The Bears

At the end of last year, Kaitlynn joined a Katy Youth Basketball (KYB) team with her friend, Libby, for the winter season. It was her first time playing basketball here in Katy and she was excited to show off some of her skills she learned last year in Dubai. Kaitlynn's team, the Bears, had several practices before the winter break as well as a scrimmage against a boys team, but the official games didn't start until earlier this year.

As the games began in mid-January, our #24 was enjoying the play time and getting to know her teammates. The team was a mix of 5th and 6th graders from various elementary schools in the area, and the girls were having a great time playing together during games and practices.

For her part, Kaitlynn did a great job during the season. She started off a little rusty and there were a few practices that really deflated her spirit, but she persevered and showed great improvement from game to game. After one particularly tough game, I couldn't resist taking her out for a much deserved ice cream treat.

It was overall a tough season for the Bears, who only won 1 game during the regular season. The girls played hard but we didn't seem to hit our stride as a team until late in the season. We also missed several players most weeks as many of the girls had softball tournament conflicts. By the middle of February, the team was ready for the KYB Playoffs.