Fall 2014

I’m sitting on the plane to Phoenix next to a sleeping Lukey, getting ready for a week of sunshine and relaxation after a really busy and challenging start to the school year. Since moving back from Point Roberts in the end of August, it feels like a big blur of activity with few moments to slow down and catch my breath.

Part of it is, no doubt, the contrast. Our summers at the Point are filled with long days spent mostly as a family. It’s pretty rare that anyone needs to rush off to anything other than me, for my next shift at work. Fall is different.

The first day of school 2014-15

Finny is running at least 3 days every week between Labour Day and Halloween, with most meets scattered around the far reaches of the lower mainland. Les is a supermom, who not only does these long drives without complaint, is also able to talk to Finny about all her competitors and every race. It’s inspiring to see the effort Fin puts into running. Lukey and Molly also ran cross country for their school and worked hard at the meets they entered in the strike shortened season.

At the end of season, after the big city wide meet, we always head out for ice cream, and this year was no different.

Lukey’s hockey and soccer started up pretty much right away in September. That adds 5 days of driving, hurriedly picking up from school only to scurry off to practice or a game. Lukey is officially a half-time goalie for his hockey team this year…which means an extra separate goalie practice as well. He sweats his butt off getting up and down, up and down, well over 100 times during each training session. My legs get sore just watching!

Soccer is a little less demanding and tiring....and has lots of Boston Pizza lunches afterward.

The team went to see the Whitecaps after one of their games...which was a first for me. 

One day Lukey had a soccer game followed by pizza lunch, basketball practice, hockey game followed by his team getting dinner together and then playing floor hockey in the gym and air hockey in the games room! Spoiled little guy.

Usually his cleaning process involves a hot-tub or dip in the pool...but we occasionally wrestle him into the bath.

I’m still coaching Luke’s hockey team with a group of other dads, but have really had to step back in my role. It looks like I’m going to be mostly a goalie coordinator and an extra on-ice presence when time allows.

There’s been a couple of crazy days this fall where he’ll been in school all day, run a mile cross country race, followed by a hockey practice, basketball practice and then goalie practice. We know…it’s probably too much…and isn’t very common…but he does love his sports.

Molly is much more in love with her arts. She is going back for her second musical production with the Vancouver School of Performing Arts. She is also taking a drawing class at Arts Umbrella. Recently Molly and Les have joined the tour of high schools offering special programs like leadership, arts, and the various mini-schools around town. This is making for a relatively busy schedule on it’s own…but then there’s basketball.

I started Split Second Basketball 5 years ago. I’ve loved the experience and feel proud of the training we’ve been able to offer my, and other people’s kids. Although I’ve had numerous requests to offer programs on more evenings and outside of the Arbutus Club, it’s never felt quite right to do so. I already have a pretty busy schedule, and so do most of the guys coaching with me. A few of them are still playing for the UBC T-Birds. The “retired” guys have families, and jobs and such that rule out full time coaching.

However, this summer my really good friend Joey Vickery decided, after 19 years playing professionally in Europe, that it was time to come home. If you haven’t met Joey and/or haven’t seen him play, you can’t possibly understand how uniquely qualified Joey is to coach Split Second Basketball. I learned more from Joey than anyone else I ever played with. He taught me the importance of Split Seconds…both from the in-depth conversations we’ve had over the years, and just from watching the example that he is.

Joey took Lukey for his first game of pitch and putt

To say that Joey is unique is an understatement. To say that he is uniquely qualified to teach young kids what I want most to pass on is even more understated. If it weren’t for Steve Nash (who is close), Joey would be the best shooter Canada has ever had. Combine this with his ability to connect with and lead kids, he is the perfect person to run Split Second Basketball classes.

So, despite a rather full schedule, I felt compelled to create new coaching opportunities for Joey to come to Vancouver full time. It all happened pretty quickly, meaning lots of last minute scrambles to find gyms (THE HARDEST PART!), and players, and jerseys and insurance and on and on.

Joey also did a week of PE classes at the school

It’s been a challenge. It’s been stressful (poor Les), especially because I’ve also gone through some big exams at work this fall to become EMR licensed.

Finishing off the EMR licensing practical with a game of soccer and some beers

It’s been tiring. Mostly, it’s been fun and rewarding. I’ve gotten to spend lots of time with Joey. He’s a fantastic coach and an even better friend. Les has been holding the whole thing together and making it work. I love working closely on a project like this with her. It’s been good for the kids who have gotten some new basketball and life experiences.


With this holiday coming up, I figured I could add one more thing onto the schedule and organized the 2nd ever Split Second Cup at the Arbutus Club. We brought 30 kids out to play a 3 hour tournament, followed it up with pizza, prizes and a trip to watch the T-Birds play UVIC. At half-time the kids did some shooting and dribbling contests.

Lukey teamed up with 3 friends from his hockey team to win their division

Finny was ecstatic after beating out 5 grade 7-10 boys in Howard's impromptu $20 shootout after the game

On Sunday at Fortius Sport and Health, we brought in a couple of their physios/kinesiologists to teach our players better movement patterns. It was an experiment for us and for them, that seemed to go over well.

We also had a Steve Nash movie night at the Arbutus Club where we showed our players documentaries and clips of Nash...and talked about what he has done to get to the highest level of sport. He's a fantastic role model for kids, and we were hoping to set the stage for these kids to be able to appreciate watching his final season in the NBA. It doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Rich Anderson rolled into town for a brief visit...setting up a reunion of our 2002 Austrian Cup championship team.

The Raptors practiced for a week at Fortius this pre-season, so Joey, Rich and I watched them for a couple of hours and met with coach Dwayne Casey

and Jama Mahlalela to chat a bit about his role in player development.

We hosted our first Thanksgiving/Molly birthday weekend in Vancouver, breaking our long standing Point Roberts tradition...and were pleased to be able to easily host 15 people.

Les really has been holding us all together through this busy time. Cooking turkeys, answering emails, taxing, taxing, taxing, helping me with whatever I need. 

Maple Ridge Pumpkins (because doesn't everyone drive 60+ km for pumpkins?)

With a rare free weekend afternoon (and with our farm-phobic family member at work), the kids and I headed to Maple Ridge for pumpkins.

It was a dull, grey day...but Laity farm was lovely, even in the rain (photo intensive post to follow...you've been warned). 

Hello, goats!

It was the weekend of Thanksgiving, so the kids were relieved to think that the turkey below had been spared the fate of many of his/her kin. I am not sure what Finny is up to here...

My little pumpkins...

The grounds of the farm were really beautiful. There were little details all over. We really enjoyed exploring.

There was a hilarious hayride, which was mostly just a circle...no, totally just a circle. I thought it was the parking area. It wasn't. We were off it before I realized the ride had even started.

Bizarrely, the kids didn't even blink. The circular two-second ride was all they needed.

There were gardens and mini pumpkin patches.

Butler kids train...

Molly's legs are so long, so could have her feet on the ground.

My three turkeys:

Molly shows off her wooden cow.

And since you don't want your wooden cow to get a sore udder, so obviously have to milk her...

One of the best features of this place was the amazing corn maze. Here are my girls at the start:

Our first impression was that the maze was small and we'd be out in no time. We quickly ended up separated and very lost. All you could do was look up at the sky.

Every once in a while, we would run into each other again.

I found Finny investigating the corn. Maybe she was checking on her survival options if we never found our way out.

I ran into Lukey and he was complaining about a very sore foot due to a blister, caused by wearing a pair of snow boots (!!) that were too small.

We all found each other at the dead end right in the middle of the maze.

Even Lukey ended up there...

Eventually, Molly and I found the exit at the same time. We decided this made us the winners. Finny came out a while later. Then I sent her back in to try to find Lukey. He finally emerged close to tears. His blister slowed him down and he might have been quietly checking into the edibility of the corn himself...he thought he was never getting out.

It started to rain pretty heavily right around then, so we moved towards the forest, where a series of trails were decorated with a strange but charming collection of story characters.

Believe it or not, we took pictures on nearly everything. I will spare you the gory details and just include a few here.

Pirate Butlers.

Molly as "Rose" from Titanic.

Okay, now this cracks me up. The best part is you can see Moll's feet at the bottom.

Ha!

It was truly pouring by this time. You can really tell, but we were soaked. And notice Lukey's bare foot...he had given up on the offending snow boot.

We sought out our pumpkins in the fields, but Lukey was a little handicapped by his one bare foot. Bad mother...right?

Once our pumpkins were chosen and loaded into the wheelbarrow, the man of the group took it upon himself to wheel our pumpkins out. Unfortunately, the wheelbarrow loaded up weighed more than our wee Lou. It didn't take long for the wheelbarrow to take him out. Pretty hard. Poor little buddy was a bit banged up...bare foot, wet and a little wounded, he wasn't having the best time...

So, we stopped into the little cafe attached for something warm to drink. Nothing a little hot apple cider couldn't fix.

...until the wobbly table caused Lukey to spill a good glug of our cider all over the table. Note his sad face above.

Nevermind. We still had lots of nice warmth to enjoy and we paid for our pumpkins (very cheap!) and headed home.

Finny and Lukey were really excited to give Molly her early birthday present (our excuse was that due to the time difference, that night was really her birthday...nine hours back from Stuttgart time).

So, Playmobil was gifted. A gift that they knew Molly would love, but more importantly, they would love, too. Playmobil is one thing that they still really love to do all together. So there is no better gift.

An epic session of fun.

A wonderful day and a great way to usher our girl into 12...

E- Luke's first x-country race

Lukey loves to compete...but has always been hesitant to join the cross country team at school. Maybe it's because of his competitive nature that he holds back, knowing the pain he'll have to endure.

I can certainly recall many afternoons sitting in class with an upset stomach, in anticipation of a big after school run. I don't think anything has made me more nervous in life than the anticipation of a competitive run. Even big games in basketball were never the same feeling.

Lukey dealt with it well and finished 12th in a big field of competitors. Molly made us proud by competing in her grade 7 heat, at a age when most girls have already quit. Finny raced really hard and came in 4th.