Spring Ball!
DJ the Sports Mom Blog — By Mia Jackson on April 22, 2010 at 12:17 PMDJ the Sports Mom
April 20, 2010
I am in Valdosta, Georgia getting ready to drive to Florida to support my dear friend who has been walking from Miami to Tallahassee since April 2. She is promoting awareness of sexually abused children and is the need for better legislation. I am going to walk the last mile and lend support to the cause.
When I boarded the plane for Atlanta, the woman in front of me was talking about her three children and their sports schedules. One of her three had decided not to play baseball this season and she is now looking for an alternate activity for him. On my flight to Valdosta, I noticed that a good number of the folks on board had on some sort of sports logo. The gentlemen in the seat next to me on the plane has a son who played baseball and two other children who are making decisions about which sport to play. He told me how much he and his wife enjoyed sports. It is not hard to believe that 44 million children under the age of 18 play some sort of organized sport here in America.
I love football! In April of each year I look forward to watching college spring football scrimmages. For the last ten years, our tradition was to have a tailgate party at The Ohio State University and then go to the OSU Spring Game. Our oldest son, Jay, played there for 5 years so the Spring Game meant the season had started for us. Now our middle son, Josh, is an outside linebacker for Kansas University and for the first time, his Spring Game and the OSU Spring Game are on the same day. As much as we love our Buckeyes, we will be in Lawrence, Kansas watching Josh and meeting his new coaching staff. I will get home from Florida on Wednesday afternoon, get a good night’s sleep and my husband and I will hit the road by Thursday afternoon to begin our 12-hour ride to Kansas.
Before we leave for Kansas, I will be taking my youngest son to a college fair. He is a junior in high school and is making his decision of where to go to college next year. He is in the middle of his track season and will miss his first spring game because of his meet on Saturday. We have to enlist the help of other family and friends to make sure Joshua Odis (I have two sons named Josh) is supported while we are away. This is the life of a sports mom.
I am hoping to make a purse with Kansas Fabric before I go and make photo pins of Josh Alexander for us to wear at the game. As soon as the Oakland Raiders schedule is released I will be able to make my annual matrix of football schedules to send to family and friends. This way, they can see where the boys are playing and they can make plans to attend a game. This also allows me to see where there are conflicts so we can make decisions about who goes to what game. This is the life of a sports mom. Let the games begin!
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5 Comments
Sports were big in my family as well. My brother and I both played soccer and my parents would often have to split to attend our games if there were conflicts or overlaps. Once my sister was old enough to have her own events it was more challenging because, try as she might she wasn’t an athlete, but was gifted musically and played the violin. Her scheduled was totally different and there were times when my brother or I would have to ride to a game with a teammate. Soon it will be my turn as the mother of a 7 year old daughter and 4 year-old fraternal boy/girl twins…despite the obvious challenges with them being different ages and genders I am so excited to continue the family sports tradition!
we loved that our kids were involved in sports… my daughter was a cheer leader…and in high school was on a traveling VERY Competitive team that won many championships.
our son played basketball, soccer ,flag- than tackle football thur high school
we missed our hectic busy schedules when they left for college -most parents would have been relieved — were sad…we love hearing stories about friends and family members whose children are still involved in sports…my cousin son is playing lacrosse for penn state
My husband just stop playing on a mens flag football league with my son where is was one of the oldest QB’s
sports are great for everyone……
thank DJ for the site
not sure if he will stay on the side line …..
we loved that our kids were involved in sports… my daughter was a cheer leader…and in high school was on a traveling VERY Competitive team that won many championships.
our son played basketball, soccer ,flag- than tackle football thur high school
we missed our hectic busy schedules when they left for college -most parents would have been relieved — were sad…we love hearing stories about friends and family members whose children are still involved in sports…my cousin son is playing lacrosse for penn state
My husband just stop playing on a mens flag football league with my son where is was one of the oldest QB’s
sports are great for everyone……
thanks DJ for the site
not sure if he will stay on the side line …..
I need that matrix so I can plan my fall
I cannot imagine what life will be like when my last child is done with sports. My plan is to become a “mom” to some foster children who need a cheerleader and supporter. There are so many children who don’t have parents who support their passion for sports.
@Batman. The matrix is on the way!