Ask some average 10-year-olds how they spend their days. If you’re lucky enough to get an answer, it will probably involve a video game or a cartoon. That isn’t the case with fifth grader Robert Lopez, who’s too busy scoring runs on a baseball diamond to hit home runs on an Xbox.
Lopez has been playing his favorite sport for the past seven years (remember he’s only 10!), and it shows in his game. Lopez considers himself a short stop like his favorite player, Rafael Furcal. But like any talented young player, Lopez can handle multiple positions, including pitcher, catcher, and second base.
Most kids play little league in the spring. Lopez does too, but he also plays year round with his club team, the Sluggers. Excelling in baseball requires strong commitment, but Lopez and his parents know school comes first.
“We practice almost every day,” Lopez said as he took a break from
the field on a hot Saturday afternoon. “I do my homework before I come to practice.”
Lopez hopes to play baseball all his life, and if he keeps working hard, he’ll impress his future coaches just as he does his current coaches.
So what is this little slugger’s secret? How does someone so young do so much so well?
“I try my best and have fun,” he said.
Game on.
This article appears in Feb 17-24, 2011.
