Ryker’s Trip to Worlds—Making It Worth ItRyker’s team qualified for Worlds at multiple points this season—an exciting accomplishment! But like many things, it came with some challenges. Team dynamics made it a bit stressful for Ryker, and although he was initially really interested in going, his enthusiasm started to fade as the trip approached. We’ve always emphasized the importance of following through on commitments, so we encouraged Ryker to think about ways we could make the experience feel fun and meaningful. In the end, it was just me, Russell, the grandparents, and Ryker making the trip together. And we made it count. One night, we introduced the grandparents to Top Golf, which was a hit. Another evening, we went out for a nice dinner and capped the night with a chilly—but not too chilly—dip in the hotel pool after a family basketball game. It turned out to be a really sweet memory. Ryker got plenty of one-on-one (okay, one-on-four) attention, and I think, in the end, he didn’t regret going. We even had perfect weather—at least when we managed to escape the walls of the convention center! Cheers to showing up, to finding the joy, and to making it all worth it. Love, Mom

Ryker’s team qualified for Worlds at multiple points this season—an exciting accomplishment! But like many things, it came with some challenges. Team dynamics made it a bit stressful for Ryker, and although he was initially really interested in going, his enthusiasm started to fade as the trip approached.

We’ve always emphasized the importance of following through on commitments, so we encouraged Ryker to think about ways we could make the experience feel fun and meaningful. In the end, it was just me, Russell, the grandparents, and Ryker making the trip together.

And we made it count.

One night, we introduced the grandparents to Top Golf, which was a hit. Another evening, we went out for a nice dinner and capped the night with a chilly—but not too chilly—dip in the hotel pool after a family basketball game. It turned out to be a really sweet memory. Ryker got plenty of one-on-one (okay, one-on-four) attention, and I think, in the end, he didn’t regret going.

We even had perfect weather—at least when we managed to escape the walls of the convention center!

Cheers to showing up, to finding the joy, and to making it all worth it.

Love,
Mom