Using Sports to Get More Involved in the Lives of Your Kids
Today’s adults are yesterday’s children, and when we raise our kids right, they grow up to be the kind of adults our world needs. It’s critically important for us to find ways to spend time with our kids, but with everyone in the family so busy, it can be really tough to carve out the hours needed to make good experiences with them.
Sometimes, if you can’t beat them, you join them. Kids are often occupied with sports, so when we can create a role for ourselves with their team or league, we can generate an opportunity to spend a lot of time with them, watching them do what they love with their friends.
If you’re not an athlete yourself, don’t worry. You can get involved with your child’s sport whether you are any good at it yourself, and even if you don’t actually know how it’s played. There are ways to get out of the bleachers and into the life of the team, and they can help you be a part of your child’s life in a positive way.
Being a Booster
You can do more to help the team as a fan than simply cheer or wave signs. Building team morale is easy for anybody, whether or not they can swing a bat or do the butterfly stroke themselves.
Find other ways to help the players feel good about themselves and their team. See about getting trophies and awards to give out to high-performing individuals, as well as to those who have most improved certain aspects of their game through the season. Only one team will win a championship, but every team can do positive things. Help them get recognition. Consider giving the winning team these custom engraved plaques.
Grounds keeping
Clueless about soccer but good with grass? Maybe your role for your child’s sport can be helping to keep the pitch in good condition.
Quality turf on a sports field not only cuts back on laundry costs. It also prevents injuries and reduces the costs of repairing the field at season’s end. This is especially important for borrowed or rented sites, which could charge the league for repairs. If you have a green thumb, learn about sports turf and put your talents to work taking care of the field.
Equipment Management
Every team sport requires some amount of equipment, even if it’s just a ball. Volunteer to take care of getting everything to the field or court including their custom rugby uniforms for practices and games. The coach will probably be thrilled to be relieved of another duty.
Get a pressure gauge and inflation pump to make sure balls are properly inflated. Inspect football pads and helmets after each session to make sure they are intact. Keep a cooler of sports drinks iced down and supplied with plenty of cups, and set an example by picking up all the trash through the game.
Team Finances
All that equipment–along with uniforms and shoes–is expensive. Many leagues cover the costs with player fees and fundraisers, but other needs must be covered with sponsorships.
Maybe you have a network of entrepreneurial friends whom you could enlist to help out. Offer name placement and other recognition in exchange for their support. Sell fence sign space in exchange for sponsorships that benefit the whole league. Find a need, find the funds, and make it happen.
Your kids will grow up fast, even though the days seem to crawl by sometimes. One day, they may hang up the cleats or swim cap and never play again. It’s important to do as much as you can during their sports “careers” to find ways to spend time around them. You’ll make priceless memories, teach important lessons, and build better adults for the world of tomorrow.