Ultimate Sports Fan

Yesterday I spent most of my non-(paid)working hours at sporting events.

The first stop was here.

Hot, muggy, and loud.  This is Missy Franklin's school (who I mentioned in a previous post).  Shilo was hoping to get a picture with her, but Missy was a no-show.

I had a slight headache, and didn't love sitting next to a fellow LHS mom who would not shut up be quiet.  She wasn't talking to me, she was talking (very loudly, even during the diving) to her son about how he needed to attend the upcoming Sadie Hawkins dance with a girl who had just walked up to him at the meet and asked if he would go with her.  He protested (to his mom, not the girl) that it was just a joke, someone had put her up to it.  The mom insisted it was a genuine invitation, and that his only choice was to go.  This wasn't a brief conversation, it lasted the entire meet.

I wanted to tell her about the time I schemed and planned a blind-ish date to the Homecoming dance for Taylor.  A good friend of mine had a daughter that attended another school.  She had not been asked to her Homecoming dance, and it was her senior year.  In our efforts to encourage participation, self-esteem, and good old-fashioned fun, we cajoled her and Taylor to attend his Homecoming dance together.  Around these parts, you have to follow a strictly enforced approval process to bring a student from another school.  The visiting student's principal/vice principal must sign a form, and the student has to fill out and sign a paper stating they will display appropriate behavior.  Since Taylor was somewhat unenthused, I handled it all.

Date night rolled around, Taylor got sick after dinner,  and ended up having to be picked up at a gas station after his friend (who they were doubling with) took Tay's date home.  They never made it to the dance.  It was a whole lot of time, effort and money for a pretty pathetic end result.  (I don't think anyone's self-esteem was improved that night.)  The lesson I learned:  date coercion doesn't work.  Which was kind of what that swim mom was doing, in my opinion.  But I didn't share.  I just tolerated.

Shilo swam well, although she didn't beat any of her previous best times.  Here's her 100 Fly:

Third place is VERY respectable, especially against such a hard team.  Good job, Shilo!

After the meet, I ran Shi and Mar home, grabbed Bill, and headed here:

This was Tay and Britt's high school... but we were the visitors this time.  Earlier in the day I had read an article in our town's newspaper about the boys and girls basketball teams in our area.  Chap's girls team has been towards the top of the league for years, and their coach had made a comment in the paper about how he expected them to remain towards the top, and placed Legend at the bottom.  At the bottom.  In print.

I attended the game expecting Legend to trail the entire game.  Maybe even take a beating.  Not that I don't have confidence in our team, just that I know the history.  And I know that Legend is still an infant in that history.  Of course, I was really there to support Lex, since she was cheering.

(Lex is standing in front of the Wolverine "W")

But then I got all caught up in the game.

It was such a good game, that could have only been better had Legend come out on top after overtime play.  I wanted that coach to reconsider his quick judgment next time.  Talk nice.  Give respect.

I also decided that I have a problem attending competitive events, whether my child competes or not.  I get sweaty.  My heart races.  My nerves are on edge.  I get way too involved.  

Today I have another swim meet, then plan to attend the boys basketball game.  I have by far attended more high school sporting events since Taylor started marching band as a freshman, than I ever attended when I was an actual student in high school.  Even counting the year I was in the Pep Club.

Reliving?  Perhaps.  (I honestly think not, but you may feel differently.)  Definitely appreciating the commitment required from all competitive high school groups (of which I include marching band and cheerleading).

Good luck, LHS.  I'll be there cheering you on.