Rant #3,028: Pride (In the Name of Love)

 

I have to say that I was a very proud father this weekend.

My son made me very proud at his accomplishments, and while he always makes me proud, on Friday and Saturday, I was absolutely beaming.

My son plays in two leagues set up by the Nassau County Police Athletic League Special Needs Unit for people like him, those with developmental disabilities.

These disabilities range from mild to all-encompassing, but the NCPAL offers everything from baseball to basketball to yoga in their program, which I heard is a unique one in this country.

My son plays basketball and bowling, and he really enjoys the experience he has doing so.

He doesn’t say very much—which is part of his disability—but he has made at least some acquaintances in the sports he plays, and when he gets a high-five or a “good job” from his peers, I know he really enjoys it.

During a charity basketball game on Friday night—honoring Chris Garske, a fallen Nassau County police officer and benefiting the Marine Corps’ “Toys For Tots” Foundation—the participants in his league played the Nassau County Police in a fun game where the players could show off their skills to the cops.

Yes, the cops often took it easy against the participants, but once they saw how good the players actually were, the police ramped it up a bit themselves.

Anyway, in the group that my son was in, the overall score wasn’t really too important, but the fun that the players had showing off their moves against the cops was most important.

My son scored his first points when It appeared the cops were taking it easy on the players, but the more he played, the more I could see that the cops weren’t taking these players lightly anymore.

And by the end of the evening, my son had his share of high-fives, as he scored 16 points against the police players.

And he was taking some shots that I had never seen him try before, and he was making them as well as Kevin Garnett makes his shots.

I was just so proud of him, and when the game was over, a woman came up to him and congratulated him, telling him what a great game he had.

I don’t know who was beaming more, me or him, as she congratulated him.

And then on Saturday afternoon, he played in his NCPAL bowling league, and again, he made me proud.

My son has played in this league for about 10 years now, and it really has provided him with a road to not only athletic activity, but also social activity.

Without this league, he would not have very much to do during his off time, and the fun he has experienced in this league allowed him the courage to go into the basketball league, which he has done for the past five years or so.

Anyway, my son started off the league this season very slowly, not bowling up to his talent, but I figured that he would pick it up over time, and that is just what he has been doing the past few weeks.

This Saturday, he bowled a 136 the first game,, which is pretty much his average game from last season, but this season, it is a couple of pins over his average.

And then in the second game of the two that were bowled, he had one of his best games he ever bowled, rolling a 171, and leading his team to win the second game and total pins, so they won two of the three games played that day (they lost the first game).

People were high-fiving him and congratulating him, and even though he was wearing a mask, during both the basketball and bowling dates, you could see a broad smile erupting under his mask.

He knew he did good, and as his father, I was just so proud of him and his athletic accomplishments this past weekend.

Look, most of these people were written off nearly at the get go by people with high and lofty degrees. I have spoken to other parents, and their stories are similar to what my son went through when he was younger.

In the past, these people would be forgotten about, and even in 2022, their potential is often belittled and/or not acknowledged by others.

All that I know is that my son has defied the odds set forth for him by these supposed “experts.” He has held a variety of jobs since he was 15 years old, he plays basketball as he makes shots that the pros would admire, and he gets strikes and spares when he bowls that often defy description.

And he isn’t alone. In the bowling league, we have seen bowlers roll games well into the 200s, and even when they don’t bowl that high, they are there, participating and wanting to do well.

That is why I have become what you can call a “Doubting Larry,” because I do not take “NO” for an answer when it comes to my son. He has tremendous talent and potential, and the world needs to know about it.

And I can say the same thing about my daughter—I never accepted a “NO” from anyone about her either, and it has borne out with the success she has achieved in her career.

I have to say, I am still beaming about my son’s athletic accomplishments this past weekend. It kind of wrapped a big red bow on what was an excruciating week.

And yes, my wife is getting better each and every day, so hopefully, that COVID nightmare might be behind our family sooner than later.

And that would be the ultimate basket, and the ultimate strike, we could make, getting us back to something of at least a tinge of normalcy in the midst of total chaos.