve their skills during each weekly game.  

It was definitely a fun, fall football season!

Meanwhile, in the fall, Luke joined the Wildkit Swim Organization (WSO).

He hasn't swam in any meets yet, but typically practiced twice a week...

...and even competed in a swimarathon, where he completed 109 laps in an hour...almost a mile and a quarter!  More swimming highlights to come!

In the fall, concurrent to soccer and swimming, both twins participated in WSO Water Polo...

...where I learned how hard it is to take pictures of water polo!

Fall water polo was pretty low key with a handful of practices each month,...

...and one game where the twins and their teammates...

...showed a lot of endurance!!

Winter Sports

While continuing to swim, Luke also played 4th/5th grade basketball for...

...the Kingsley Comets.  

There weren't a lot of (maybe any?!?) wins, but his skills and team definitely improved.

Clare also played for the Kingsley girls team...

...and also played for the Evanston girls 4th grade ETHS feeder/travel team.

Clare was usually good for a basket or two at most of the games (see video)!

There were two practices a week as well as games/tournaments most Saturdays and/or Sundays...

...and this was a true 'travel team'!

The Wildkits rarely played less than 30 minutes away (sometimes an hour thirty!) in places like Wauconda, Waukegan, West Chicago, Wheaton, and Grayslake (the only town not starting with a 'W')!

There were also great opportunities, like playing a halftime game at Northwestern...

...where Clare drained a 3 pointer (watch for the white jersey on the far wing!)...

...and being announced at an ETHS girls basketball game!

The highlight of the season, by far, 

...was winning the 'Silver Division' end of season tournament!

The girls played hard all day...

...and well into the night to win it all!

It was pretty awesome seeing all of the smiles...and those big trophies!!

Spring Sports

Spring was spent 'doubling/tripling up' on sports for each of the twins.  Luke kept up with his swimming and water polo...

...and played tennis for Kingsley Elementary (and helped them to 3rd place in the district finals!).

For Clare, it was more AYSO soccer with the Courageous Corgis...

...who played the second half of their season.

Clare also played EBSA softball with the 'Radical Rats'!!

This season Clare showed great improvement in her batting...

...and pitching (tallying quite a few K's)!

The Rats won a lot more games this year than the Bee's from last summer...

...but the best part was how coachable all of the girls were... 

...and, win or lose, how much fun these girls had playing together!

It was a very enjoyable season!!

Summer Sports

We thought June & summer break would help slow things down, but we were sadly mistaken!

Luke participated in two ETHS camps, one was for basketball, and the other for tennis.

It wasn't all forehands and backhands...

...there were also some agility drills...

...and lots of ball pickup duties!

Not sure how this works, but all the kids earned some cash at the end of camp!

Clare also participated in two ETHS camps, one for basketball, and one for softball.

She was four years younger than every girl at the camp,...

...but she held her own.

It was a great opportunity to get in some reps on the high school softball field.

Luke played the summer season of water polo...

...and sometimes Clare filled in, too!

It was a short, but packed season, with two practices a week and a weekly game... 

...usually not close by...we went as far as Stevenson HS and York HS!

Everyone seemed to enjoy the level of competition...

...and I learned that water polo pics are easiest to take out of the water!

Luke continued to swim in the summer and raced for his first times.

He swam the 50 free, 50 back, and 50 breaststroke...here is his winning backstroke heat!

Finally, the twins spent the early start of summer participating in the first ever Evanston Kuumba Olympics.

All of the major sports were offered, and the twins took part in multiple practices and events...

...starting with swimming.

The first event was the 25 yard freestyle, and wouldn't you know it, the twins were competing right next to each other (Clare starting in the water and Luke on the block)!!  Poor Luke lost his goggles and just couldn't quite catch Clare at the finish!

Though, he redeemed himself in the 100 free relay (starting in the water!), giving his anchor the lead!

These two helped 'Team Logan' score some Kuumba points with their swims!

Next up for Clare was playing basketball.

It was a 3-game series (Clare only played 2)...

...and Clare ended up on the same team as one of her feeder teammates.

The last game was a one-point win (good thing she made this free throw)!!

Team Logan finished second overall in basketball.

Next up for Luke was a new sport...

...badminton!  He didn't like it at first but ended up liking it in the end!

The twins both participated in the Olympics water polo event.  

This time, we were able to sit poolside...

...so it was easier to get some good shots!

Even though the pool (by design) was shallow enough to walk...

...Luke took the competition seriously and kept his feet up...

...most of the time! 

The twins helped Team Logan take second place on the day!

Last but not least, Clare participated in the Olympics Flag Football competition on a gorgeous summer day.

Before the football games, there was some skill testing...

...and Clare ran her hardest in her first ever timed '40' (yard dash)!

In the games, she played a little quarterback...

...and a lot of receiver!  Also, she had 5 interceptions on the day, including two pick-6's!

All in all, Clare's team finished 2-0-1 and won football at the Kuumba Olympics!

We are so grateful to the Kuumba organization for hosting such a wonderful community event, giving the twins opportunities to play old and new sports, and make new friends!