The Sports Parents Awards!

SPA's

Last week I attended the Shelter Island Varsity and Junior Varsity Sports Awards. The coaches were terrific and they were careful to say something good about each child. They even gave out MVP and special Coaches Awards. The kids were all acting extremely cool and detached on stage, like they were there just to shut their parents up. I noticed just how frivolous they thought these awards were as they all fell over themselves running up to the podium whenever their names were called...

It occured to me watching these proceedings that we really need to also acknowledge sports parents. So I have invented the SPA. The Sports Parents Award

There should be a "Mileage SPA". This SPA goes to the parent who put the most miles on their vehicle driving any number of children to sports events and practices.

The "All Practices SPA". This SPA is to be awarded to the parent(s) who watched every practice and made every game.

The "Best Face SPA". This SPA goes to the parent who was most able to look totally engrossed in any games they attended.

The "Kudo's SPA". For parents who can create a recording loop in their brains that repeats for the child over and over how great they looked out there and every minute details of every play they were involved in.

The "Grand SPA". This SPA goes to every single grandparent who attended the games of grandchildren and sat on hard benches with arthritic hips and never complained once.

The "Thankless Schlepping SPA". This SPA goes to every parent who schlepped sports equipment anywhere for the team. Often working alone and in the rain, these hearty souls truly warrant our gratitude.

The "Treats SPA". Given to the parent who brought the most treats to share to any event.

The "Cuckoo's Nest SPA". For any parent who, without a gun being held to their head, got on the bus with any team and endured teen and pre-teen stream of consciousness drivel, goofy behavior, horseplay and inane songs sung in four keys simultaneously.

The "Altruistic SPA". For parents who applauded for the other teams kids too.

The "Get a Grip SPA". For parents who actually got upset at referee calls. Not being a sports person myself, I am always amazed at how seriously some people take sports. It's not like the kids are doing cancer research, they're just playing a game, and I hope having fun.

The "Clutch SPA". For any parent who came through in a clutch. Washed a jersey just in time for the game or raced to the store to get shoelaces minutes before they closed, or ran to the store during the game and brought back water for the team. These unsung heroes deserve a SPA too.

The "Graveyard SPA". Awarded to any parent who works night shift and A) made it to any game B) remained conscious through the game.

The "Somebody Stop Me SPA". This award is given exclusively to coaches. These people have families and lives of their own and yet, they volunteer to coach our kids. Why? What drives them to do this? No one knows. Genetic researchers are speculating that they have a defectic self-preservation gene.

A special thank you to all those who coach and help the coach. A good coach should make sure every player has a turn in every game. It sounds small, but it isn't. Kids need acknowledgement and need to know that their contribution, however modest, is wanted. I have clear painful memories of being the last name called when choosing teams for any sport. Only those of us who have had the experience, know how differently our self-esteem may have developed if someone, seeing our lack of confidence, gave us some of theirs.

Playing sports in school is not about winning. It's about building character. Kids learn to be on time, they learn the value of practice. They learn patience. They learn how to help each other. They learn to handle disappointments with grace and victory with modesty. This is the value of sports in school, not the trophy on the mantle, but the trophy of accomplishment in the heart.