Hello! If you are reading this right now – Welcome! This is my first post on my shiny, brand new author website, and I feel like my first writing should be about friendship. I love this photo, and posted it to my instagram page, authorricktyson with the caption, “This is What Sport is.”
What comes to mind when you look at this picture? The players are walking towards the parking lot, not the field. So the game is over – on to other things on that beautiful looking Saturday afternoon. Did they win, and are walking away arm and arm feeling that victorious energy? Or was it a loss, and they are carrying each other home? One thing is obvious – the friendship is real. Whatever happened on the field that morning, the outcome of a friendly embrace as evidenced in this picture is the biggest win of all.
In A Bit About Vivian, there is reference to the phrase, “soccer sisters” as coined by Lucy’s older sister, Lexi (something of a soccer star), and adopted by Vivian in reference to her teammates & friends. Now, this is where you might think that I, the author, and one who played a lot of sports growing up, preaches on the merits of sportsmanship, teamwork, lessons learned in winning and losing, etc. Okay, sports do teach us all these things. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today!
(One of my favorite sports movies ever, is “Miracle” about the 1984 US Olympic Hockey Team. Definitely rent (wait, I just said “rent.” oh boy…..) I mean, stream or download, or whatever is the right way to say how to watch a movie these days to get your fix for all of these apt concepts about Team – it’s awesome).
Instead, I see this picture through the lens of a dad and a soccer coach. Want to know the number one thing coaches hope for when we begin teaching younger kids about sport? (Actually, it’s two things).
1. Have fun, so you…
2. Come back next season
There are many other teaching moments along the way, but whatever the age, if we parents and coaches keep these two things in mind, kids will have fun, friendships will be formed, and they will be back next year.
Friendship is a key theme that I celebrate in A Bit About Vivian. In the pandemic era, socialization among friends was not easy, or at some points not even possible. Time with friends was reduced to our kids mostly seeing each other on screens for quite a while there. So kids had to cope with feelings of loss of emotional connection that is so important to their happiness and development. It was hard on them to live through, and hard on us to watch it happen.
In Vivian, we meet The GirlZ at the dawn of society’s reopening. Ice cream runs, outdoor soccer, and outdoor play dates are happening again with masks on and distance rules in effect. We get the feeling that it’s not over yet, but sense something of a great re-connection, so to say, after a year that was basically muddling through life in shutdown.
Soccer emerges as a viable outdoor option with these cautionary rules in place. In any other time, Fifth graders might understandably not love the safety protocols (try a full sprint with a mask on and check your pulse. Then try it for two 30-45 minutes halves). But Vivian doesn’t care. Like many of our kids, she just wants to get back out there – protocols and all – to be with her soccer sisters and run around like a kid!
It was really fun for me to write about some high energy moments on the soccer field that celebrate girl power, athleticism and friendship. Towards the end of the book, Vivian shares a moment with her teammates that reflects a feeling of we made it. We are out here doing this. Together. Phew.
Oh, and selfishly, I really, really crave the sideline escape associated with watching my kids play sports, hearing laughter, seeing high fives and hugs. Whether a coach or a parent, one can be transported away from the pressures of the week by just cheering and rooting on our kids in whatever they do. I’m no doctor, but I’m sure there is some sort of healthy brain wave activity activated when cheering. Now that we are able to experience these precious moments again, I find myself immensely thankful that we are here.
So, take another look a that picture. What do you see? Does it make you smile? Do you recall having friends like these kids do? Do you still? I think we can agree that whatever the image evokes, we can all be thankful that we are seeing it again. Vivian would certainly agree!
