(I wrote this one a few weeks ago, but then it fell by the wayside when I was sick.)
“25 Maya, 20 Emily, 12 Campbell, 25 Maya, 20 Emily, 12 Campbell…”
I am squinting at the livestream on TV, muttering the mantra to myself on the sofa over and over again, when it occurs to me that this is the last year that I’ll ever do this.
Even when the kids were babies and toddlers, I’d try to learn the names of the kids and their parents at whatever Little Tykes or Music Together class we’d be in. But when the kids started joining athletic teams, the whole thing escalated. Cute W and I pride ourselves on being cheerleaders for the girls and their teammates. Which you’ve heard before. If you’ve been around a long time, you might vaguely remember that I had a t-shirt made with some of Cute W’s most frequent cheers (in spite of the mall t-shirt guy’s disclaimer that he wasn’t sure how long it would last, it still looks good after 10 years. 10 years!). Or perhaps you recall when I complained about crazy sports parents.
Anyway, being good cheerleaders means knowing all the players’ names. It’s nice to shout out encouragement mid-game, it makes it easier to supply an answer when someone near you says, “who just scored that?” and the loveliest way to meet a parent is to be able to say, “Oh! Your daughter [did so great when she did that awesome thing or is so good at whatever].”
And so the beginning of the seasons means that it’s time to start studying! I’m actually pretty bad at names. And with the soccer teams, Cute W always knows everyone better because he is already obsessed with soccer, and he is always M’s teams’ super fan, plus he takes photographs constantly and edits them for hours after games. But I do my best! So here I am, like the world’s most try-hard nerdy sports mom, trying to learn the names of the first years who are getting playing time in M’s soccer team’s first scrimmage of the season. Later, Cute W will confer with M about the season’s prospects and the coach’s configurations, and I will only half-understand any of it, but I’ll try to remember the new kids’ names so that I’ll know enough to be a cheerleader for the last season ever.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
She is beautiful inside and out. Love that photo of the wee little M running the field.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Katie, you nailed the hardest part of being a fan!! BTW . . . senior day is the 2nd hardest.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Oh, and you’ve got Maya and Emily reversed.
;>)
Katie
Ha! I didn’t even look at it again when I went back to post it. Heading west for this weekend, so we’ll see you soon!