FARMINGTON -- One of the phrases parents often say to kids is, "Do your work first and play second."
By the time a child reaches their teenage years, they have either learned to overcome a natural tendency to resist the message, prompted by re-enforcement from their parents; or are struggling with time management.
Sports provides a manner for getting the concept ingrained. When teenage athletes want to improve their game, and are willing to do extra work to strengthen their skills, they can envision the benefits of applying themselves
A mother of six recently admitted she has some who would rather play first -- always.
"I just have to remind them that the way you should do it is do your work first, and then you reward yourself with your play, whatever it is. They, of course, don't want to live that way; but that's a part of teaching them priorities and teaching them that they need to do what needs to be done first and then do what's frivolous second. They don't like it, but it's a part of growing up."
Farmington 2017 graduate, Ryan Larkin, had a work ethic instilled and became an All-State selection as a senior, but he had to labor to get there.
Ryan checked in at 5-feet-6 and 125 pounds as a freshman. As a senior he was 6-feet-1 and weighing a solid 185 to 190 pounds. The growth spurt surprised his father, Johnny Larkin.
"I didn't know he was going to grow so much," Johnny Larkin said.
In April, Ryan talked about a March trip to Gulf Shores, Ala., with the Cardinals to play in spring break baseball tournament.
"We had one or two games where we made a few mental errors, but we adjusted well to it," Ryan said. "We played one team that had a Vanderbilt commit and two Alabama commits (Summit). We scored four runs in the last inning and came back and beat them. It was pretty fun. We all got on the beach a lot. Some of us got so sun-burned we could hardly play the next day. Being in a house with Coach Harper was really cool -- kind of like a family, not a team."
Ryan described the trip as "a good bonding experience for the team."
He said all the players got the flu, but still thinks the Cardinals should have won all of their games. They went 3-1 in the tournament.
"There was one game we struggled a little bit, I think it was because of the heat; other than that I think we played pretty well."
Ryan has been playing baseball since he was two, starting out with wee-ball in Tulsa, Okla., which was like t-ball, except the coaches help the players do everything. The family moved to Farmington when Ryan was in first grade.
"It was definitely a change, (the population) is a lot smaller here. I like the people here, all the people are really nice."
"All of the team considers Coach Harper like a father figure and a coach," Ryan said. "He disciplines well. He teaches you what you done wrong, rather than just yell at you. He disciplines you with a purpose rather than just let his anger out."
As a hitter, Ryan says the situation dictates his approach at the plate. "It depends on how many outs there are. Maybe there are two outs, you only look for a ball you can hit and make sure you don't swing at a bad pitch. I think everyone knows one run can make a difference."
Ryan was aware of the tendency for fans to compare his high school baseball career to the accomplishments of his older sister, Brooke, who was a four-year starter for the Lady Cardinal softball team and batted over .400 as a senior.
"We both can compete," Ryan admits each wants to excel. "Batting-wise, on average, it's going to be hard to catch up to her. She's really competitive and I'm really competitive, it clashes at times."
Ryan gave a good account of himself as a senior -- with a .400 batting average, smashing 40 hits in 100 at-bats, 9 doubles, 1 home run, 20 RBIs, drawing 26 walks and scoring 41 runs. The Cardinals finished 21-11, placing third in the conference tournament and qualifying for state two years-in-a-row.
Johnny Larkin was impressed with the batting averages of Ryan and teammate Tyler Gregg, who both hit over .400 while contending against several pitchers, who have committed to Division I schools.
"They faced a lot of pitchers, who in the next couple of years will be playing at Baum Stadium for the Razorbacks or against the Razorbacks," Johnny Larkin said.
Johnny Larkin draws satisfaction with Brooke and Ryan both finishing high school with 4-point grade averages.
"One thing we express is work hard, do everything you can to win in athletics; but the most important thing is grades," Johnny Larkin said. "As parents, you got to appreciate when your kids listen to you."
Sports on 08/16/2017