Something I have thought about over and over again as the basketball season winds down is the parents in all this. First and foremost, my wife and I had big dreams of our youngest playing basketball at the high school level someday. Every parent probably wishes this for his or her child at some time or the other.
I noticed when she was around the fourth grade, or maybe sooner, she could actually dribble the ball fairly well. After some discussion about the Jaycee league we decided to get her in to see where see stacked up versus other kids her age and start planning ahead for a future in sports.
I always tried to be real and not be one of “those” parents whose child does no wrong or she has to be on the floor the entire time. So it was off to her first year of Jaycees and they did fairly well as I had previously thought she would.
The second year my wife and I decided to throw our hat into the coaching ring and our daughter was adamant about it but we forged on. We made some friends along the way and some folks will tell you when the game starts I want to win, sometimes maybe more than the kids do.
But why am I sharing this with you? The fact is there are a lot of good parents out there willing to do what it takes for their kid to succeed on and off the court. It is not easy when a husband and wife work all day and make time to run their child to town or the local field for a practice. Maybe you share duties with other parents and you take turns dropping these players off or picking them up.
It is never easy to sit and watch a game with your child waiting patiently on the bench for his turn to get in the game. Could our children ever really get enough playing time? Probably not, but we continue to encourage them and encourage those around them as well.
Waiting around after a game for your child to get ready for a long ride home is not easy after a tough loss. But if you’re like me it is just across the county, perhaps you are driving a couple of counties away, either way you have been noticed.
I salute the parents and I am letting everyone know you are the unsung heroes in my opinion. The gas it takes to get to and from these practices, the gas to travel to the out-of-town games.
My daughter just wrapped up her eighth grade season for me my traveling days are behind me as far as that goes. But as long as you get your athletes to practice I will be there to cover it.
For me the dream has ended but many of you are still living it. Why do we put ourselves through the anguish of practice after practice and game after game? For our children. Right on!