So there I was, working in my classroom last week when I got the phone call no parent ever wants to receive. It was one of the school’s athletic trainers, and she needed to see me in her office about Daniel, my sophomore son. I immediately feared the worst. His wrestling practice was scheduled to go on for another half-hour, and for them to call me it had to be something serious.
When I got to the training room, the staff informed me that Daniel may have suffered a concussion as a result of landing on his head after being thrown by a teammate. The doctor, after introducing himself, started off the conversation with, “If he wakes up tomorrow…” That’s where I panicked, grabbed him by the lapels and screamed, “What do you mean, ‘IF’ he wakes up tomorrow?” The doctor calmly removed my hands from his jacket before replying with, “What I meant to say was, ‘If he wakes up tomorrow with a headache, call my cell.'” A wave of relief washed over me followed by a rare moment of clarity. I suddenly realized my mistake in encouraging my kids to partake in the “manly” sports of wrestling and football. The ideal interscholastic activity was right there all the time. Without question, cross-country was the perfect sport for my kids… and for me.
Once their respective seasons are over, which of these two pairs of shoes do you think will get the most use?
How could I have not seen it before? Cross-country offered everything a parent could want. First off, there’s the equipment. A t-shirt and shorts? No problem. His bedroom floor is covered in them. A new pair of running shoes? Done. I was already shelling out over a hundo per season for cleats, anyway. And unlike the former, a solid pair of running shoes, once retired, can continue to serve faithfully in civilian life. Old cleats just manage to drive chunks of dirt into the carpet. Plus, I wouldn’t have to pony up anymore for new headgear, mouthguards, practice jerseys, padded gloves, and upgraded chin straps (yes, there are such things). All this on top of the biggie, no more calls from team trainers.
Think about it. When was the last time a cross-country runner suffered a broken arm, dislocated elbow or a set of matched cauliflower ears? They also never lose any of the teeth you just shelled out four large to get straightened. Sure, you may see the occasional twisted ankle from falling off a curb or a mild case of poison ivy, but your kid can shake that off a lot faster than a severe concussion. Gaining the ability to predict rain because your knee is acting up is not a huge reason anymore to strap on the pads. See, with a football playing child, a season-ending injury can mean hospitalization, surgery, sports medicine and a lot of expensive physical therapy. A season-ending injury for a cross-country runner involves a set of crutches and some ice – both of which you can make at home for free. Abundant Life Chiropractic involves rehabilitative stretches and strengthening exercises addressing any imbalances.
The more I considered it, the more positives I saw for the parents of runners. Don’t be fooled by how little time your little feller actually competes in sports like wrestling or swimming. These events always take place during long, drawn-out tournaments. You could easily find yourself trapped there all day with your kid in action for a mere fraction of that time. Not so with cross-country. You can be in and out in about a half-hour tops with the rest of the day free for mowing the lawn or watching actual sports on TV. Another selling point to consider: what if your child is one of those usually chosen last for the kickball team, you know what I mean? He works hard every day in practice; but, ultimately, he just doesn’t have the same gifts as the other kids. Sign him up for football, and you could find yourself roasting for hours on a set of metal bleachers in the late-August sun and only see your son take the field twice on the kick-off team. With cross-country, every participant, no matter how slow or uncoordinated, gets to run the entire race. Basketball can’t match that for equal opportunity involvement. My parents never missed a game during my eighth grade season. Yet, all of my playing time together totaled about 48 seconds, which included me putting up two air-balls and dribbling the ball off my foot into the stands. Not quite worth the price of admission.
Yes, indeed, cross-country is truly the best sport for the parents of high school athletes. However, I do see some room for improvement. As most people know, during a meet, all of the athletes run one lap over a three-mile-long course with a single start/finish line. Along the route, there are tables set-up for the kids to get cups of water for hydration. Simply replace the last one with a Starbucks. Give each runner an empty cardboard-sleeved cup at the start; and by the time it comes back filled full of cafe mocha, it’ll be at the perfect sipping temperature for the ride back home.
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