Grab your sneakers and your sunscreen – it’s Summer Sports Day in Honeysuckle Hollow! Every year on this day, the Li’l Woodzeez come together for some friendly competition. They play every game under the sun, from water polo to racetrack sprints. It’s so much fun that, no matter who gets first place, everyone feels like they won at the end of the day.
On this year’s Sports Day, Suki Van North is participating in 3 team sports: baseball, football, and soccer. Will you join Suki for some summer games? You will! Let’s play!
“Get into position, everybody!” coach Tommy Tippytail announced. “It’s time to play ball!”
Suki Van North smiled broadly as he marched to his position in center field. It was his first time participating in Sports Day, and he was so excited to play with all the other kids in town. Suki was a big fan of watching sports, and now he finally got to play!
“Remember,” coach Tippytail added, “Teamwork makes the dream work!”
The first game of the day was baseball.
Lila O’Funnigan threw the first pitch, when BAM! Willow Tuskaroo swung her bat and sent the ball flying across the field. Then, Willow started running toward first base, hoping to score a homerun.
Suki darted toward the flying baseball, leapt in the air, and caught it in his hands!
“Throw me the ball, Suki!” cried Suki’s teammate, Hazel Healthnuggle, who was in left field. “I’ll pass it to Jake Snipadoodle on third base, and he can stop Willow from scoring!”
But Suki held onto the ball because he wanted to show his team that he was strong. So, he ran, ran, and ran toward Willow, who dashed past first base, then second…
“Pass it here!” Hazel pleaded.
Suki kept running hard. And, before he could make it to third base, Willow scored her homerun.
Suki’s teammates groaned.
“You’re strong, Suki, but you need to pass the ball!” said coach Tippytail.
The second game of the day was football. One of Suki’s favorite sports!
Lizzie Oliphant aced the kickoff, and off they went for a great game of tossing the pigskin. Everything was going well, until Suki caught the ball from a teammate.
Holding onto the ball, Suki ran as fast as he could, hoping to score a touchdown!
“Suki, I’m open!” cried Ripple Bogglesby from a few yards away. “Pass it to me!” she said.
But Suki wanted everyone to know that he was fast! So, he ran, ran, and ran, dashing between the other players while he held the ball. If he could just run a little bit more, he could score for his team!
When, quick as a flash, Jake Snipadoodle grabbed the ball from Suki’s hands. Jake then passed the ball to Lizzie, who threw it to Hazel, and – in no time at all – the ball was back on the other team’s side of the field.
Ripple shook her head at Suki.
“You sure are fast, Suki,” said coach Tippytail. “But you should pass the ball to your teammates!”
The third and last game of Summer Sports Day was soccer.
Once again, everything went well, until Suki got ahold of the ball.
“Suki, pass it here!” cried Jake Snipadoodle.
But Suki wanted everyone to know that he was nimble! So, he kept the ball to himself, and he ran, ran, and ran across the field, dodging all the other players until he reached the other side.
Suki kicked the soccer ball hard, and it flew right into the net! He scored a point for his team!
But even though he scored, something didn’t feel right. Suki’s teammates looked a little sad.
“Shouldn’t scoring make my team happy?” Suki wondered. “I did great!”
“Don’t forget,” reminded coach Tippytail as he wagged his finger. “Teamwork makes the dream work!”
In the next half of the soccer game, Suki’s teammates passed the ball to each other, racing back and forth across the big green field. It was a close game, with both teams having scoring two points each.
Jake Snipadoodle ran with the ball and passed it to Hazel, who was quickly surrounded by the opposing team. She then looked at Suki and passed him the ball.
This time, Suki wanted to be a real part of the team.
Suki received the ball, drove it a few feet, then passed it back to Jake, who was closer to the other team’s net. Within no time at all, Jake kicked the ball and scored a point – just in time for Jake and Suki’s team to win!
At the end of the game, Suki’s team came together for a group hug, celebrating their big win on Summer Sports Day. Suki felt that their winning point was better than the last because they had worked together as a team. Together, he and his friends made magic happen. And they would do it again next year!
