You know the old saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone”? That is how many members of Team SJC feel right now about a world without sports.
While we completely understand that sports and nearly all public events have been canceled for good reason while we try to “flatten the curve” of this outbreak, it sure doesn’t make it any easier with no sports to distract us at a time like this. Our team shared their feelings on sports and the impact it’s had on their lives, and now what it means to be without it.
Lisa Smith, Content Manager
Sports have provided many teachable life lesson moments for my kids. Discipline, teamwork, sticking together through adversity and encouraging one another are just a few of these. They have provided fun memories for our family, and for our kids with their friends and they will be missed during this season. And we always watch hours of the Olympics together. I am really going to miss that this year!
Yet also I know that as important as sports have been in our lives they aren’t the most important and during this uncharted time we are in we’re focusing on the most important things…faith, family and friends. And while we will be missing our kids’ seasons for sure, we are still playing as a family!
Ronny Jo Hennis, Client & Communications Specialist
I follow the Royals and the Chiefs, but as far as any other pro teams, I really don’t. I’m also a huge NASCAR fan and have been from a young age because my parents used to own a racecar. My husband and I really enjoy watching baseball and football games together as well as the races. It has definitely left a lull in our weekends! But, even more important than those three things, we are missing watching our youngest daughter play this spring.
I grew up playing softball, slow and fastpitch. I started when I was about five years old and played every year until the summer of 2003 (when I was six months pregnant!) and from there just filled in on teams as needed. Lucky for me, the love of softball has been passed down to our youngest. Although she is only a sophomore this school year, she is missing an entire season of her high school sports career, and we as her parents are definitely missing out on the memories made at the ballpark.
Randi White, Account Coordinator
Sports have always been a family thing for us, whether it be playing them or watching them. I love that they give us a family activity, both rain or shine. And the older I get, the more I appreciate how active my family has always been and that even my grandparents will get out and play volleyball, badminton, football, soccer, etc. with us. It’s given me a love for being active and helped me enjoy staying in shape.
Both my mom and dad were really good at introducing us to every sport they could when we were growing up, so we would know how to jump in and play anything going on at a picnic. And they would always join us until we got comfortable and understood the rules/techniques. I’ve always admired the fact that they aren’t afraid to walk up to the best players on the court/field and ask them for tips so they and we could learn. It reminds me that being humble often helps you have more fun and learn a lot more.
I grew up showing and riding horses, and we did that as a family, too. Those are still some of my favorite memories, biggest highs and lows, and stretched me more as a person than anything else, teaching me perseverance, humility, patience, forgiveness, and more.
I love that they unite us, even when there are rivalries. We’re still all sitting down together, watching the same game. I might not know anything else to discuss with a stranger, but if they like a sport, we can have a conversation. Even if all we do is rib each other about our opposing teams, the stranger is now like a friend. I love that I can meet people in the Dublin airport just by wearing a Husker shirt. They see it and say, “Go Big Red! What part of Nebraska are you from?”
This is usually the “down” season for us, since none of us are big basketball fans, so it feels the same as usual. But the Derby has already been moved (a huge family favorite). And since COVID-19 is disrupting the Olympics, I’m BUMMED. I binge watch it every Olympics year.
Dylan Cutitta, Client Project Coordinator
I started playing sports when I was seven. I tried playing soccer and baseball for a couple of years, but it just didn’t pique my interest back then. Basketball was what really got me into sports when I was 11 and KU won the NCAA basketball championship. I still remember celebrating with my family, and it was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life.
From then on, I was obsessed with basketball. Of course, I loved my Chiefs and Royals too, but basketball had my heart because I loved playing the game so much. I would come home from school almost every day and play in the driveway for hours. My dad would come out and play with me too, and he would help me work on my fundamentals since basketball was always his sport too. I would sometimes go out and play when it was below freezing, sometimes just to satisfy that “itch” to get on the court… not usually for longer than about 15 minutes on those days though…
As a die-hard basketball fan, March is my favorite time of the year. Spring happens to be my favorite season, and March Madness is the perfect occasion for basketball fans. Hours and hours of upsets, buzzer-beaters, and hope that my Jayhawks can make it all the way. It is always a fun bonding experience for my dad and I to sit down and watch our brackets crumble as games to an end. My best friend Grant and I always make sure to watch some games together each year, too as part of a little tradition we’ve had since we were freshmen in high school. Unfortunately, none of us got to see how the season ends this year since the outbreak of the coronavirus halted most everything. While I’m sad I don’t get to keep some of my favorite sports traditions this Spring, I know it is in our best interest as a nation and as a community to do what we can to keep this virus from spreading further. I guess old highlights on YouTube will have to do for the time being!
Jordan Shadwick, Account Manager
Being raised in Nebraska, football is a big deal. I remember from a very young age getting to know the game, the players and the option offense. It was always the thing we did as a family. We watched the games and yelled at the TV because clearly we were the experts who knew better. When Nebraska would lose, Grandpa and Dad would sometimes fly the Nebraska flag half-mast. Football is more than just a sport to me. It is passion, pride and a special bond with my family, fans and the state of Nebraska.
Are you missing some of your favorite sports this season too? Let us know on our Facebook page some of your favorite sports memories, we would love to hear them!!