The Name of the Game

Are you ready for some football?

Nope

Not me

Not yet

Because I am not not not ready for summer to be over and to get back to the grind of school. And I am not ready to give up my lazy mornings. And I am not ready to give up happy children (because they don't have homeowork). And I am not ready to give up evenings in the pool, on a Monday...

And I'm most certainly not ready to watch my son get himself almost maimed on the football field again.

I stay behind my camera and shoot tons and tons of pictures while the games go on. It takes my mind off the fact that my son is going up against boys who are sometimes twice his size. I usually shoot over 800 photos in a game...I just put the camera on sports mode and hold down the shutter release. Sometimes I get something great, sometimes...not so much...

As you can see from the photo, which I like to call "David vs. Goliath", and my son being "David" in this case, that often times he takes on much bigger boys.

He plays offense and defense. He is a starter...first among the boys on the field...coach says he is definitely one of his very best players.

But I still worry...that's my little man out there...and The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) could get hurt out there on that field...

Saturday his team had a scrimmage. When I tell you it was hotter than the devil in hell out there, I mean it...because hell doesn't have the humidity that Houston does. The scrimmage was from 10 am until after 12. It was hot hot hot. And humid humid humid. The sweat was rolling off of all of us...and we weren't the boys in football pads and pants!

I would have sweated less in the spin class I had to miss for the scrimmage. I needed that spin class...and sadly one of my favorite instructors was teaching. My weight has not budged much lately despite cardio every day and good eating.

I tell myself I am gaining muscle...which we all know weighs more than fat...and my clothes continue to get looser and I am getting into things I haven't worn for 5 years...

So back to football...

I was a little worried about this season. You see, I had a little run-in with one of the coaches last spring and I wasn't sure if he was going to get over it (and if I could get over it) and if we could move on without anything affecting my son...

What happened was that my son was playing lacrosse and one of his teammates hit him in the head hard enough to knock him down onto the ground. Let me repeat---he hit him in the head. His own teammate. During practice.

The lacrosse (LAX) coach didn't see it. But, the football coach, who I will refer to as Coach L, did see it. He wasn't on the LAX field but he could see it from where he was standing.

Coach L is on the staff of the school

Coach L DID NOT TELL THE LAX COACH WHAT HE SAW

So I am substitute teaching at the school that day and I go looking for my boy. I though perhaps practice was cancelled because it was raining.

I run into Coach L and Coach S (another poor innocent bystander) and Coach L sees I am looking for TCBITW. He (Coach L) knows me pretty well.

So he tells me, and I am quoting him here:
"Kid X (no names) just hit TCBITW so hard in the back of his head with his LAX stick that he knocked him over. It was a pretty nasty hit, even by LAX standards"

I ask: so you saw this?

Coach L: yes

Me: And did you tell the LAX coach?

Coach L: no

And that, my friends, is when I grew horns, a tail, and some pretty big claws.

I said: so you mean to tell me that you witnessed Kid X hit my son, his teammate, for no good reason, and it wasn't an accident but appeared to be an INTENTIONAL hit in the BACK OF HIS HEAD SO HARD IT KNOCKED HIM OFF OF HIS FEET and you DID NOTHING?

Coach L: yes

me: you OWE it to the children of this school, as a coach, hell, as an ADULT to report when one child abuses another child and you witness it and can tell it is abuse or bullying.

Coach L: ummm...

At this point the other poor guy standing there, Coach S, has stepped back several feet and is looking at me like fire might start shooting from my fingertips.

I was very very very mad...

me: so you didn't tell anyone that this kid, who has been known to abuse his teammates, once again hit one of his "friends" out on the field?

Coach L: ummm...

I walked away in disgust...

My son finished practice and found me an informed me that Kid X not only hit him really hard in the back of the head (thank goodness for helmets)but he (Kid X) walked into the locker room bragging about how he "owned" my son...and was proud of it.

When we got home my husband informed my son that the next time this kid hit him (he did it a few times in football practice), he was to BREAK HIS STICK OVER HIS F'ing HEAD

And then he fired off an email to the headmaster, principal, dean of student, athletic director, and all of the LAX coaches.

My friend, Precious and Adorable History Teacher (and LAX coach...but not my son's team) informed me the next day that he could hear the screaming in the email. Sadly he had gone home sick that day or some very serious discipline would have happened as he took great care to watch over the 6th grade boys (since they were his students) as well as his own team. He gets it...he is an adult and shepherd of these kids...he takes it seriously...that is why he is precious and adorable...

So Coach L gets called on the carpet for not reporting...and I know that he isn't exactly happy with me for making a stink about it...

Coach L is the assistant coach for my son's football team this year...

We are getting along fine but I think he wishes he had a restraining order against me.

Precious and Adorable History Teacher emailed me the other day and asked why he hadn't heard from me as we were 5 days into football season and he had expected to get all the scoop from me. He will be coaching 6th grade football. He was afraid that I had killed a coach and was on the lam since he hadn't heard from me...he knows me pretty well...

I told him I wasn't on the lam but the jury was still out on whether or not the coaches got through the season unmaimed by the witch known as me...

I finally met the head coach the other day after the scrimmage. He also looked at me like I had horns and a tail and very long sharp claws...I think Coach L told him that I am the SCARY mom...the one who eats coaches for lunch...to keep his distance...because Coach L still looks at me like at any moment I might turn into a dragon...or vampire...

My friend, Sistah, came and watched and made sure I behaved...she was proud of me...

But I must say I like having them a little afraid of me...

But really, was I wrong? I mean, if you are an adult and you see a kid abuse another kid, shouldn't you tell the person in charge of those children that they missed seeing something WRONG?

This is part of my trouble with some of these sports and some of these coaches...it is not that they all need to "take it like a man". I get it...it is a contact sport. But you shouldn't allow a child to abuse his teammates just because he wants to be a hot-head...

Thank you for letting me vent...

Now here is my game...or game plan...

I'm going to ignore the scale for a bit...and quit letting it rule my life. I will still weigh myself for my "lose it" application on my i-Phone. I need it to keep track of things with that, but I'm not going to let it spoil my day---especially when I START my day on the scale. I'm letting numbers get to me and I shouldn't.

I know I am doing what I should do. I am keeping track of my calories (really friends...that "lose it" app is a good one if you are dieting) and I am excersing (hard) every day. I burn through a minimum of 700 calories every day at the gym...more most days. I'm doing my strength training and lifting weights. I eat "clean". I'm working my program. I don't have "cheat days" on my food and I only skip a day at the gym about once every 2 weeks...and even then it is because I am active in some other way.

But what is making me happy and feel better is HOW MUCH BETTER I FEEL now that I have some weight off.

And I love the support and compliments I have been getting, especially from my friends who haven't seen me over the summer.

I am down 60 pounds...

That's a lot in 5 1/2 months!

And I can fit into clothes that I haven't worn since Ke$ha Barbie was in the 5th or 6the grade...she is a Junior in high school this year....

My son has his game...football...I will watch and love and support him...and I will try not to have the coaches want to get a restraining order against me and I won't tear into them with my claws...maybe...

I have my game...lose weight, get fit, improve my cholesterol levels, lower my blood pressure, help my heart. I will do it with spin classes, the elliptical machine, the Cybex Arc Trainer (I have learned to love that machine!) and with weights. I might even learn to like the dreaded Bosu ball.

And I will be a healthy woman...

That's the name of the game...

Inspiration music: "The Name of the Game" by ABBA...or the Mama Mia Soundtrack version...I have both on my iPod...