Musings of a Mother - Sports

5:20 am : A Cold Sunday Morning. 

No alarm, yet the mind's alarm wakes me up on the dot, without fail every Sunday.

I look at the boys, fast asleep. 

Mommy in me feels like letting them sleep for a few minutes more.

I go to them and whisper, hey do you want to sleep in today or go for your football/cricket classes? The answer with sleepy eyes is YES AMMA,we will go to the ground..

The tone for the day is set with the enthusiasm the children have.

6:00 am The boys are ready in their uniforms, spic white for cricket and red for football. We still have 15 minutes so we decide to cycle to the ground for their sports practice.

It is cold and nice, I enjoy the speckle of sunlight and the morning dew. Traffic is sparse with just the few newspaper boys and milkmen all cloaked up.

To me chaperoning the boys for their respective classes is no chore. It is JOY. Unmatched and unparalleled. 

6:15 am The venue is a burst of energy. Effervescent, ebullient, bubbly,exuberant and every adjective that can describe the numerous activities and the upbeat energy.

While waiting for the football coach to arrive, I usually jog around the periphery and love the fact that is not crowded. Two rounds later, I see many children, adults, men, women milling in to start their games. 

Manifold of games - Cricket, football, karate, basketball,badminton,throw-ball and the groups of people in their improvised attires that have gathered to play a game of cricket.

A Women's Throw-ball team that has a sprightly old gentleman playing with them catches my attention. I am mesmerized. I am touched to see a teenager, few home keepers dressed in a saree or a salwar kameez, several college students , some in tracks, some in shorts.

They play with grace and elan. Not a trace of hesitation in them.I notice a lady who must easily be in her 50's clad in a saree. She is engrossed in her game and they recently won a match against another locality. I am surging with pride to see them play with gusto.

7:00 am I want to remain seated for a few minutes before I rush back to my weekend chores. 

I soak in the sounds and the energy from the ground and the people.

The cry of "Ball"..Aunty -  Ball ball Ball shakes me up and I retreat back to reality, and acknowledge my admiration for 

The coaches who may or may not be in other full time jobs, but are here to mentor the children.

The children of all ages who gather at the specified time, come rain,shine or dew.

The adults who use the venue for rekindling the child in them.

The parents who encourage their children to pursue such sports and hobbies.

I look at myriad emotions that play out here in the brief time that I spend here.

The joy of scoring runs, goals, of leading the team to victory, the elation at being the man of the match, of having played well, of celebrating a win with your team. The bond with the fellow members in strategising as team, the heady high when they shine and play their best game.

Discipline, persistence, will power, the urge to play and win, the disappointment of losing, knowing that they have no choice but to go when the umpire declares you as "OUT". Giving another a chance to play, bonding with your team"BRO" seems to be the word for addressing team members.

Dejection at not being selected, angry at yourself that you let the team down. Changing the plan or strategy, following instructions, accommodating the others who use the venue to play their game, indeed shouting and letting your guard down,playing in a team, accepting defeat for reasons other than just yourself.

I see a Lions share of learning coming from :

These children are learning to lose, learning to let go of victory. They know how crushing defeat can feel, they know what it means to be disappointed.

I see them learn that you cannot always be perfect and that you never will be. I see them understand that they can look at everyday as a new opportunity.
Knowing that he/she played their best, yet could not achieve victory for their team.

Our world today is permeated with luxuries and we tend to "over protect" our loved ones from being exposed to "hurt" whether physical or emotional.

I see that these children in sports, pick up the spirit of "being hurt" in all the senses and see them build in them the resilience to deal with it and yet get on with hope.

These are just few benefits that I can think of,  of course the one that makes most impact is how much healthier it makes a person, to just be in sports.