Wasn't it gorgeous, ehab? It made me a little misty, too.

When she's telling Dean that it's okay to think of Sam, to fantasize, it just broke me.

ita, in this AU, like you said, where they've lived in the same town forever, it simply read to me that Sam was eager to try all the new things high school had to offer. Also, in this *particular* AU, I think the author was taking the easy way out in making Dean the athlete, and Sam, as the younger brother in his shadow, carving out his own path with other things.

I can certainly see Sam being an athlete in another story, but in this one it didn't bother me. And it also provided a way for him to interact with Cas -- if he'd been off at practice all the time, that wouldn't have been possible.

ita you have read the thunderhappens story. I picked up the link from you here. [link]

Why do you assume it was community league?

Because at twelve, he's most likely going to be in sixth grade, i.e. elementary school, and elementary schools don't have competitive sports.

Sixth grade could be middle school, but in my experience schools that are 6/7/8 don't allow sixth graders to play sports.

But you're right --he could have been in seventh grade, and playing on a school team. It's just a little less likely.

I can certainly see Sam being an athlete in another story

Thing is? I've never seen it in AU. I'm not picking on this story, I'm picking on the lack of variety in the genre. Sam, whose canon points to successful team athlete, rarely on a team (I can only think of that Depression baseball AU). Dean, with no such indicator, usually so.

Baseball doesn't have a captain or a quarterback or a team lead, does it? I think of Dean as an established leader, so it's easier for me to see him as team captain or equivalent than just another guy following someone else's lead (unless John is coach).

Ah, ehab. Thunderhappens is blualbino. So confusing. Whiskers. I liked it, but you have so much good reading ahead of you!

Because at twelve, he's most likely going to be in sixth grade, i.e. elementary school, and elementary schools don't have competitive sports.

Whatever it was, he got a trophy for more than participation. I come from a sports hungry country, so we're playing for blood by 12, so I lack the correct cultural cues.

The pitcher is generally the most important player on the team, but it's not the same as being quarterback or team captain, no.

I think my point is (and I do have one, sort of!) that if you have a high school AU where Dean and Sam are in school together, Sam is always going to be too young to be a real *star* athlete. Unless you're some sort of prodigy, that's just never going to be a ninth grader, not only because they're squirmy little freshmen and people want seniors to have the glory, but because they *are* young and simply not as coordinated or experienced as they will be as juniors and seniors.

I'd love to see an AU with Sam running track. For no reason other than I could them imagine those legs eating up pavement, and a nice sweaty T-shirt clinging to his chest ...

Whatever it was, he got a trophy for more than participation.

But he wouldn't, I swear! Not to beat a dead horse, but kids don't get individual trophies at that age (because god forbid anyone's feelings should be hurt). If your team wins, everyone gets a trophy, but that's it. At least, in my experience with the boys playing sports.

Thunderhappens is blualbino.

Sorry for the confusion, I do remember the blualbino talk but didn't make the connection when reading the fic.

I'm a crappy lj user. I have an account but I haven't used it much or at all since the early years of bsg when I made icons obsessively.

Nowadays, I rely on links here. My navigation at finding things on my own is shaky at best.

Sam is always going to be too young to be a real *star* athlete

I'd be happy to see him just be athletic. He's always the bookworm to Dean's jock, and I think it's lazy. Much like Dean being a mechanic, but rarely an engineer.

But he wouldn't, I swear!

He also wouldn't get a full ride to Stanford, because apparently they don't give them (and/or they don't give them for law). But it's too late. Canon made him a division champion, so he is one.

If your team wins, everyone gets a trophy, but that's it.

Well, that's what I'm assuming happened-his team was division champion, so he got a trophy. That's more than participation, that's winning.