Saturday, September 18, 2010

We have people now Football (A Parent's Journey)

INTRODUCTION

The fans of the Southeastern Conference for their college football seriously. Year after year they lead the country, dominate the overall turnout. In 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, the conference attracted more than 5.5 million fans at its home games, a national record for a conference. football fans, you bet, and they wear the badge with pride.

I live on the other side to the other side of the spectrum. My parents were notAthletes, and it just was not part of our family structure. , Would I half-heartedly to follow our local sports teams, but only if it is comfortable. If the game could be so great and I happened on television or radio handy when a song I never in my wildest dreams login session, I would begin the journey where I presented my own baby.

TYPICAL PARENT

Like most of Baby Boom-era parents, my wife Stacy and I was determined to exposeour children everything we could to dance from sports to music to theater what ever. According to the generational trend, we wanted our children the things we are simply not available to us to afford as kids. It is amazing how many are in the course of a few decades changed. What really accentuates this point was a Christmas when Santa brought for a Game Boy Willy, my eldest of three, as he sat on the floor and play Ninja Turtles, he looked at me andI asked if Game Boy when I was little? This simple, innocent question tells the whole story. Game-Boy - PS2 - Xbox 360 - Wii, alas, was all I had access to tennis at the stage when I was about eleven years old, was, my cousin was also the only time that I play in the situation There was when I went to visit him. I try to explain to my children that I first had access to a computer, was at school. We had to sign up for computer time, often in the early hours of the morning.You look at me as the text message to her friend as I speak a foreign language. Our vocabulary has changed, SMS is a good word?

Raised in the city during the late sixties - early seventies only organized sports available to me were baseball, basketball and soccer. Tennis and golf were mainly for belonging to a country club, hockey and football in existence and not just opportunities for swimming, athletics, wrestling and volleyball in high school alone were available. Today, children have direct access to the world and exposure to almost everything, baseball, football, tennis, basketball, swimming, scouting, piano, you name it. I told my kids early on that they participate in football nothing but boxes and. My wife and I were determined to ensure that our children participate in something that she was chosen, for the most part in them. The risk for chronic and even serious injury> Football is just too high, and boxing is just madness. Extreme Fighting had existing bans would have been during this time too. Everything else was fair game.

Who knows?

Go about ten years ago. Alex, my middle child came home from school one day and told me he joined the football team, catching me off-guard and for a moment speechless. He knew the rules, football was off limits. "Really, in what position? "I asked. I willshovels, he said, and assured me that the safest place on the grid; Kickers never hurts. I asked why. Alex's Gym class was on the football field, where he and a few of his friends, already on the team, targets area were goofing around to come. As shown, Alex was popping out by the posts with ease, thirty-five feet, he hit his friends try for the team, the coach apparently liked what he saw and Alexbecame the starting varsity kicker his senior year.

WE'RE FOOTBALL people now

The irony of this trip is that the membership of the adult football team than Alex was the one I never went to high school football and attended only a handful as a student. Maybe I had friends on the football team when I was in high school cheerleader or the Friday Night games would have been aroused my interest.

For all practical purposes, highFootball school was a new experience for me, so I had no idea what to expect. I thought my family and I would go to games, watching our son kicking a few balls and enjoy a fun evening. My wife on the other hand, jumped with both feet and have not looked back. From the first game, Stacy looked and acted like a veteran soccer mom. She wore the traditional red, white and black scarf display colors of the school along with the large button pinned proudly to herBreast shows a picture of her son in his football uniform. Number fifteen, that's my child. The photo button is the official badge of honor for all mothers with children, members of the team, cheerleading squads and various marching band. It really is a beautiful sight to see on the stands and look, accented by a wall of great mother sports photo buttons with red, white and black scarves. Simply put, football is addictive. There is so much more emotionalpurity involved at this level that you cannot help but get caught up in all the excitement. I think the reason for this is that the fans are more vested than at the college or professional level; the high school setting is much more intimate. Parents are obviously going to cheer for their children regardless of level or venue, but the true difference rests with the kids in the stands. They are rooting for friends that they grew up with, friends whose birthday parties they attended and sofas They slept on. They are the same children, the lab partner in science class and were teammates on the recreational soccer team. The kids on the field and the children in the state literally known each other all their lives. This deep connection with this scale simply can not occur at the college or professional level. The children will be treated in the same community, what high school sports so special and unique.

From the moment my children reached high school myOpening line when I got home would be the same, "How was school, you have no homework!" But now, the football that we are people, there is an additional wrinkle. When I talk about is Alex: "How was school, you have no homework, how did you kick today?" How can I advise him that if he announced that he would not kick in practice? The only advice I would give a position that made no sense, they would all eyes on the ball as deeply and completely the obvious one.However, it was for me to report that it is important to get. I wanted to be involved, I had to be involved because we are football people.

DEJA VU

My parents lived ten minutes from our fifteen, our children would be something else, forty-five minutes, they were all given a ten minute drive. Attending football games with our son a similar ordeal. We complete a checklist of the formula, diapers, toys, snacks, juices and extra bottlesDresses stadium seats, blankets, gloves hats, umbrellas, and directions. The only constant that there was always someone had to go to the toilet in the last minute to as much as we were ready to walk out the door to use. a few things in life sex - Religion - Geography - citizenship - economic status - education and language to overcome, with a family member to the toilet if you are willing to leave the house can be implemented, a general truth.

THE Pork Pie Hat

When my children were oldenough to the school I went out and bought a black leather Pork Pie Hat and I would obediently carry out all their outdoor events. Originally I wanted a Dr. Seuss hat to wear, but my wife said I looked stupid, my kids found it funny. The Pork Pie is a cool hat that I wear today. The main reason I bought it so my children can find me in a crowd. If we ever separated, just to see strange-looking hat. In a sea of baseball caps my Pork PieHat stuck like a sore thumb. It worked well and my children have to get used to the idea. As she grew older and began to sport the hat they would use to easily find myself organized in the stands to play. Alex tells me he still looks for his hat, while standing on the sidelines. Old habits die hard.

Friday Night Lights

When is a student of the "Just in Time theory" of the already packed parking lot, as we approach the stadium, I am again relegated to waiting in line my drop-offFamily at the entrance and then park the car. Most nights, the nearest car park is a quarter mile, that's no problem when it is 30 degrees and the wind or rain. Unfortunately, I do both. When I was on my way to the field I am a used car lot full of cars on the lawn between the "No Parking on the grass" signs properly regulated. The extent of the influence of the football program is local law enforcement authorities is impressive to. I buy a ticket on me, andmy wife calling to find out where she is. Thank God for mobile phones, without them I can not find up to half of the time when the panic comes, to sign up for pretzels, hotdogs and all important toilet.

A high school football game was a rollercoaster of emotions and excitement of waiting for the team cheerleaders run to the field through the tunnel, crashing through the homemade banners - the halftime show with two high school marching bands - theEnd the game when the whole team is on the front foot from the fanfare on the other a tribute to one when the band plays the school Fight Song. I have come to realize that this show just the first hand experience to appreciate and understand. The power and energy of a live high school game is invigorating. Boys shirtless, painted chests, all screaming their colleagues across the field - the rival gangs battle backago, these children eventually became her life and it was easy to get caught in their drama. It made me wonder what I missed when I was in high school, maybe Alex, by being part of a team providing me the opportunities I missed when I was a student? Maybe it's better this way, as an adult I appreciate it more.

VIP

A dominant high school team brings a celebrity, not only for the players, but their parents too. With asuddenly people I knew only briefly, stop, full consultation with me to participate in the gas station, supermarket and a cafe. Alex is really a good step universities have approached him? Wow, this is Alex have a great season, I did not know he was able to kick. Frankly I did not know, the problem is? "He must have inherited from his mother. It's a wonderful feeling that a parent of an athlete. She can not help but also keep your chest with pride whenYou hear others in the stands cheering on your son and shouted his name. It was an experience I never could have expected. I enjoyed every minute. I also had the fortunate coincidence, the experience of the events of a typical normal football season look like Alex a new school record 48-yard field goal booming a half left in the other half to help his team win championship posting a 16-0 perfect record, these momentsare rare indeed.

Invaluable

Alex told me, the highlight of the season was at the conference championship game at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I can not imagine how cool it is in the football stadium to play a professional, but I can tell you as a parent of a player is a great experience to watch. SO headquarters in the state and see your son on the field, enter the same shit like Hines Ward and booming field plans by the same postJeff Reed is surreal. Ticket for the game - $ 10, soft pretzel with mustard - $ 4.50, hot dog and drinks - $ 7.50 was observed, Alex, larger than life on the Jumbo-Tron, runs from the field pumping his fist after the burial in a field goal - priceless.

As impressive as watching Alex play Heinz Field was the highlight for me came a few months later at the Pennsylvania East-West All Star Game. When I saw Alex running from the tunnel to the field literally dropped my jaw. I was speechless beatenalmost paralyzed by the sharp frost piercing through my body, I was covered in goosebumps. It was, as clear as day on his back, put my son on the shoulders of Romania. His name was my name on the back of his jersey. I was overwhelmed, I never saw my name on the back of the shirts but was staring at me, mock me to seduce me. When I got my name on the back of the shirts, that was a profound experience. It caught me by surprise, it was phenomenal. SeveralTimes during the game I would lean to remind me about my wife how cool it was, my name on the back of the jersey.

What a ride

Who would have thought that area would KicKing goals for fun in Gym Class performed a magical journey? Before this season on the latest high school football game I attended was in 1978 when I was a junior. Well, we are football people.

Next stop, college, I think, Stacy, you have another majorPhoto button and a new scarf, while I Pork Pie Hat before the dust. Thanks for the ride son!

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