Sunday 10 March 2013

When too much sport is totally enough.

Once upon a time when the kids were younger, we dreamed of the day when they would be old enough to join a sporting team.  For Sarah I nurtured vague dreams of netball (although my own experiences as a child were less than fond), and of course, Josh was destined for the rugby field from the second his father saw his defining feature at birth.

Luckily for Mike Josh loves rugby with all the passion the only son of a rugby tragic, himself the only son of another equal tragic, can.

Yep, it's just luck.

Josh started rugby when he was 4.  In his last year of preschool.  He did under 6s twice.  We were so excited to be beginning the Saturday sport slog, we didn't even wait for him to be the right age.

What utter idiocy.

Sarah's tried soccer (a lot of eager running, no ball connection whatsoever), then netball (gorgeous team, she loved it even if she isn't quite a natural).  And so for two years we've done an entire season with two kids doing sport in different places at roughly the same time, and one car.

This year it ramps up.  Issy has joined a soccer team.  She is an under 6 Unicorn.  She has cute boots.

The shoes.  Pink yes? 
Three kids, three sports, three times, locations and one car.  It's going to be an interesting winter.

So yesterday, as a tester for the season ahead we had a day of sport.  The beginning of netball season means lots of grading and development days as the teams are sorted and settled.  The end of tee ball season meant the annual presentation day and end of team get together.

Because we are bonkers, both older kids are doing 'interim' sports for a few weeks.  Josh is in a tennis comp with a short 6 week season, and Sarah is absolutely LOVING an 8 week sailing course with one of her besties.

So yesterday.  We woke up, Sarah at a sleepover at a friends, we had the friends little brother with us for the night.  First we had to swap kids back.  A bit of a chat and we were already running late.

I picked up Sarah's sailing mate and dropped both at sailing

Then we drove to a local park for the Under 6 Unicorns get together/meet and greet.  We came away with a coach, a manager, a training time and location (nearly).  It was a very efficient hour.   I am neither the coach or manager, but a very enthusiastic car pooler for training.

Josh's tennis game was next, the first in three weeks that hadn't been rained out.  We were there on time, and he played his guts out, enjoying a singles win and a doubles draw.  We also enjoyed 2 hours in the hot sun without hats or enough sunscreen, which just shows what parenting tennis amateurs we are.

Issy wangled herself a playdate in a house adjoining the tennis courts and when I went to collect her, was dressed in a leopard print frock with full gothic eye makeup.  She was quite a scary sight and when she refused to come with me, I left her for another hour, because she was so terrifying.

From tennis Josh was ferried straight to a mates for a pre arranged playdate.  Sarah had been returned to us from sailing and had to be readied for her netball development afternoon.  Luckily a friend had offered to drive her.  I rushed her home, dressed, shoed, haired, fingernailed, snacked and of course sunscreened.

Keen as mustard.

Issy was finally retrieved from her friends house and I removed her eye makeup in time for her to receive her next guest, a great friend and little sister of another netball player.  They had maybe half an hour of peaceful play in the house before we were off to the teeball end of season bash.  We collected Josh and set off to our destination, which happened to be part of the same playing fields Sarah was developing her netball skills in.

See you later tee ball, you were fun.
After a very pleasant catch up with our lovely tee ball players and their families including gifts for the tremendous coaches and manager, we settled in for the teeball AGM, at the end of which there would be a trophy for each boy.   Excited by the thought of trophies the boys sat, and were bored to tears for an hour.  I was so bored I left and walked to the netball, where lots of red faced girls ran valiantly around the courts.

Finally, the end.  We retrieved our children, returned our little guest to her parents and headed home.

Totally sported out.  Sailing, soccer, tennis, netball and tee ball.  All in one day.

Anyone else got any mad overcommitment stories to tell?  I'm sure you do.