I will miss it.
It is like any sport my kids took part in. I loved going to the event. My son's cross country and track meets and my daughter's cheering. It is rewarding as a parent to see a child take an interest in a sport. Cheering at my son's events and participating in my daughter's cheers was just a lot of fun. We cheered for our son and his teammates. Of course we all took pride when a team member won.
When I did occasionally cheer for my daughter's cheer squad, she would remind me no one cheers for the cheer team. Watching them as part of a team was also rewarding.
Early morning or late nights, it did not matter. The entire experience was a real treat. The food was okay. Gatorade was always on sale. The prices quite reasonable. However, the hot chocolate and coffee were, well let me just say, I could use more flavor. And this applied to all venues I ever attended.
One fond memory of my son's track meets were the way fellow athletes would cheer when he ran. The female members were especially vocal, one used to really call out the boys. She would yell comments like speed it up, a Marshall high school runner is coming up fast and you cannot let him ahead of you. You have to love those female runners. What great spirit.
The other part of this is my fellow parents who also took an interest in these activities. You form a unique bond. You cheer for their kids and they cheer for yours. When you see these parents at other places, you immediately feel a connection and always start with a comment or question about their child.
For parents that choose not to be involved in their kids activities, I think they miss a very special part of their life.
A final note. Frankly when I was selecting a photo to include, I was shocked at how many pics I took. It is in the hundreds.
This is James at the state competition. He is running in the 4x400 relay.
Peggy on her cheer box.
On a positive side, high school basketball season will soon start. However, as a West Texan, it is not football.
