Leopard can't change his spots - something I find amusing

[SuZir]

difficult child has been in his new team three whole weeks. We are having a rainy day and I was checking his team's fan discussion forum to see, how they have liked my insolent whelp thus far. Don't understand a word of the language but Google translator (to English, it never works well with either of our languages, especially horrid/amusing it is with other one) helped some. And what was the first comment I read: Someone wrote he liked how 'the insolent *add nationality* boy' has played.

And the boy hasn't even done anything too insolent yet to my knowledge! Just given an interview there he tells he wants to be the number one in his position in the team (should be very possible, his competitors are older and more experienced but have never played as high level as difficult child last two years. That fact may escape from the fans who are not so well aware of differences between leagues in different countries) and some of his long term goals (okay, those are hefty but with lots of work and some luck they may come true.) Good thing is that fans seem to like his brass even though his new coach had to specify in his after game interview that difficult child is not difficult team member (as if) even though he is determined and competitive.

Anyway, very good news is, that difficult child has liked it there thus far and coaches have told difficult child's agent that they are happy with him.

 

[DDD]

Actually I find that rather refreshing, lol. There is an old American expression "brown nosing" that applies to most of the sports stars. The quotes are almost always "the win was a total team effort" (even if the guy speaking scored all the points, lol) or "WE ALL are pleased with the victory and capitalize on our teammates strengths" (even if a couple of the team mates barely know where to find the field). Your boy just says the truth. He has confidence in himself. He has goals for his future. He's darned proud that he did well. It may not be politically corrrect but it sure sounds like your difficult child. I'm glad things are going well so far. DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

I find it funny too. Good for him for setting high goals for himself. Thats better than just thinking he can slide by. Im also glad he seems to be doing well where he is at. Leaving home for a long distance is hard on kids.

 

[SuZir]

You are right, difficult child was just being honest. And he really is quite good in interviews so he even put it nicely. Said he would be disappointed with himself if he could not play well enough to earn the number one spot and even said his competitors inside the team are also very good and have played well in pre-season games.

This league's competitiveness level is somewhere between our countries number one and number two leagues and that is why it could be a good fit for difficult child in this point of his development. The offers he had from our first league didn't promise much playing time and level of our second league is bit too low to help him develop optimally. And let's face it, difficult child wants and needs to play, not watch others to do so. If he can't get a lot of playing time in this team, he will likely not stay there whole season, but try to get a transfer to some other place. And this team didn't hire difficult child to sit and watch, they too expect him to take that number one spot.

difficult child truly is very independent in some ways and has lots of courage to go and try, even though one would think that for a person with social difficulties leaving home to go far away and to place there you don't understand the word of the language would seem impossible and scary. He just doesn't think it that way.

 

[BusynMember]

It always amuses me and sort of excites me that your son is sort of famous and that people care what he has to say about his sport...lol. I'm a sport's fan so maybe that's why I find it so interesting. I'd probably be less enamored if he were, say, on some television show because I have virtually no interest in them.

 

[SuZir]

LOL, famous isn't the word to describe my difficult child. But European sport scene is different from North American in some ways. We don't have 'big leagues.' Only one really is UEFA Champions League and it is not really a league but a cup between champions of national leagues. And also the popularity of different sports depends a lot about country and even area. Okay football (the kind you play with your feet) is rather popular everywhere, same with track and field, but the number one sport differs from country to another. Where Italy is all about football, just across the border in Austria the biggest spectator sports are alpine skiing and ski jumping. And we have lots of semi- or professional leagues in sports most of you have likely never even heard about.

difficult child is known in our country among people who are very enthusiast about his sport and people in his former town and also fans of his new team are interested. And of course the team management etc. make it their job to know about young talent from different countries so those too know who difficult child is. So he has some name among his tiny niche but famous really isn't the word.