Week 3: Yay Team! Go Sport!
I am not what anyone would call “sporty.” I used to walk the mile in PE. I run into a lot of doorways. I don’t enjoy watching most sporting events unless it’s in person (I love a good swell of the crowd euphoria.) My high school self was best described through a conversation I once had with a friend: “So you weren’t in sports, I’m guessing you were the one cheering them on?” “Nope I was the one smoking cigarettes in the parking lot.”
Fast-forward a lot of years of learning about myself, and I am still not much of a sports fan. I have discovered two things: 1. Playing sports and being athletic are two different things. 2. I love watching my kids work hard at a task in order to perform it well.
I should be more accurate about how I learned how athleticism and sport are two different things – Jeff told me. Exactly that. My husband is very athletic, graceful, strong, and enjoys involving himself in competitions. He has whole theories about competitions and what defines a sport he will have to expand on sometime, but the point is – he’s good. He played baseball through college, he can execute a perfect dive, cartwheel and round-off. He can get into positions in yoga, I’ve been trying to master for years. When he hits a ball, it goes on forever. As you can imagine, when one excels at something they have a passion for it and it makes them want to share it with those they love. Jeff has endless patience with me, trying to explain and re-explain the rules and why calls lead to other plays. I’ve learned to enjoy baseball (it’s a romantic, chivalrous sport that involves a lot of head-game,) I have given up on football (too many weird rules, stops and starts way too often.) However, I found that my performance anxiety along with lack of coordination, do not exclude me from other forms of exercise I enjoy. I found a love/hate relationship with running. I will bike as much as I can until winter hits. I enjoy working out, not just because it makes my body healthy and strong (which consequently makes me a little more coordinated), but because it’s fun for me. I can enjoy activities that require athleticism, with out competing. Two separate things.
Since my husband is so athletic, luckily, our children were bestowed with some of these same talents. This makes it easier to ensure they get plenty of exercise and sets them up for a healthy lifestyle. There are so many teaching opportunities we get to utilize. And it’s really fun to watch them get out there, have fun, and find successes in their activities. Playing sports is one where success is immediate, obvious and won through hard work and discipline.
One title I never thought I would hold, however, is coach. I signed up this fall to be Sammy’s team’s soccer coach. This summer I got a taste as assistant coach of his t-ball team. Jeff wanted to coach both the boys, but Ben’s age group had more need. So I offered to pitch in on Sam’s team. I had a blast! I loved helping the kids figure out where they needed to be and to understand the basic rules. Chatting with a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds in a dug-out is an underappreciated form of entertainment. So when I found out our Parks and Rec soccer teams were short coaches, I asked Jeff if he wanted to coach as a team. They put me down as head coach. I am not going to lie, I got a huge kick out of this. I know nothing about soccer. I have learned what I do know by watching our 6 and 10 year olds play. But I do know kids, and I do know some of the fundamentals they need in order to play. So I put together some drills and Jeff and I put them into reality for 6 weeks of practices and games. It was an unbelievable good time. Jeff and I have so much fun being teammates in life and apparently that translates to coaching too. Watching our team of 6 year olds score goals and improve each week was so fulfilling. So, for a few weeks I was a soccer coach. This Saturday was our last game and I got to watch kids who knew very little about soccer dribble, pass, control the ball, and make goals. I stepped outside of who I thought I was and helped a few little dudes have a great Saturday. And I learned to enjoy something completely outside of my comfort zone. If you get a chance, try coaching a group of little kids. Clearly it takes very little knowledge of the sport, and it gives back a whole lot.
