Yes, you read the headline right.  Baseball though, not conscription.

Shocked isn't the right word.  Appalled, maybe.  Sad, definitely.

I'll set the scene.  Around 2:30pm this afternoon I took my 8 year old son Sam to Tumwater High School to register him for baseball.  He played T-Ball a few years ago and didn't really enjoy himself but wanted to give it another shot and I agree with him.

Since the initial season of baseball he's played two years of football and basketball and found his rhythm as an athlete on the grow.  He has a long way to go but his progress is highly commendable.  I am extremely proud of his dedication even when he continually struggles against more gifted athletes.  He never quits.

Having been told this was a "tryout" I was a little concerned for Sam.  Everyone plays, sure.  But how much?  Is this tryout serious?  Should we have skipped basketball this morning to ready his groundball skills?  I watched him take a couple grounders to the face a few days ago because he won't sit in his seat while fielding.  Same thing in the classroom.

When it was our turn to hand in our registration we were asked to come back at 4:30pm and given a number.  More kids than anticipated had registered.  No big deal.  My curiosity began to peak and I decided to ask about this tryout and why the number?  I mean, he has a name.  The friendly woman at the registration desk suggested I look in the gym to better understand what was expected of Sam later this afternoon.

WOW!

Tumwater High's gym was setup in a mock diamond.  Fielding taking place in the corner.  A pitching machine hurling baseballs at 40-45 mph.  The usual practice space when it's cold and wet outside.  It became clear why we needed a number when I looked right.  There were tens of coaches filling up the bleachers scouting our kids based on their performance and the better the player the more pencils moved.

These lists become each coaches draft sheet this Sunday morning at 7:30am.  Whatever happened to Lakes #1, and Lakes #2, when Lakes #1 got to be too big?  It sure is a different world out there when it comes to children and competition.  A sad world.

Thumbs down to Black Hills Youth Baseball (BHYB) and the process by which they build baseball teams for 8 year olds.  Even high school kids aren't subjected to a draft.  I'm a parent, not an agent.