Support Squad
I talk a lot about J’s XC team and the amazing boys and coaches he gets to hang out with every day. I haven’t really talked about the parents and families of the kids who run XC. They’re pretty amazing too.
This Saturday was EDC–where all class A schools in Eastern North Dakota run against each other. It’s a pretty big race, with lots of kids and schools (11 schools I think?). It’s also one of the biggest races for the kids hoping to go to State.
The parents of both the boys and girls teams worked really hard behind the scenes to make this meet really special for the kids. Parents set up sign up sheets for treats to fill treat bags and arrived at the school early Saturday morning to decorate the bus and surprise the kids.
Saturday also ended up being the coldest meet of the season. It had snowed in Fargo and Grand Forks just days before the race and there still was patches of snow in places, but that didn’t matter because parents still made the hour trip up to support their kids. There were even a few kids from J’s grade (grade 10) who made signs and treats and drove up to cheer on their 10th grade friends. One parent even provided multiple thermoses of hot cider and chicken broth for boys, girls, and parents after the race. Even though the girls and boys teams run mostly independently, there’s a lot of love shared between the parents of both teams. Many of us have sons and daughters who are on both teams (there’s a lot of siblings on the teams) and everyone knows how hard these kids work every day and want to do what they can to support them.
It’s like one really big family and it’s really awesome.
Steve’s mom Sandy flew out to watch J and W run this weekend. J ran another awesome race–just 9 seconds off of his amazing PR in Willmar a few weeks ago (which means that maybe that Willmar race wasn’t some fluke race fueled by a lot of anxious energy–J might be able to run at that pace consistently) and it was really exciting that Sandy got to see the big improvements in J’s running since last year.
Not only did Sandy get to see what an amazing team J and W get to be a part of but the stellar kids they get to run with and the parents who work so hard to support their kids. All of those things make it such a special and amazing experience for both my kids. Throughout the meet, Steve’s mom kept saying, “you guys live in a really great community.”
And we absolutely do. We are really lucky we’ve got so many kids and parents who are not only supportive of J but to each other.
XC does so much for J in so many ways. It’s helped him push himself physically and mentally. It also gives him a chance to be a part of a really supportive community outside of school. And we’re really, really grateful for that.
So thanks to all the XC parents out there that work so hard to raise good kids and are so positive and supportive of every single kid on the team. You’re a really important part of our village. And we think you’re pretty awesome.
