First, a little Kingdom to State Comparison
I was at the side line to my sons first American Football Game in High School, where they, as the Junior Varsity (B Team) were going to get their behinds handed to them by the Varsity (A Team). It was crazy fun, with stadium seating, huge flags, concessions and team swag on every spectator. Half time came around and on come the cheerleaders and drill team to perform. I wondered if this was a way of appeasing the girls who weren’t allowed to play football at the time but was quickly schooled on how this was it’s own kind of competitive sport, with gymnastics, tumbling and hard choreography. I was also made aware by a cheer Mom that her daughter had been doing cheer 5 days a week since she was a small child and this 5 minute, mid game performance had cost her, the Mom, thousands of dollars in lessons, travel, competitions and glitter hairspray. I mean their outfits were pretty fabulous and I realized I could never have made the Cheer Squad because my hairline was too high and my pony tail was weak.
High School in England was a little different when it comes to sports and extra curricular activities. You might be athletic enough and enjoy sports to where you play on the team but that would generally involve a couple of lunchtime practices or a practice after school with a competition on a Saturday. You could easily partake in multiple teams without it overlapping. The same 2 P.E. teachers where over all teams and they couldn’t be more places than one at a time. Sports team usually included Soccer for boys and Netball for girls, maybe a swim team and Athletics or “Track” if you’re in the U.S. Fancier schools may have had you playing Rugby or Field Hockey and sometimes tennis or even cricket but it was always a side gig to our education and took zero of our school day. Rarely did my working parents even come to my games and it certainly wasn’t a big deal that I actually got my colors (or lettered) in multiple sports. You were handed a sew on patch at the end of year assembly which you wore for bragging rights on the skirt you wore for said sports. Rarely, you’d hear of a kid who showed promise, getting whisked off to a soccer academy or have a coach get interested in properly training someone if they had won a county meet which would be equivalent of doing well at state I suppose.
So why the sporty ramble and what business does it have on my blog?
It’s definitely not a “glory days” thing although I have wondered what I might of played had I grown up in Utah or how good I might have been with proper couching but no, actually I got thinking about what happens after graduation. You’ve spent the last 10-15 years, making a sport your life and then you play your last game or perform your last high kick, fist to the hip, punch the sky, move and then ……. it’s over. I’ve wondered why people invest so much time, energy and money into something that used to be a fun side gig to keep you active and healthy and what do kids actually learn besides how painful double ACL repairs are?
Well I believe we learn how to work hard for ourselves and others. We learn how to take a hit and get up and keep going. We learn that no matter how bad we want to be the best, someone will come along and beat us and we probably learn that glitter is no respecter of our new car seats.
Today I can tell you, the greatest lesson I learned from both playing and watching sports, is that wether you’re a 5 year old that’s hitting a baseball for the first time or the Multi Million pound Soccer star with a shoe deal, you 100% rely on the cheerleaders in your life
and cheerleading never ends!
Today I can tell you, it’s my favorite sport to participate in and before you picture me in a tiny skirt with pom poms, actually that might be a fun halloween costume but I’m really talking about cheering for my friends in life.
We play better with a support team
and I absolutely love when my team wins, so I:
- Support their businesses
- Celebrate their great news
- Wear their team merchandise
- Hold them and Lift them when a tragedy occurs
- Donate to their fundraisers
- Tell them what I love and respect about them
- Notice when they do something hard
- Thank them when they support me
- Tell them what a great parent they are
- Encourage them when they are struggling to push through
- Support their relationships
- Support their kids
- Tell them they’re good enough for the promotion
- Defend them when someones trying to get in their way
- Or simply comment on a post to show they are seen
- Tami quit her 30 +year career to buy a food truck and LOVES it. (Redneck Sisters at Flaming Gorge)
- Di a salon owner and Connie a hairstylist and realtor, have a successful Hair Extension Company. (@SalonShag, @ExtraHairExtensions)
- Dre + Heather own a thriving Medical Spa where everyone is family and seen. (@Beauty. Lab.Laser)
- Ashley is a single Mom to a busy pre teen & used covid downtime to get her Real Estate license whilst also working a full time job from home. (@realtorashdawson)
- Amber & Jessika have so many talents and skills which include Fire fighter, realtors, MMA fighter and parent but they both excel at parties and laughter. (@homes4saleutah1)
- Whitney has built a successful skincare line from the ground up. (irisandbeau)
- Ben has a supplement company as well as many other ventures (@realathlete.life)
- Krista has built and run successful Dental Hygiene and assistant schools for years before opening a pilates studio. I could throw in that as a single Mom she raised 3 amazing kids with masters degrees and world class competitive ballroom and trophies to their name. (reformerdiva)
- Verna my Polynesian Princess who at over a decade older than me has been my Mum and Fitness inspiration for over 20 years.
- Erin had to date a fair number of No’s before she found the perfect Yes.
- Saeeda is my greatest example of working for change. As a small Asian female from a strict Muslim upbringing, she stepped into the the old white man world of Law as a Barrister at the Old Bailey. She was a probation officer and then trained Parole officers for years before becoming a deputy Governor in a big London Prison. Her desire is to provide the services and rehab that their “clients” need to make them successful in life. We don’t all start out with such privilege and she has no guile or judgement just pure love. She has had to claw her way up the slippery ladder that laughed at her for trying but she said ” why not me?” and she made it.
- Shari is the most inspiring and beautiful human around. As a wife, mother, nurse practitioner and kick ass injector, she is also fighting stage 4 cancer. She is smarter and more educated than most of the medical doctors she has to work with and has been seeking alternative options to remain healthy and around for her babies. She is kicking cancers ass! (@sharisfightclub)
Seriously, I am so blessed to have so many bad ass, successful people who are also incredible humans, surrounding me. I have also lost people I adored who didn’t get to live their lives for long enough. So if you woke up today, it is a gift not everyone gets, look around your circle and cheer on someone you know that needs you.