ilt on those skills each year that followed.
             As I grew older, competitiveness grew with me. At try-outs the coaches chose their teams purely based on "politics." Even as children, so young and innocent, introducing favoritism and politics ended the careers of a number of players at a very young age. If a player knew the coach personally, usually through parents at that young of age (or the coach had had him or her in the past and liked that person), covertly those kids were pre-picked. The try-outs meant nothing except for the kids who just wanted to play the sport they loved, not being granted prior favoritism. Various coaches picked me, some that I knew, and some that I did not know. The players went through frustrating times having to deal with the favoritism between coaches and their sons on the team. It seemed every year I had to deal with the issue. When the two of us competed for one position, even though I seemed to be slightly better (and everyone else secretively agreed), the coach put me behind his son. One year I recall, I was in the running for an All-League position. I was unfortunately booted out at the last minute however, replaced by the coach's son. The father, the head coach, made the decision ignoring his other coach's opinions. (This was not the exact c
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