I don’t have a lot of distinct memories from being ten, I think that is mainly because it was our last year in Greensburg, Indiana as my Dad took a new job in Frankfort, Indiana where they still live today just before I turned 11, but we’ll cover that next year.

I do remember that I had officially become a sports freak.  I listened to every Reds baseball and Bengals football game I could on the radio, and in the rare times it was on TV, it was like it was Christmas in our house.  I would read the box scores in the paper every morning and follow the leaders in home runs, RBIS (runs batted in), and batting avg although I focused only on the National League because the Reds played in the national league.

My passion for fishing was further enhanced that year as I remember catching some big blue gill, bass, and catfish during our summer vacation to an Indiana state park for two weeks with our cousins.  This was our last year in a tent as the year we moved to Frankfort we splurged and got a pop up camper.   Now give a little thought to two adults (my parents) and six kids ranging from 11 to 1 in tent for two weeks.    My idea of a shower was jumping in the lake – now I know why we have such a tough time convincing Carter to take a shower.  I must say that my swimming skills at 10 probably rivaled Kendall at 4.  Grant and Carter would look like Olympic swimmers in a pool with me at 10, but I never had swim team and frankly have few memories of ever swimming in a pool – most of the time until I went to college it was lakes and ponds.

Grant and Carter will tell you that “listening” is a big rule at our house and for any sport that I coach – ask them how I know if they are listening?   That rule was drilled into – literally when I was in 5th grade.   I had a nun for a teacher, and she carried a wooden ruler in her hand at all times.  My best friend Donnie sat next to me for part of the year, and I remember one day my hand being slapped with the ruler so hard by the nun that I could see the impression of the ruler for hours after on my hand.   I think that is when I finally absorbed the rules of listening from the nun – I’m sure it was only the 10th or 11th time she had told me.   30 years later it is still etched in my memory and Grant, Carter, and Kendall are forever grateful I’m sure!