What movie is "LET THE KIDS PLAY!" from? I don't actually have the answer, because I'm being lazy and not looking it up but I feel like I've run across grown ups chanting this in the bleachers in various movies. The Bad News Bears, perhaps.
Similar theme in Footloose . . . let the kids dance, but that charge was led by some really hip teens who were addressing the adults of the town. *Swoon (over the hip teens, not the adults)*
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| I don't have a good photo for this post, but check this out. The kids are given a lunch by the high school. Then they come home and eat it. Weird, I know. Reg poked the straw in this, took a sip, and went WHAT? Yes, a capri sun that actually says on the front 'We're sorry it's not juice.' It was just water. |
I find myself in the middle of a pandemic chanting this phrase from the virtual stands.
LET THE KIDS PLAY . . . WHATEVER DAMN SPORT THEY WANT, EVEN IF THAT MEANS DOUBLING UP.
The high schools in the area bumped football and volleyball (and maybe others) from the fall to the spring when they were cancelled. So wait, what does that do to the sports that have historically taken place in the spring?
I'm not a parent of a football player, so I'm in the minority here. Not sure if it is just our neck of the woods, but don't mess with people's football. The fans want to get out there in all kinds of weather and cheer like crazy. I was so happy when Lad graduated, because we banned the remainder of our offspring from football. It just so happened that the most of the other sports my kids play take place indoors. AC, heat, no rain. It's a beautiful thing.
Then one day I realized "Oh shit, Tank is playing in the band." - Back to the bleachers in all kinds of weather we went. He quit after freshman year so he could be in the stands leading the spirit section. He now holds an official spot as spirit leader or something.
Anyway, a few weeks ago Mini told me that badminton was starting up this week. It didn't really dawn on me that the timing was off. I was just happy that her sport was happening.
Mini played tennis in the fall. Wore a mask. Wrote her name on her ball. No one could touch another player's ball. (why do I feel like Kari will have an inappropriate comment about this line?) The players flipped the balls to one another with their racquets. It added a new element to the game. I feel like they should've gotten extra points for being able to coral their balls within a certain amount of time, or after only so many flips.
In winter, Mini plays basketball. In the fall they had some open gyms for shooting around while masked. Then nothing.
Till now.
On Wednesday the IHSA announced that basketball could happen. I won't bore you with details, in part because I really didn't pay much attention to them. Remember, Wednesdays: I drown in tots over here. The TV volume cannot be put high enough for me to know what the hell is happening on a Wednesday without risking blowing out baby eardrums.
I grasped that basketball was moving forward and I celebrated between diaper changes. Reg has been lost without basketball.
Mini came home distressed. Basketball could start . . . NOW, at the same damn time as badminton. This was not on my radar.
She has friends on each team. She is wildly crazy about each season. Very different experiences, but so much fun. She had to choose. She had to choose?!
Me: Wait, what?
I barely know what day it is, so I was kind of not focusing on the badminton-is-starting-and-it-is-not-in-season point. Now it was all clear. At first I couldn't figure out why, and then it dawned on me. In order for volleyball to move to the spring, badminton had to move out of its regular slot. Both sports need the field house. Most people in these parts count volleyball as life giving and badminton is more 'meh'.
Mini assumes she'll do basketball, but if we don't move to tier 1 then there will be no actual games. She's wondering why play basketball if there are no games? Badminton can be done similar to tennis. Masks are enough because there really isn't body contact or breathing in your defender's face, etc.
I've had it. It's against the rules to let kids register for two sports, but as Mini pointed out if there are no b-ball games, then she can attend badminton matches on the weekends. The practices don't always conflict. Both coaches want her to play. Both are willing to let her try both.
She has a tough course load of classes, but half the time school gets out at noon. She can study and do two sports.
Cue the 'let's hear it for the girl' music, right? (I know, in Footloose it's boy not girl, work with me).
Fingers crossed that the governing body allows kids to register for 2 sports. Why make them give up anymore than they already have? I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it is to see Curly play basketball and Tank play volleyball on their travel teams. Last weekend Curly played a team that had two or three players on the court at all times who wore their masks below their chin or at the very least below their nose.
Yes, I called foul.
When the ref started to hand the ball to the player to start the 2nd half directly in front of me (lest you thought I caused a scene), I asked him to watch the masks.
"Some girls aren't wearing their masks."
He heard me, and he TRIED to make the other players wear their masks. It got a little bit better. Still not 100%. Not a single girl on our team broke the mask rule. A player without a mask is at a total advantage to the ones wearing them properly.
And there it is - the one thing I never dreamt I would call out to a referee. The question is, will I now draft an email begging someone to let Mini play both her sports? Keep you posted.
10 comments:
I do love a good balls comment. ;)
They still aren't doing soccer here as far as I've heard. Ella has been asking and it is a bit frustrating because that is outside. Anna wanted to do intramural soccer at college and they aren't doing it there this semester either.
But I think they all should have to wear masks; like you said, it isn't fair for many reasons.
I avoided sports like the plague when I was in high school, although in college I was briefly on an intramural volley ball team. That being said I agree with you that they all need to wear masks to make the competition fair-- and to, you know, stay healthy. Seems obvious, doesn't it?
Kari - Outdoor soccer seems like it could get going. Masks would help as the girls might cluster together at times. I hope they start soccer soon.
Yes, for goodness sake - wear your mask when playing basketball. Yes, it's a new rule - but a rule none the less.
Ally - My involvement in sports in high school is a funny story, in case that comes as a shock. I played b-ball as a freshman. Then I may or may not have been asked to retire. Permanently.
It burned me up that the other team had SO MANY kids on the team ignoring the mask rule. Clearly the coaches weren't approaching it seriously. Even when the refs pointed out the issue, play continued while some girls still were only half wearing their masks.
So many ball mentions in one post. Kari must be dying.
WTF with Capri Sun water? Really? Are we still on planet earth?
I never knew badminton was really an organized sport....shoot, I could have gotten on board with that one.
Hopefully, she can play both. LET THE KIDS PLAY! I think that's just a general saying about letting kids be kids. Right?
Keep us updated.
Please ALL Iligeal mask wearers in the vicinity of the Shenanigan family MUST follow the rules. OR ELSE!
Suz - We did all chuckle a little when she initially said she was going to play badminton, but it is a serious thing . . . to some people. We have a hard time with sports that don't include physically plowing into another person. B-ball, water polo, volleyball, soccer, back in the day baseball. Well, I take that back we do play golf (and by 'we' I mean NOT ME) and swim team. Still, just wait . . . one of my offspring will find away to introduce defense to those sports.
Don't break the rules around moi. People around here should know that by now. I might have to start wearing my sweatshirt that has my real last name printed across it to these games.
Oh, the capri sun . . . the fact that it even apologizes for not being juice slayed me. Like someone at the plant was twisting someone's arm: "MAKE THIS BATCH ONLY WATER." What gives?
My kid who plays soccer (a winter sport here) has been on the fence about playing this year. Because football (a fall sport, of course) gets first dibs on the fields, and they want afternoon practices. Which means soccer gets morning practice. And who really wants to be on the field at 5:30 AM? No one. The other high school daughter plays tennis and that's a spring sport. Her season shouldn't be in jeopardy, maybe.
Our sports schedules are crazy here too. But at least they are trying to get them in. However all the seasons are shortened. Boo. Peter starts real football practice next week (they've been having weightlifting off and on for the last couple of months). Guess we will be freezing our butts off in the stands - assuming parents can attend.
Kara - Oh, a 5:30 am practice might be a deal breaker for any of my kids too. Such a nutty situation.
Beth - Yes, seasons are so shortened. They are juggling everything to try to fit stuff in, but such a bummer for kids who have to choose. I admit to fully embracing the indoor sports. I hate freezing my butt off.
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