On The Heart Beat
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Parents & Passions
Thirteen presidents ago a baseball passion burned so hot in my heart I woke up trembling with nerves the day of Little League tryouts.
The Braves were in Boston, my hero Ted Williams was flying fighter jets in Korea and Ozzie and Harriett were sleeping in twin beds.
Sports as a glue helped perfect strangers become best friends. They still do.
Seven presidents ago the near triplets bearing my surname epitomized baseballs holy grail - strength up the middle: Pat catching, Matt pitching and Doug snagging any outfield fly.
All of which is a circuitous empathetic route to COVID induced sports thoughts I can’t erase:
- How do parents today fuel their kids’ sports passions and keep them safe?
- How do Rugby scrums occur safely?
- How do good high school linemen get college scholarship offers when 7 on 7 no contact football is mandatory?
- How do prideful and at risk grandparents dare to attend their darlings’ social distanced games.
- Can’t stop thinking about huffing and puffing wrestlers Sumo and otherwise and, cute little white belt Taekwondo beginners
And, not to be a total sports snob, the questions also beg in the arts.
- How do choirs practice safely?
- And garage bands?
- Dance ensembles?
The heart of the matter beats around the premise that nearly every long-in-the-tooth athlete tells of the social, character and life lessons learned in youthful play which mapped adult successes.
As this COVID shy penslinger hunkers in, sports and a passion for them has gratefully led to a vocation telling, showing, teaching, and hopefully igniting passions in others to play.
Today, in supporting SportsEdTV by providing content guidance, it occurs to me that we may have developed the actual platform to bridge the passion deficit disorders that COVID has inflicted on sports loving families.
Our great fundamental video instructions FREELY available and produced by renowned and knowledgeable coaches in our sports can engage and improve skills, adding personal best incentives as potential competition by separated teammates.
Providing a safe place to play and hence learn, is a sports parent’s primary responsibility.
Take it to heart.
