We stand poised on the verge of another election. Not all Americans, but the parents of the midget football cheerleaders I've had the pleasure of coaching this year. Once again, my name has been floated as president for the next season.
I have to say that filling the position this year scared me. Sure, I served as secretary for the squad last year, but making the leap to president this year made me a bit anxious. What was in store for me? Would I be able to make a difference with a group of impressionable first through eighth grade girls? It paid off in spades.
The girls I coach are a great group of girls. Most of them have the attention span of a gnat, but they're all sweethearts. I've come to earn their respect by tempering fun with discipline and limits. They all respect my rules: No eye-rolling, no disrespect of the adults, mutual respect for each other, and no hoochie-mama moves. Divas are not allowed, and drama is to stay off the field.
I'm a bit reluctant to fill this position again for one reason: the parents. Not all of the parents, but those select few. Anyone who has been involved with youth activities knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. You always have those few parents that you wish would take their kid and go. Nothing is ever good enough in their eyes, but they don't want to do a damned thing to help with the program.
Then my thoughts turn to the girls. I couldn't imagine handing over the reins of power to someone I'm not confident in providing a quality program for what I've come to label as "my girls". This group of girls have come to enjoy the fun we've had over this year. During last night's game, I told these cherubs that there would be no practice on Thursday as we have a bye week on the 17th. They begged me to still hold practice. This hasn't happened in past "administrations" to the best of my knowledge. I guess I am making a difference, and it feels great to know that.
Our game on the 24th will determine whether we make it to the Junior Division Super Bowl. We need to win to go. Win or lose, the junior division squad is looking forward to Miss Denise being out on the field with them during the halftime dance to do the "Hoedown Throwdown." I told them that if they could pay attention and learn this dance in 3 hours, I would do just that. And they have met the challenge. I have no problem in doing this for them. Scared of making a fool of myself? No. It's not like I've never looked foolish before.
Should the nomination for president be offered to me, I'm quite confident that I'll accept despite some of the crap that goes along with it. It's not about me. It's about the 28 girls who seem to have adopted me as one of their own.
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8 comments:
Just don't go on an apology tour and take down their defenses and get pwned in Copenhagen. You wouldn't want to get a Nobel out of it all and be associated with you know who.
I'll keep that in mind, Dave.
i think it's an affirmation of your character. kids a really pretty good at seeing us for who we are, when they are around us daily, cause they compare and contrast constantly.
if you can get 28 females on your side and all pulling in the same direction at the same time...wow.
i used to referee, so i know about the the parents. it was easy for me, i'd just hold the whistle up to make my point.
Thanks for the kind words, jsumm. Can you imagine? 28 mini mes! lol
Now that I've gotten a year under my belt, I have some real changes I want to make to the program. I'm already meeting resistance, but it's for the benefit of the squad as a whole. Nothing major, just some conveniences to help parents and girls alike.
For example, I suggested putting up a website for both cheer and football parents to let parents be able to see announcements, schedules, etc. Last night, one parent was like "You're kidding, right? This isn't some fancy team. We're just plain old mountain folk." Well, even mountain folk can access the internet. And it saves the team the cost of printing handouts with the same info. THESE are the kind of parents I referred to in my post.
Blackandgoldfan----------You would have my vote if I was one of those "plain old mountain folk"... respect earned is something to fight for!(and keeping kids on the stright and narrow is not so easy these days!)
Gia: Welcome to my humble corner of cyberspace!
Thanks for your kind words. I try to give the girls some guidance without stepping on parental authority. It's a fine line, but I think it's worked well.
I have nothing against "plain mountain folk." They're good people. This parent seems to be resistant to any idea she didn't come up with, but she'll make sure she reaps the benefits! Yoi, it makes my head hurt sometimes!
Hope to see you again! Take care!
awwww
Thanks, KOOK!
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