“For it is God who works in
you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a
wicked and deprived generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
as you hold out the word of life…”Phil. 2:13-16a
I’ve been
thinking lately about soccer and our involvement with our kids in this
sport. I suppose a title could be:
The Power of a Playing Parent
When you sign
your son or daughter up for AYSO (American
Youth Soccer Organization), it
really is as if you are playing. You
could just drop them off and disappear for the two practices a week, but with
younger kids that is discouraged. So, if
you are on the premises, you may as
well participate. You could sit there
and complain about having to go to all of those games, or you could be an
encouragement on the sideline. I want to
always be an active parent on the side line of soccer. I want to cheer loudly when Jo Jo gets the
ball, and take notice when he’s even close to getting the ball. When he makes a
good play, I want to let the world know, “That’s my kid that just did that
assist!” Though my son may not be a
star, I want to cheer him on like he is one.
What I realized
this last week-end is that when we go to the games and cheer on our team, we
are a shining force. Even if they lose,
they feel like winners when the parents go nuts when any of them does a great
corner kick, or save, or head. I want to
be a star in the way I shine on that sideline.
I want to jump in and do the flagging, or fill out the game card, or
organize snacks as the Team Mom.
And how much
more of a chance to do that here on this island.
After a few
seasons here in Kona AYSO, you recognize kids and the coaches. If you don’t get out of the way, you just may
get talked into being a coach. It
happened to me two years ago. I showed
up at a parent volunteer meeting saying I wanted to be an assistant coach for
the U-8 (under age eight) team. I
somehow walked out being the head coach of Evan’s U-12 team. Yep. I ended up forever drafted into the
kids’ Hall of Fame here in Kona. I
still remember each of those boys’ names.
To this day when I run into Ezra’s mom at Target, or Justin at the
theater, or Tui at the Easter Sunrise service I am “coach” to them.
The thing is,
that happens even when you’re not coaching.
By just being present, you learn the name of all ten kids on your kid’s
team. You know who is best for taking
penalty kicks, and who you don’t want
to put in as goalie. You also get to
know the parents.
This last weekend
at the giant end-of-season party, I saw so much cheering by the parents, I
figured the lines were fuzzy, and we were just cheering on all of our kids at
once. When Team Dynomite donned their cylinder cardboard crackers, I
was cheering. My husband was shooting photos. When the Blue Angels strolled out with 3-D
cardboard airplanes tied over their shoulders, we were all in wonder. Every boy that has played on our sons' teams in
the past was cheered on by name when his team banner walked by. I
daresay the parents were having as much fun as the kids.
There were some
parents who came late, grumbled about the loud music, or sat in their lawn
chairs the whole time. Yet others
circulated, thumped coaches on the back, laughed at the kids’ antics, and
enjoyed each other. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act for His good
pleasure.”
As I walked
around the giant soccer field under the lights that evening, I thought,
“Wow. Half of Kona is here.” I knew there was a Coffee Festival going on
with a parade, but it seemed that half of the working class people of Kona were
at that soccer field. What a chance for
impact! What an opportunity to shine!
I saw many YWAM
friends shining like stars that evening, holding out life. Two dads stood around and got to know an
artist dad who crafted the aforementioned Blue Angels get-up. Moms combined their artistic ability to create
the team banner, and pooled their money to secure a Mahalo gift for the
coach. Though we may have been on
opposite sides of the field during the season, we were all at the same potluck
at the end: feasting, photographing, and
dancing.
My first end-of-soccer
dance party, I stood on the side and watched the parents and kids dance. My
second year, I wandered in to the mix, trying out a few moves. This last weekend, I was alongside my son’s
coach, attempting Zumba. A YWAMer mom was on my left and later one on
my right. I noticed one mom in
particular going crazy out there, blond curls bouncing, as she tried to keep up
with her U-6 son. “I’m out here because
my son asked me to be his dance partner.”
I recognized her later as someone from my church.
One coach stood
on the side of the dance circle, a lei around his neck. At his U-14 girls’ urging, he jumped into the
dance circle and launched into his best robot dance. Who was this guy? The assistant pastor of Living HopeChurch.
I believe there
is more to this than meets the eye. The
whole of AYSO happens from volunteers.
But more than that, friendships are forged. I have a new running partner, a mom who
recently went through a divorce and who has just started attending church
again. Over increased years in this
sport, we have galvanized friendships with parents. We know their names. Something of light and life has rubbed off by
the power of parents in the game.
