Family Bond

I’ve always thought about how much sports has had an impact on my family, but I didn’t realize just how much sports brings us together until this weekend. My sister has played softball for basically her entire life up through college. My mom, dad, grandma, and I even traveled to London, England to watch her play in a tournament there. She graduated college last year and has now gone on to helping coach a softball team in the Lima area. Her team was playing in my hometown last weekend so my mom and I went to watch. My sister wasn’t even playing and the only thing we got to see of her was when she went to coach first base, but my mom, my grandpa, my grandma, and I went to watch anyway.

That’s always how it was with my family. If it was a sporting event, my family was there. I have been a cheerleader for 13 years, and my parents never missed a football or basketball game until college. Even still, they come to all of the games they can, along with my grandma and grandpa. I was a competitve cheerleader for 5 years, and along with the normal expenses that competitve cheerleading involved, from the uniforms, shoes, tumbling lessons, and practice 3-4 times a week, my parents were also at every competition no matter how far away it was. We would sometimes leave my house at 5:00 a.m. just to make it to Cincinnati, Dayton, or Cleveland on time. I can’t even count the number of times my parents had to drive me to tumbling classes and cheerleading practices, not to mention driving to the football and basketball games, competitions, and now driving almost an hour and a half to watch me cheer now. I don’t know if I would have continued to do what I love without the support of my parents, and here I am, 13 years later coaching gymnastics at the YMCA and still cheering with hopes of opening my own gym someday. If I do, I know my parents, grandparents, and sister will be right there supporting me.