Games, Tournaments and Walking Tacos or Where is my Medal?

We have become THOSE parents. The ones whose weekends are dedicated to gyms and fields, who have gameday gear, and are constantly running a load of wash late at night so my kid’s uniform doesn’t stink out the other team on day two of the tournament. And to quote McDonald’s, we are loving it (mostly.) How the heck did we get here? Who have we become??

Years ago, back BK (Before Kids), we used to enjoy going to movies, eating out, sleeping in, dedicating weekends to long runs (enjoy might be a strong word for this) – basically doing whatever we wanted. And we’d look at our friends running to soccer and basketball tournaments that lasted the WHOLE WEEKEND and think, “Ugh. That looks disgusting. There is no way we are doing that when we have kids. We are not giving up our weekends just for our kids to play in tournaments. We will maintain that sense of self and not live our lives solely for our kids.” (Ha. Ha. Ha. Older me is laughing cynically right now as I type.)

Then we had kids. Mic drop.

I contemplated ending the blog there for a dramatic finish but I’m far too narcissistic to leave my thoughts unsaid. So as I was saying, then we had kids and found out that you don’t really have free will to do whatever you want when your job is to keep someone alive at least until they get to the age where they can reach the poptarts on their own. As our first kid grew, we put him in the typical sports programs through parks and rec. Then soccer league and basketball league. And then the day came when we agreed he could play his first soccer tournament. And I dreaded that weekend because I knew how bad it was going to suck. I was going to have to sit there under those stupid tents, WAITING around all day for my kid to play a couple of games against crazy soccer teams, WASTING a WHOLE weekend of my life when I could be doing much better things like anything else. UGH! I was gnashing teeth and pulling out my hair at the thought.

And then the dreaded weekend came and lo and behold, I got it. That tournament was a blast! I loved it (I think he did too…) This was so much fun – the anticipation, the excitement of the game, the comradery, hanging with the other parents. Sure it took up my whole weekend, but so what? I finally understood how my friends “gave up their freedom” for their kids’ sports and didn’t lose their souls in the process.

Maybe it’s because I just love sports in general. I am that parent yelling during the game, and admittedly I am pretty competitive. Not in that “living vicariously through my child” kind of way but because I love a good game. And I love my kid. And when those two worlds combine, a loss or a win is that much more emotional. My head is in my hands when we are down 2 points with a minute to go and my kid is at the free throw line, I’m jumping up when my kid blocks a goal, and I’m jerking around in my seat when the running back is running down the field as though my movements will somehow shift the space he can run through.  Through these short years I’ve already figured out to keep my mouth shut after a bad loss except to say that I love watching him play, to unpack the sports bag first when you get home to avoid serious stinkage, and to pack lots of snacks because I have yet to read research that says donuts are an appropriate pregame snack.

I’m not going to lie, it can get tough to get everything that needs to get done in a weekend completed in a few short hours because we are at tournaments Saturday and Sunday. Don’t get me wrong - I love the games. However, I’d like to make a couple of quick suggestions to anyone organizing these tournaments.

First, can the championship game please be played first at the end of the tournament? I feel like we are being penalized for being good because the number one teams in the brackets always play last. Why do we have to wait the extra two hours? Just a suggestion…

Second, has anyone considered setting up a discreet mini bar? There are times where just one beer would really take the edge off. We could be limited to just one, unless we are waiting an extra six hours and playing the 9 p.m. game because we are in the championship game and then we’d get one more.

And finally, can parents start getting the swag too? Sometimes after a particular tough and long-houred tournament, I feel like I too deserve a shirt or medal – really whatever you are giving out. Because even though it is Sunday at 8 p.m. when we get done, I still have to get groceries for the week. And that deserves a medal.

Regardless if my suggestions are ever taken into account, I concede that my 21-year old self didn’t get it. I understand how much fun it is to sit in a gym or on a soccer field for the whole weekend. I have learned to maximize those short hours in between games to run errands if possible. My bleacher seats and soccer chairs take up a permanent place in my trunk. I bought a Subaru Outback over other cars solely because I was picturing whether football pads would fit in the back. I would probably wear facepaint to a game if another parent suggested it. I am all in. Now if only the music concerts could be as entertaining. My youngest seems to be more of a rock star than a soccer star and I already have a headache at the thought of his recorder concert – only 4 short years to mentally prepare myself for that one.