Earn It!

I don't think Tanner realizes how much I love watching him play football. His decision to play is one of the sweetest gifts I will cherish his last year of high school. Tanner's football team participated in an annual event called 7 on 7. The team played on Wednesday nights for the past 6 weeks. It's an annual event for the University of Utah to host an ALL DAY 7 on 7 tournament. Teams from different states and all over Utah attend. LOADS of football players, parents and yellow school buses gather to play elimination rounds. Not knowing much of the team except for their past record, I figured the day would be cut short and they would play a few games.

My friend, who played in this event over a decade ago, told me I should not miss it. So we got Jordan off to the rink then Jason and I dug out our lawn chairs, purchased our slurpees and found our spot. It was like the good old days except I wasn't in charge of anything! We even ran into Tanner's football coach when he was 9 years old and an old high school friend! The day began with 4 games (30 minutes long). Once I understood the basic rules, it was fun to watch. East won all four games and placed them in the first seed for the next round. It was a GORGEOUS day! Finally, the first warm weekend! I don't understand why Tanner must always be different. All the players wear their shorts in a normal fashion. Tanner, who looked like Urkel, had his shorts rolled up!

again...the shorts! I love the words on the back "EARN IT". East has new coaches and it was my first time watching them interact with the players. I was impressed! The coach has a great coaching voice and often you hear him say, "Now son, you need to....." or "You can do this son!" I was touched when I heard him refer to the players as son. I thought of these boys needing to feel like they belong and matter. Now, if he can just get Tanner to not roll the shorts. Tanner played great, scoring touchdowns and interceptions along with great blocks! After the first round, they played in the semi finals and won both games and then it was the championship game! The last few games were very close, often winning by one point or capturing the game at the last play.
The final game was the best. Both teams exhausted and undefeated. We were behind most of the game but pulled through with an interception and final touchdown. Eight hours later and cute sunburned faces the boys won the championship game! The coach gathered his "sons" together and gave a great talk about believing in themselves. He spoke of the old East and how that is in the past. He reminded them of the grades and told them the importance of family and to hug and kiss your parents. It's going to be a great experience!