Pleasantly Surprised

I didn't think it would be a good idea...

Too much of a time commitment (3 practice nights a week and Saturday games),
Super expensive,
The hitting and tackling,
Injuries and concussion risks...

But Cliff and Mason thought it would be the best time to give it a try. So I prayed for safety and decided to throw in my support. It did mean planning a lot of picnic meals for me and the kids on the sidelines and at practices, buying a new LARGE umbrella for the rainy fall days, and lugging all the chairs, bags, and activities for the other kids to keep them busy during the hours outside to and fro. Whenever Cliff was off I was able to stay home with the littles, but on days that he worked it got kind of... ummm... interesting.

During this time I decided to potty train Lochlan which meant lugging the potty chair to practices and games. Once he was more solid with his new skill I had to walk long distances to take him to the port a potty... in the rain... only to have it be a false alarm... and back again.

But I digress.

The point is, there were sacrifices, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this experience was really fun, educational, good for Mason, and entertaining for us. Some of the highlights:

Though they were only 3rd and 4th graders, it was impressive to see what plays they were capable of.

Mason was able to catch the ball on a few different occasions,

 

and even scored 3 touch downs!

But sometimes he was tackled. :)

The (volunteer) coaching staff was so wonderful! They gave hours and hours of their time to teach the kids, discipline them, train them, encourage them, and scout other teams. They were amazing... Cliff and I are wondering if he'll ever have such great coaches again as we heard so many coaches from other teams yelling angrily at their kids. These guys were awesome and the boys LOVED them!

We learned what we need to work on some more :) Mason was a less than aggressive tackler...

And we learned that our 3 other kids sometime need a little attention too! (We already knew that.)

It was so touching to see the boys take a knee anytime anyone was injured from either team.

And it was inspirational to see "coach" Andrew, who broke his arm half way through the season, come to every. single. practice. and game and still be an integral part of the team.

The kids learned the importance of playing on a team and how each member is so important. My friend Jana is married to football coach and she has these thoughts I thought they were so excellent, I borrowed them from her: 

"Football offers even more opportunity for life lessons than many sports. There is nothing like getting knocked down over and over again and having to choose to get up each time. There is nothing that shows that 2 is better than 1 and 3 is better than 2, than seeing a good line doing their job. Football has its glory boys and its boys who work in the shadows. And every good glory boy knows exactly where their bread is buttered, and they will not hesitate to give Kudos to the boys in the shadows. All of that teaches these young men how to be men. To think beyond themselves and think about the team. It will help make them better college students, better friends, better husbands and better dads."

It was a really fun season. If we're still here, Mason will most likely play again, and I will be cheering enthusiastically as we watch these young boys grow up (too fast it seems.)

Good season kids! 

Good job Mace. It was a privilege watching you learn this new skill. Love you buddy.