Elizabeth Foss has a most excellent post up from her archives answering the question "Why do we do this again?" in regard to the oftentimes hectic lifestyle competitive sports bring to the larger-than-normal family. Go and read it, insert "baseball/softball" where she has soccer, substitute "Ohio" for "Virginia" and that is my life to a T...er, except for the great organizational tips. Also, Elizabeth's husband, who works for ESPN, is away from home much more than my Matt is, so I really have no right to complain about anything anymore.
The past week has been challenging for me. It always is when I don't get to see my husband much, regardless of whether we're running to activities or not. Over the weekend, he was helping to run a tournament in northern KY, so he was at the park more than he was at home. Fortunately, John's team was playing in the tournament, so I didn't have to worry much about him. Saturday's games were completely washed out, so Matt had the headache of trying to appease disgruntled coaches, keep umpires updated, and call various and sundry people to keep them abreast of the ever-changing, on-again/off-again game schedule. The sweet reward came at the end of the tournament on Sunday, where John's team won the tournament after playing four games in a row!
Monday was Little League night for our two little boys, Connor and Drew. Tuesday was Lizzy's softball league game, an hour away. Wednesday was a league game for John in a notorious area of town (the park has had shootings and drug-deals, oh joy), with the added bonus of Matt being out of town. I paid my two oldest girls to babysit their two little brothers and sister, while I took the toddler, AJ, with me. Thursday was a rare night off, so we went swimming during the day and had the pool to ourselves. Tonight Matt comes home late, just in time to start this whole cycle over, except we'll be farther away from home this weekend. Lizzy has a tournament in northern KY with games at the same time as John, whose team will be heading up to the Dayton area. If all goes well, we should be able to spend some time together in Dayton after Lizzy's tournament is over, enjoying a Memorial Day cookout with John's team before his semi-finals begin.
Yes, I do wonder at times why we do this again. But I can see how rewarding and character-forming being involved in sports has been for my kids, even the one who has tried several and decided she is an artist instead. Like Elizabeth, my kids don't go to school (although John will be taking a couple of classes at the Jr. High next year so he can play for their basketball team), we don't do co-op, we really don't do much with the various homeschool groups we are members of. Sports is their socialization and, admittedly, it's my socialization too. When your child plays with a team for years, they become a close-knit family, a support-system, a tribe, if you will. It may not be the tribe I would've chosen for myself, but I've developed ties to these people...we understand each other, because we're in the same nutty boat. We're connected, whether we like it or not.
You don't believe me? This local story only tells a little of the immense support the family of Cole Schlesner has received after he was hit by a line-drive at the mound. Within hours of his game on Sunday, news of this accident spread to numerous teams through e-mails. All these little baseball "tribes" have banded together in prayer and support. Many have dedicated games in Cole's honor, teams will be wearing his number on their helmets, there will be moments of silence prior to games so that those in attendance can pray for his recovery. I saw this same kind of love and support through sports teams earleir this year when our neighbor, Carolyn, passed away. Many folks argue that sports can bring out the ugliness in people. That is true...I've seen it and experienced it myself. But they have the capacity to bring out the very best in people as well.
The month of June will be filled with make-up games, league games, and tournaments, both close to home and far away. John and Matt will be heading to Georgia, while the rest of us stay behind to cheer Lizzy on in another tournament in Kentucky. Then there will be our big fund-raising tournament that Matt's in charge of. Last year, we saw one another for a total of about 4 hours the whole tournament. Remembering that challenge from last year, Matt thought ahead and got us a hotel room nearby so we'll hopefully be able to see each other a little more. Then we'll be heading to Cooperstown, NY for a week of great baseball competition. Following that, Matt will be flying home while the kids and I head south to visit my mom and extended family. Mom will be driving back to Ohio with us to spend more time with the grandkids and then will fly home. I try not to think of the nitty-gritty details of it all, since I get easily overwhelmed when I do. It'll all go by quickly, and we'll be starting with fall soccer, football, and a new school year before we know it!
