Saturday, December 30, 2017
The Bleacher Seats
Last night Jack and I hopped in the car and headed off to Anthony's basketball game. He plays on the JV team at his high school. I couldn't help but remember all the times we loaded up our van over the years and went to our kiddos games. Jack and Craig were the only ones who played basketball and of course it's a Winter sport so over the river and through the woods with snow, cold and wind was the usual for us. Often Jack's parents came along. I couldn't find the photo of them I took while they were all cozy in the cheap seats in the back of our van! They supported their Grandkids in all activities. We're trying to do the same. It's what Grandparents do I guess. I remember going at top speed down to Columbus airport to pick up my Mom so she could be at the gym for Senior night. (That's senior in high school, not old folks night! Ha!) We arrived just in time to see Craig walk out. Whew! So many games that had us cheering, leering (at the refs!), shouting, stomping our feet, standing for the National Anthem, feeling so proud of the kids and also either so happy for the win or sad for them when it went the other way. I remember crying at the very last games of their high school careers. Time was fleeting toward adulthood and saying goodbye, even to all the running and craziness of those years, was bittersweet. All this was going through my cranium as I watched Anthony on the court.
Listening to the refs before the game.
Shaking hands with the other team.
The warm ups.
The real action. Also the real frustration as his team lost by 2 points. Some things just don't change.
Things like family sitting on the bleacher seats eating popcorn that tastes just the same as always..thankfully! Cheering, leering, stomping and shouting and feeling bad when things go the other way. Yep, it all came back to us.
Our son Jack back in his glory days.
Our son Craig in his...and I'm sure his son will play b-ball too and maybe we'll be rushing from the airport to make a game for Taylor, who can tell. One thing for sure, as Jack pointed out last night, those bleacher seats haven't gotten any softer over the years!
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5 comments:
we went to see Miss B in her little basketball team so sweet and funny we too try to support
when we can
Cathy
You sometimes do live and die with your
children's games, and then a few weeks later it doesn't really matter one way or the other. I do miss them.
What a heart breaker to lose by 2 points! Even with seat pillows, bleacher seats still are a bit uncomfortable, but its supporting the kids that what really matters :)
Happy New Year!
betty
Hi, YaYa!
I enjoyed your final post of 2017, dear friend, and I can certainly relate to it, as a spectator and as a player. I caught basketball fever at an early age. My dad took me to several exhibition games starring the Harlem Globetrotters with Meadowlark Lemon. I also went to see games at York High and York College. At home I practiced my skills in the basement where I hung a peach basket on the wall and threw a softball into it. When I reached age ten my dad erected a backboard and regulation rim and net at the edge of our large flat patio, turning it into a basketball court that all the kids in the neighborhood wanted to use. At age eleven I won a free-throw ("foul shot") shooting contest at my school, beating a hundred other boys my age and older. I have many happy memories of playing on the junior high team and winter bus trips through the snow to other schools for "away" games. One of the most exciting of those memories was riding the bus home from a game one night and hearing the sound of the Beatles songs "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" playing for the very first time. The cheerleaders on the bus squealed with delight and sang along and I knew at that moment something very big was happening to popular music and culture. Through senior high school I played basketball for my church in the church league where I could be a starter instead of a bench warmer. :) I grew to a height of 6'- 1.5" but always wished I was taller so that I could dunk the ball like other kids. I remember begging my parents to have an operation to have bone grafts implanted in my legs to make them longer. The idea didn't go over well with my mother :)
It's good to see Anthony out there on the court giving it his all and nice to see the pics of your two sons in their uniforms.
I hope your mother and sister are well. Thank you for another year of friendship and support and opportunities to keep up with your wonderful family at the Pines. Happy New Year, dear friend YaYa!
It's fun watching kids play. Jilda and I went out of town to see our great nephew Jordan at a swim meet a few weeks ago. It was a fun trip.
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