We pull up to the field at 9:45. Grace has been singing her cheer songs the entire ride, and the boys are about to kill her. Karen is trying to calm them down while I pull into a spot that is just emptying out. We all climb out of the car. The boys grab their jerseys and pads from the back, as Grace bounces around. “Grace, hold my hand please.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She takes my hand, and the five of us walk across the street.
When we get to the gate, the woman standing there says, “Four dollars please.” Typically it’s two dollars per adult, students are free, but Coaches and team moms don’t pay. You can tell us apart from our polos. I look at Karen, who looks equally as shocked as I do. I pull out my wallet and hand her a five. I’m about to tell her to keep the change when another mom comes over and stops us. “Maryanne, team moms and coaches don’t pay.” She hands me back the five and wishes us luck.
We thank her and enter the stadium. “I can’t believe she was going to charge us to enter.” Karen rolls her eyes. “You would think they would inform the people working the gate of the rules.”
“You would think,” I agree. Karen sends out emails to our team every week reminding them who is scheduled to work in their assigned sections, and she informs them of the rules for that section so things like this don’t happen. It’s not very welcoming when a team shows up and they have to pay to play. This is a league-wide rule which is why we were so thrown off by the fee. It was clear she didn’t know what was going on.
“Hi, Grace,” Julie, one of the cheer coaches, calls over to my daughter who waves back full of excitement. She squats down before her. “Are you ready to take the field?” Grace nods. “Great.” She holds out her hand to Grace. “Mind if I take her over?”
“Not at all. Thank you so much, Julie.”
A few minutes later the announcers are talking over the intercom, getting the crowd amped up for the game, so Karen and I walk over to the sidelines while the boys play catch behind us. Grace is in line with her team, but when she spots us she stops paying attention to wave. This kid always brings a smile to my face. I wave back and watch as they warm up.
The Mighty Mights are losing, but the cheer squad is doing an amazing job. “I have to go take the team for weigh-ins. Will you tell Grace I said she did good?”
“I sure will.” I give her a chaste kiss and gather the boys.
I approach the team, and Blake nods toward Jason. “I notice Jason isn’t in uniform. Is everything okay?”
I pull the three of them in close. “He had an issue at his father’s last night.”
Trystan’s eyes go wide. “Are you shitting me?” He is angry.
I shake my head. “I wish I was. I need to put him on the DL just for this week to make sure he is good.”
Derek sighs, “What a dick. If you need anything, you know we have your back.”
“Thanks, guys. Let’s get going.”
We walk them down and on the way Blake asks how my mom is doing. “She is okay. We’re taking it one day at a time, but she is better and better every day.”
“Well, if you need any help, you know how to reach us,” Trystan offers.
“I appreciate that. Karen is waiting for Grace to get off the field, which is why she isn’t with us, but she’ll meet us on the sidelines after she brings Grace to sit with the mom squad in the bleachers during our game. It’s a bit to juggle, but we’ll manage.”
We have two players left to weigh-in. Two of their players are already overweight, and I have a feeling by the way he is pacing, Aiden will be too. He steps on the scale and the woman at the table shakes her head no. Aiden looks up at me. “Sorry, Coach. Guess I can’t play this week.” He crosses his hands at his chest. He wasn’t nervous he would be over, he was nervous he would be okay to play. This kid has no desire to be here, but his mother forces him to play. She says he needs an outlet for his frustration.
The other coach comes up to me and as usual, he wants me to allow his players on the field. He says that Aiden can play too, but when I look down at Aiden he looks hopeful that I’ll bench him. Part of me wants to make him play, but the last thing I need is someone getting hurt because he’s not playing his position properly.
“Sorry, Coach, no can do. Besides, one of your boys is way over. How is he still playing at this level?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“He’s not that bad.” He looks over at this kid who is pretty much an entire head bigger than my tallest player and probably at least ten pounds heavier than him.
“Well today he can be, ‘not that bad,’ on the bench.” I turn my back to walk out of the locker room, and I can hear him cursing under his breath. “Hey, Coach, if you really taught your kids how to play, you wouldn’t need to cheat to win.” I chuckle. “All it takes is a little hustle and a lot of heart.”
Gabe comes up next to me. “That’s right, Dad.” He holds his fist out. We bump and the rest of the team follows us up to the field.
The stands are packed with people. Even the visitors bench is full of family supporting our team. They’re chanting and cheering as we walk to our side of the field. Aiden takes off his helmet and takes a seat on the bench while the remainder of the team prepares to take the field. The coaches have the boys in a huddle going over the game plan. This is when the boys really start to get that nervous energy. We give them the first four plays and then they start their chant. I send our four team captains out to take the field, and before we know it the game is underway.
The first quarter goes smoothly. The boys are playing hard, and we’re up six to nothing. It’s amazing to sit back and watch this coaching team instruct these boys and encourage them. If they mess up a play, they’re right there encouraging them to try again, and they do an amazing job of making sure they rotate the boys so everyone gets their plays. It’s one of the things we’ve been complimented on so far this season. I want every child to get out there and get the experience of playing. If they don’t then they won’t learn. They need to know what it feels like to be tackled and the excitement of tackling another player.
I notice Brianne talking with one of the coaches on the far sideline. The coach is shaking his head. It makes me wonder if they’re discussing my decision to not allow Aiden and the other overweight boys to play.
Another quarter is winding down, and the energy in the stands is unbelievable. This is part of the fun. Hearing the cheer squad chant and the parents in the stands scream for you. It boosts you even when you’re losing; it gives you the drive to keep going. That energy fills your heart with the want to fight for the win to the very end. Yes, these boys are young and it’s about having fun, but this is the age where they start to learn the difference between having fun and the want to win. This is the age when it starts to matter and they know if they work hard it pays off. That is always part of my message to them.
“Great first half, boys. We’re up by six, and you’re playing your hearts out. Win or lose, as long as you put your all into it that’s all I care about.”
“Yes, Coach!” they all shout including Jason, who has spent the entire game cheering his team on from the sidelines. The entire team was very supportive of him, and it was nice to see.
“Hands in.” They pile their hands on mine. “On three, go Dartmouth.” The bounce their hands on mine, and when I get to three they all shout.
“Blue offense, get out there.” The boys hurry out and take their positions. One of the things we’ve worked hard on is teaching the boys their positions and knowing when I call for something who belongs where. The whistle blows starting the third quarter, and the boys get down into their positions. “You see how Mason is set up?” I ask Jason.
“Yeah.”
“He really should be over to the left a little more. He needs to be in perfect alignment to push the kid to the side so he can make the hole. That gives you the space to run through. These are the little things that you will learn as you play that will make you a great player.” I pat him on the shoulder.
Gabe yells hike and hands it off to Brady who starts to run forward. Mason is supposed to make a hole for him, but is shoved to the ground. “See, that’s why Mason can’t get a hold on him.” This huge kid scoops Brady up and slams him to the ground. Brady rolls around in pain. This is why we didn’t want Jason to play this week. Too much can happen.
That’s when I notice this kid isn’t supposed to be on the field. I run out to Brady who has the wind knocked out of him. “Breathe, buddy. You’re going to be okay.” He attempts to take a deep breath, but struggles. I look up at the kid who has run off the field. The ref comes over to ask how he’s doing. “Trystan, help him off please.” I look at the ref. “Number thirteen was not supposed to play today. He didn’t make weight.”
The ref’s eyes go wide. “Are you serious?” I nod. The two of us jog over to the sidelines to have a word with the coach. “Why did you put him in?”
The coach shrugs. “They’re winning and the kid deserves to play.”
“That may be so, but he shouldn’t be playing on this team, and the kid he just slammed to the ground doesn’t deserve to be hurt because he’s playing against a kid double his size. That’s why we have weight rules.”
“He didn’t slam the kid that hard.” He defends his player, but the ref stops him.
“Yeah well, guess what. You broke Pop Warner rules. Your team has just forfeited this game.”
“You can’t do that!”
“I can, and I just did. Your team will play the remainder of the game, but no matter the outcome Dartmouth takes the win. Keep him off my field.” He points to the player who was overweight and shouldn’t have been playing.
“He has an overweight player too.”
“First, my kid is like a pound over and yours is like ten pounds over.” I cross my arms over my chest.
The ref turns back. “That’s moot, his player is on the bench where he should be.”
The ref walks me back to our sideline to check on Brady who is doing so much better. “You okay, buddy?”
“I just need some water.”
“Okay, take a break.”
“Let’s finish this off,” the ref says to me before jogging onto the field. I send Braydon in for Brady so he can chill for a bit. I want to make sure he’s really okay before he goes back in.
We play the remainder of the game without any issues from the opposing team. The coach is pissed and has been shooting me dirty looks, but I don’t really care. They lost because they don’t play fair and they have a crappy coach. They have some very talented players, and if they pulled themselves together they could win. They need a coach who has confidence in them and can teach them the true meaning of being a good sport.
We find a spot to gather away from the other team. The team takes a knee as they do after every game. “Great game today, boys. You boys beat a great team, and you played your hearts out until the end. Even when they played dirty, you still kept your heads high and played with heart, and I’m proud of you for that.” Some of the players around Brady pat him on the back. It wasn’t only a dirty hit, but the kid is so much bigger than Brady. He is sure to ache in the morning. We end with our chant and a reminder that we have practice on Tuesday evening.
DJ and Mason come over to Jason and Gabe. “Hey, you okay?” DJ asks him, referring to what happened last night. Gabe, Jason, DJ and Mason had a chat before the game. He trusts them, and I’m glad. It’s good he has friends he can talk to.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Jason tells them.
They do their new handshake, and the boys part ways. “Let’s go get your sister.” I put my arm around my son, and we all go in search of Grace.
When we pull up to the house, Mom is sitting on the porch. The kids all race from the car, excited to tell her about their win.
“She looks good today.” Karen looks up at me when I come around the car.
“I agree.” I take her hand, and the two of us climb the steps. The kids are sitting around her, taking turns telling her stories of their day.
“Grammy, can you believe the other team cheated? They put a player in who wasn’t supposed to play.”
“Really?” she questions, genuinely interested. The boys continue the story about how Brady got hurt. “That’s it. Let’s go back there. No one messes with my team.” She stands firmly, and the kids all burst into laughter.
“It’s fine, Grammy.” Jason tells her that their teammate is good. The smile that lights up my mom’s face melts my heart. It’s the first time he’s called her Grammy, and it means the world to her. She leans over and kisses him on top of his head.
“You all need to go shower. You’re sweaty and dirty.”
She gets a round of “Yes, ma’ams,” and they all take off into the house to get out of their nasty clothes. Mom takes her seat again and starts to swing.
I pat her on the shoulder. “We’re going to check on dinner. You enjoy the quiet while you can.” The two of us head into the house to ensure dinner is going okay and to get things ready for the big day tomorrow.