friday of a holiday weekend?
the best.
tonight we have HS football and i am hoping the rain stops.
last night on instagram i posted a picture saying that we striped Scott’s helmet.
until last year i had no idea what that meant just like you probably don’t..jpg)
the helmets are just white and at the beginning of the season the parents all show up in the gym and put new fresh stickers on their son’s helmet.
they are pretty heavy duty stickers.
and you use a hair dryer to kind of melt them to mold a flat sticker onto a curved surface.
i was throwing quite a fit in the car on the way there saying “why can’t the boys just do this themselves?! why do WE have to go? why can’t they just buy helmets with the logo on them? isn’t that a thing? don’t they make those?”
then we get there… and sitting with my husband on the gym floor… working together on our son’s helmet… seeing a gym full of parents (many of them our friends) working for their kids…. i got a little choked up inside.
it’s actually a pretty cool thing!
it is neat to see your community together.
all these people who are wanting a good season for ALL the boys… not just their son.
and because i am anti-social (at times…) i would’ve missed out on it.
(but craig duerksen don’t you dare hold that statement over me the next time i try to avoid being with people! 😉
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school sports are quite different than the travel teams where kids come from all the place to be on a team and play teams from all over too.
that crowd always makes me feel uneasy.
i don’t always trust those crowds with my child… does that make sense?
the parents get CRAZY. it’s sad and embarrassing to witness. it makes my Mama Grizzly tendencies flare up.
i don’t trust that they want the best for my son.
but with your school team there is a unity present. there’s pride in the work the team and coaches are doing together and the adults recognize that.
after the stickers are on, you write a note to your son, roll it up and put it in their helmet.
that was when i realized i was being a jerk and this was kind of a neat tradition that i was not appreciating.
writing “love” notes just doesn’t happen too much over here.
the teen age years can be hard.
not BAD or awful of course… but still a challenge.
everything is a battle it seems for some kids and parenting through that leaves me not feeling up for writing sweet notes too often.
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and even though i am a nervous wreck every single game when my basketball loving son plays football… i am proud.
proud that he is working hard, stuck it out and is having fun out there.
and that his helmet looks soooo good.
(the tape with their name is just so the parents knew which helmet to get…it comes off before the game) 🙂
Sami - Oh my goodness! You’re a Hesston Swather! We always played you guys in sports growing up and I thought your mascot was so fitting for Kansas (I mean after someone explained to me what a swather was.:) We were the Canton-Galva Eagles. Small towns UNITE!! I love the unity created with the sticker party. And the notes you put in the helmets are so precious. If my son plays football, I hope they do that. If not, I might have to start it. 🙂
Lorie - That is such a great tradition and I am so glad you didn’t miss out on it!
Amanda J - I also love your shoes.! Where did you find them?
s - I can’t imagine you as antisocial since you genuinely seem so friendly. I am a total somebody so I would have felt the same as you but it sounds like a wonderful tradition. And sports…brings out the best and worst of people. My kids play for fun….they aren’t the best, don’t have a killer instinct so it sometimes gets difficult to watch and hear the other parents screaming… but I try to just enjoy regardless…it’s all about being part of a team, getting some exercise and learning skills, persistence and dedication. Loved the note in the helmet!
Kristin S - I want your sneakers!
Kerri - That is a very scary looking Swather. Praying all our boys have a safe season without serious injury. I love football, but not too disappointed that my son didn’t play.
Flower Patch Farmgirl - You guys are the sportiest.
Also, yay community!
And yay stripes!
martha - what a great tradition! (especially the note in the helmet) and may I mention your shoes???? loving them!! 🙂
Becca - I am so glad you explained, I thought you meant putting the tape with his name on it. Obviously not a sport family. Cool tradition:)
Liz M - HS football sometimes gets a bad rap, but the traditions– like you described–are so powerful. I love the note tucked in the helmet! Sort of double protection. I miss the Friday Night Lights…enjoy these years!
katie Skiff - That is a fun tradition, but I am the same way. Home. alone. Much better for me. lol…
Tonight was our scrimmage, and I don’t know if I am ready for High School football.
Molly - this is pretty cool!!! i grew up in a small iowa town, so all thee traditions. i get it. they are pretty cool. and your mascot is pretty intense!
Tessa - I LOVE THIS!!! I am forwarding this post to my husband who is a football coach … not sure if they can do the same tradition, but if they can I am totally encouraging it. My son plays 9th grade football this year, and so next year he will be in the high school team. He also has a concussion, and so this would be especially meaningful to pray over his helmet to protect him. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Adrienne - I feel the same way about school sports vs club! Friday night lights is my favorite! I have a senior this year, so it’s a big, BIG deal (to us anyways)!
KWolff - This is such a cool tradition! I hope that your Friday Night Football is fabulous and that the victory bells will ring out for y’all.
ira lee - my oldest is a senior in hs this year and its already been an emotional ride. so i get where you are coming from; the sense of community, pride in your children, the sense of togetherness. maybe its southern football!! lol