I was going to write, “There is no joy in Panda-ville” but that’s not really true. It is true that the Panda’s ride is over. We lost. We lost big. I think the final score was 8-2. It was not pretty. The other team was a finely oiled machine. Very intense. Very determined to beat us – the only team that beat them all season. And beat us they did. We never really found our mojo.

But…

the “no joy in Panda-ville” didn’t seem to fit.

If you look at the faces after the game (with their “original Panda cookies”), and you had to guess the outcome of the game, it would be hard to tell that we lost. Yes – they were VERY disappointed. They wanted to play in the championship on Saturday. They had worked so hard.

It is a learning league. It’s about learning skills. Learning good sportsmanship. Learning that sometimes things don’t go your way and you lose. But it’s also about learning to do your best. About keeping your head high. About congratulating your opponent. (About having a cookie and moving on.)

Plus – we won the After Game Relay Race. A perfect record. 12-0. We are the fastest girls team in 3/4th grade softball! So we ended on a high note.

Here’s to the mighty Pandas – you brought me such joy.