Tag Archives: sports

Wrestling with the holidays

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      If December wasn’t already busy enough, with holiday gatherings, shopping and cookie baking, it also falls in the middle of wrestling season. For me and my family, that means tournaments three out of four Saturdays this month and at least one during the week.

          Because we have two sons in wrestling, one in seventh grade and one in ninth, sometimes the tournaments are on the same day in two different places. When that’s the case,  my husband and I split up our family cheering section and one of us goes to watch Thomas and one goes to watch Brendan. Eventually, we both usually end up at Brendan’s tournament because Thomas’ finishes first.

     Sometimes the boys have matches in the same place, but at different times which make for a long day in the bleachers for us and for our daughter, Ellen, who usually accompanies us. I often tell Brendan and Thomas that Ellen will be due a lot of payback time when she’s old enough to be in sports.

      While I am looking forward to Ellen’s sports debut, I have to say that I’m glad it will be a couple of years in the future. For now, going in two different directions is about all I can handle. It’s hard to imagine going in three, but I’m sure I’ll adjust and race even faster through December.

 

 

Taking a breather

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    After a busy fall of watching junior high and varsity football games, my family and I are in the midst of a break between sports. Next week, wrestling season starts so things will get hectic again.

     Although, I enjoy watching sporting events and am glad that my children participate in them, it’s nice to have a little time off from sitting in the bleachers. Thanks to the beautiful fall weather, I’ve been able to spend a lot of time outdoors and my family has checked a lot of chores off of our fall list. I’ve also gone on a lot of walks down country roads with our dogs.

         I plan to continue those walks this winter because they will help balance the times I’ll be sitting in the bleachers watching my sons wrestle. I hope the forecasts for a colder, wetter than normal winter are wrong because I like walking outdoors. I guess I’ll just have to bundle up and make sure I have a good pair of boots.

Tracking (through) the weather

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   The weather during high school track season, like during football , often is challengng.  Conditions can range from 45 degrees and blustery with a snow/rain mix falling, to 90 degrees and  gale-force winds, to 70 degrees and calm. That means that, depending on the conditions, I may be wearing a winter coat and gloves, shorts and a t-shirt or short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans ,when I watch my son compete.

  This season the weather has been so cold  that several meets were cancelled so I haven’t had to worry about how to dress to stay warm. While I was disappointed that I couldn’t watch my eighth-grade son run, I was glad that he didn’t have to freeze on the track and I didn’t have to huddle under a blanket on the sidelines or in the bleachers.

   Yesterday, Brendan’s outdoor track season debuted on a near-perfect day; temperatures in the mid-60s, warm sunshine and fairly calm conditions. Watching Brendan’s events was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon . After competing and watching meets in conditions that were much less favorable, I appreciated the lovely April day.

   The weather tomorrow may be another story, but I’m not going to worry about that now. I’ll track thoough the season one day at a time.

Wrestling with emotions

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    I have a love-hate relationship with wrestling. I think it’s a great sport and couldn’t be prouder to be a wrestling mom of two sons, but when it come to watching matches, I have a very difficult time. It’s not because I’m an overly protective mother who is concerned about them getting hurt. Rather, it’s because wrestling is such an individual sport in which grapplers are engaged in a very physical one-on-one battle. It becomes very emotional for me when my sons are on the mat.

    I grew up in a family with three older brothers who were high school wrestlers and went to quite a few matches when I was in elementary school. That doesn’t mean that I always watched my brothers’ matches intently — or at all.  In fact, I recall more socializing than spectating. If my brothers won, I was glad. If they lost, I felt bad, but didn’t dwell on it.

     During the past few years since my two sons started wrestling, I’ve discovered that going to wrestling matches is a whole different story if you’re the mother. I not only watch the matches, I get butterflies while doing so. By the time the match is over, my clenched hands are sweating and my stomach is in knots.

    Tomorrow, my oldest son, Brendan, an eighth grader, is in a varsity tournament in Larimore, N.D., and will wrestle at least two matches and perhaps three or four.  I’ll be glued to the bleachers, torn between wanting to close my eyes and not wanting to miss a moment.  Though, I may not ever get used to it, I will be dealing with it for another seven years. Brendan’s younger brother, Thomas, will move up from elementary wrestling to the junior high next year.

     I’ll be behind both of my sons all the way. I know it’s not about me, but about them and I’m glad that they have the character to participate in a sport that requires a lot of hard work, perserverence and determination. If you’ve never been to a wrestling match or meet, I urge you to go. You’ll see atheletes with a lot of heart.

Take me out to the ballgame

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    Today I went into work late because I have an interview that will run into the evening. Going in later was a bonus because I got to catch most of Ellen’s t-ball game before I left for work. It was a beautiful morning to watch her play; while the temperature was still in the 50s for the game at 9 a.m., the sun felt warm. There wasn’t much wind which made it even more pleasant to be outside.

      The game itself also was great. Is there anything much more fun than watching little kids play t-ball? They have a blast whacking at the ball and most of them couldn’t care less whether they get an "out" or make it to the plate. Heck, some of them don’t even know where first base is. One little girl had to be accompanied by her coach to the base.

       Many of the kids don’t take the defensive side of the game very seriously, either, and spend their time gazing at the clouds, studying their shoelaces or visiting with the other team members when they’re circling the bases. The kids on the other team ran merrily around Ellen, who was standing squarely on third base, during the first innning. I gently told her after the innning was finished that she should stand a bit off to one side so she wasn’t in the way. She nodded happily, then went to take her turn at bat. At that age coaching is an easy job. Young children have no egos and are simply eager to learn how to do things right.

        Ellen’s babysitter met me at the game shortly before it was finished and I reluctantly headed for my car. I know that before the season is over, though, I’ll be back in the bleachers. Ellen likes having her mom in the stands and I’m happy to be there.