Tag Archives: high school football

May 31 2013
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Baseball, basketball, Fan fun, Football

100 Games in 100 Days

So…Schooolzzzzzzzz, OUT! FOR! sumMER!!…..(channel your inner Alice Cooper here…)  And that can mean only one thing right?  Take a deep breath, sit back, and time to relax!

Wrong.

School out of session means MORE TIME FOR SPORTS.  And here’s a new wrinkle..while summer really used to be about just baseball, or lacrosse, or maybe youth soccer season, as you approach middle and high school, it is now not really anyone’s “formal” season…so, obviously that means that it’s EVERYONE’S season. And when I say “everyone” I mean “coaches.”  It’s summer football, summer baseball, and summer basketball, summer LAX…In case you missed the memo: If you have a tee-baller, pop-warner, soccer bunch-baller…or any sort of fun-loving sporty kid ages 5-8, start thinking “year-round sport.”  This trend has now legitimized every coach’s dream of being able to ask your kid to play “their” sport every month of the year. Oh that other sport they usually play in that other season?  “Hey, just, you know, give them equal time this summer.”*

*BS alert

This is fast-becoming one of the classic BS lines a coach will ever utter.  No coach wants you to give equal time to another sport. This statement does not suggest that they will not lay a bit of guilt tripping on you, and your kid.  And who’s to know for sure that there is not a nasty little attendance tracker hidden deep under practice notes on that clipboard of his/hers that will allow them to hold a grudge when the regular season tryouts roll around…

So, in an attempt to keep up, and prepare my loyal readers for their future or, just provide a relatable point of reference as you juggle car pools, schedules, meals and bleacher seats this summer – I am going to track 100 games in 100 days or thereabouts – as such, will also hope to contrast the emotions and enthusiasm of coaches, fans and parents at our variety of venues. Join me?

GAME ON!

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May 29 2013
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Football, On the bleachers

Serious Biz

So..we’ve entered into a whole new phase….I’m talking football, talking High School, I’m talking varsity, I’m talking CAMPS!  I’m talking RECRUTING…I am talking, this is serious biz.

So, I had the pleasure, no really – I was 100% up for this…of escorting my teen-age son to a football camp in beautiful San Diego.  Right?  Beautiful San Diego…I’m thinking spa day, beach reads, maybe even a cabana boy to bring me a cocktail while I wait for the call that camp is over and where are we dining tonight?  Ahhhh….the perfect weekend.  Wow – let me join those of you in-the-know with some out of control hysterical laughter.  Who’s the idiot? Who’s the naive, ignoramus who thinks high school football camps are NOT a full contact parent activity?  Answer: yeah, it’s me.

You, the parent, are expected to sit on a concrete bleacher during the camp and document their every move on film.  Better yet, get as close as possible and videotape the ENTIRE day’s activities. I mean, not sure if “expected” to, is the right turn of phrase, but evidently that is the drill as nearly every parent was equipped with a tripod, high-speed telephoto digital camera, or, of course, the iPad.  Parents, let’s be honest, nothing is more awesome than holding up a 6″ screen in a foot in front of your face for 5 hours in direct sun. Well, not if you’re from Texas anyway..again, EVIDENTLY.

By day two at 2 PM my ass was in such a state of numbness that I asked the trainer to asses the situation. (no this did not humiliate my son. Well, at least it did not humiliate him as much as my inability to throw a football when the parents were called down to get a taste of what their boys were working on…)

Okay YES I filmed my kid, YES my kid was the best and best looking on the field, YES the morning at the beach on Coronado was awesome, YES I did squeeze in a cocktail or two…but I digress.

I’m not sure how I drew this camp, as the boy and his dad will be attending a couple more this summer – and I have a sneaking suspicion that this was the most unique and really low-stress camp there is – but how did I get here? I’m talking Talking Head’s “how did I get here…”  What the hell is going on? College? Recruiting? One minute they’re peeing in their athletic cup in left field on a hot July day, and the next he’s hanging on the words “there is no reason you can’t play in the NFL” from a guy who actually knows something or two about that league.  Am I ready? Is he? But more importantly, do I have the right AV equipment? I clearly don’t have the right gear to camp out at a stadium for two straight days listening to other parents talk about how many offers they got, are getting or are expecting for their little all-star.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure my son got a lot out of this endeavor, not the least of which was that they have really great oysters at the Fish Market on the bay (tip: sit at the oyster bar and ask for Mannie)  Here’s what I learned

  • My hand is too small to adequately throw a football
  • I am afraid to catch a pigskin that is coming at me like a missile
  • I need a better cooler that will fit in my luggage
  • I need a cocktail that resembles Gatorade
  • His dad should accompany him to all future camps, I’ll stick with baseball tournaments where I can rely on a simple red solo cup.
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Sep 07 2012
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Fan fun, Uncategorized

Dear High School Football, I love you

Dear High School Varsity Football, I love you – today at least.

Okay, so, it was a blast – I’ll admit it – sitting at the varsity football game, wedged between the band and the student section. A perfect fall evening with the sun setting over the Colorado foothills…yes, I was secretly hoping for some deplorable antics from parents or a streaking student – maybe I can catch it on video for TFTB…I mean, you, my faithful groundfloor followers – you DESERVE that! But all I can say is I was practically giddy. There’s my kid – dressed for Varsity, the energy, the good/cute as well as the  REALLY bad choices in fan-wear (seriously mom, something in between the beefy Tee and the tight tank next time?…), the lack of booze, the cross-section of parents (so what if I had to move due to over cologned fan, oh he’s just divorced? shocker…) united in a common quest – I mean, what can compare to this slice of life? (surreal, surprising, exhilarating? Where am I?)

Listen – I was not the rah-rah student when I was in HS. Sports were not really that rah-rah – or so it seemed in the early 80’s. I was not a cheerleader, a pom, a flag..I was a sort of athlete – sort of a party girl – but that’s another story…it’s that journey that’s transformed me I guess – there is just something about traveling the road of youth sports – from soccer bunch ball to tee ball to suddenly finding yourself soaking it all up at the High School level. And as much I hate to admit it..the whole gridiron thing, under the lights, it has a vibe that doesn’t compare to an afternoon at the baseball field or evening at the field house. This is where we start our love affair with arguably the most dangerous and violent sport on the planet…c’mon, have a sip of the kool-aid…it’s Friday – I’m sure there’s lights blazing somewhere near you in a few hours – I dare you! Try to hate it, try, just try, not to love it.

But dear football, remember, we are fickle. You hurt my boys?  You know what they say about that thin line between love and hate, the wrath of an angry woman all that?…

GO CHARGERS!

FIGHT.

WIN…

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