Team Moms
It was Mother’s Day this past weekend. The older I get the more sentimental I am becoming about stuff like this. I can’t help but think back to some of the special days shared with my family celebrating this famous holiday. Like you, I have a few that stand out as memorable.
When my two children were little, they were great at making their own cards for their mother. They usually were decorated with paper cutout flowers and hand drawn stick family members portrayed on the cover. The inside carried the loving message always written with letters going the wrong direction and words spelled just like they sounded. Makes me smile just thinking about it.
My son was always good for a story or two. One of my favorites happened Mother’s Day weekend while traveling home to Sistersville from Michigan. We needed a break from the 8-hour plus drive, so we stopped at a small-town Dairy Queen for food and a bathroom break. Troy must have been three or so, but old enough to run ahead in his desire to always be first at everything. The restrooms were single serve for both men and women. Troy, now proud he could use the men’s room, yanked open the door without me. His alarmed face told the story. Somehow the door was not secured, and Troy announced in his booming preschool voice to everyone in the dining room, “He’s pooping!” Isn’t it amazing how loud kids can be when all you really want to do is disappear?
As a sportswriter, I don’t think I have acknowledged the important role of the Team Mom, especially when children are young. I guess if I am being politically correct the term Team Administrator would be more appropriate today. In youth sports, and defiantly when I was a kid, the team mom or T.A. was the one that kept the coaches organized. She made sure she had all the players names, important contact information for each athlete and most important, who was responsible to bring the snack to the ball game. If your mom was a health nut, your turn for snack was often greeted with disgust especially if you brought something like carrots and celery. But what a celebration, win or lose, if your mom sent homemade chocolate chip cookies! Team Mom isn’t a gig for the faint of heart. Often, she is the one that keeps the books, handles all the parent’s questions about field locations, times of games, color of jerseys to be worn and complaints. So, for all the Team Moms out there, hats off! We appreciate all you do for our kids and especially your chocolate chip cookies.
My Mom and Dad did not miss a single game that I played in or coached during my high school and college days. When I was coaching in Nicholas County about a three hour car ride from Sistersville, they would leave Union Carbide, where they both worked, at 4:30 and make it to my games both home and away by kickoff every Friday during the season. Since I had to be at the field early, I would not get to see her before the game but would always get a wave from her once we were on the field prior to the start of the game. It meant everything to me to see her there and know she was cheering for the Grizzlies. In my playing days at Sistersville High School and Fairmont whenever there was any issues with injuries or playing time and I would complain she would say why don’t you just quit which was her way of saying toughen up.
So on Mothers Day take time to honor your mom’s memory, if she is no longer with you. If you are fortunate enough to still have your mom I have a great idea for a gift. Put your arms around her and just say I LOVE YOU.
Last week I wrote an article about the Opening Day Parade that took place over the weekend in Sistersville. I neglected to mention two of the eight and under teams in my story. They are: 1. Warriors, coached by Gentry Buchanan, Steve Canfield and Chad Deaton. 2. Venom, coached by Matt Duke, Shawn Meckley, Matt Wright and Sam Gieseke. My apologies for the omittance.
All our local communities are in full swing with either Little League or T-Ball. It is exciting to see all the ball fields full of kids playing America’s past time. I encourage you, whether you have an athlete plain or not, support the kids in your community. Take a chair, sit in the shade, and cheer on these young athletes. They deserve all our enthusiasm!