End of My Journey Could Be Your Beginning

I remember a great line from a friend who served with me years ago on the board of the Farmington Valley MudHogs. Whenever asked how he came to be involved with the league he'd always answer, "I made the mistake of making eye contact with a board member."

It's on my mind because on Sunday I attended my final MudHogs Pig-out Clinic (the unofficial beginning to the new season) as a board member. I've had three sons involved with MudHogs Football since the league was formed 15 years ago.

But this is not about the MudHogs as much as it is about walking through a series of events for the final time. It's about leaving behind something that you've nurtured from its first birthday and helped to lead towards adulthood and wondering how much of it will carry on as someone else’s labor of love. And it’s about the opportunities for each and every one of us to make important contributions to the programs that our children participate in.

As with the other volunteers that I've worked with over the years, the time comes when your last child moves up to the next level… and you are pulled along as well.

So this is My Season for the Last of Everything.

When you've put so much of yourself into any project, the ending — although sometimes a great relief — can also send your emotion-meter into a tizzy.

I've poured a lot of myself into this project. Think of a scaled-down version of your favorite team and YOU get to play dress-up with it. Yup. That's been my good fortune over much of the past 15 years.

I got to name the team. I got to fool around with the logo and tweak it when I felt it needed tweaking. I got to write a weekly newsletter for 14 seasons and be silly, edgy, controversial, and emotional. I got to sit at league meetings and make suggestions such as starting a flag football league. I got to play corny hog and pig songs during games. I was trusted with designing t-shirts and jackets and hats and magnets and called it HogGear. I also created something we call the Distant Replay Award.

I got to do all of that!

I helped to create bylaws, rules, regulations, guidelines for parents and coaches, and a coach’s manual.

I sat at the kitchen table in the house of a board member during a Rules and Regulations Committee meeting... and pouted and threatened to resign if they did not vote to increase the minimum amount of plays that a coach had to play a child each game (at least that’s the story they like to tell now).

They allowed me (the kid that grew up with a stutter, a lisp, and stage fright) to be the emcee at the past nine banquets. I got to listen to parents with concerns and then arrange for them to meet with the coach and act as a mediator if needed.

I got to do all of that!

I can sense a level of jealousy out there amongst my dear readers (Or is it pity?). But I present to you this list of accomplishments because there is not a youth organization out there that is not in need of volunteers. If you don’t feel like diving in over your head, there are usually openings for team parents, concession stand workers, field setup and cleanup, equipment handlers, and just about anything else to fit your talents and schedule. You can make positive changes!

Contact the president of your league or take a look at their website for info on how to get involved. Don’t overlook the idea of having your high school student participate in lending a hand or sharing his or her talents as well. It looks great on a college application and most league heads will write letters of recommendation for those that contribute their time.

I got to lend a hand in the construction of a great local youth sports league. And now the scoreboard clock has been set and sometime in the middle of November it will hit 00.00 for the final time.   

This is My Season for the Last of Everything. Maybe it can be your Season of Firsts.