What Saturdays in October Mean

GO JENKS MAROON!!!

Shameless Rivalry

Jenks vs. Union is one of the most fierce rivalries around these parts. And that includes third grade football. Today, Jenks Maroon went head to head with Union Black.

Luke is playing up (he is in 2nd grade) and landed on an awesome team!
JENKS MAROON ROCKS!

Luke carrying the ball! Go Luke James!

VICTORY!!! Shut out!!! I won't lie, it feels fantastic to beat Union!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

For obvious reasons, we have always kind of been a basketball family. In fact, instead of listening to classical music in the womb, my children heard the steady squeak of basketball shoes on the court and the thump of adrenaline raising songs played at timeouts. That's just the way it's always been.

Imagine my surprise at the way that football has snuck up and intercepted our hearts! I just wasn't expecting it. In the least.

At Jenks, kids start playing TACKLE football at the tender age of six. I know, it sounds crazy. And it is crazy. You can see our first experience with it here. I wasn't so sure at that I wasn't the worst mother in the world for allowing my precious son to be involved with such a thing.

But I'll tell you, he has loved it. LOVED it. His favorite thing about playing tackle football? You guessed it... the hitting. There's something about a boy that needs that physicality. To smack other kids down and be smacked down.

Tom has enjoyed the heck out of football too. He has seemed to relish each game as though it's the SuperBowl.

And another strange thing has happened! Ellie has gotten into it. She actually (I can't believe I'm typing this), willingly and excitedly puts on pads to help Luke practice. She runs the ball so he can practice tackling her and then she goes after him real hard when he runs it. It's been a really strange phenomenon.

Now that Kami's cheering for Jenks Black (for the first time EVER, cheering that is), football has exploded into our lives even more. Would it be weird to say we're becoming a football family?

So the fact that the kids played football for about an hour in grandma's back yard when we went over this weekend really wasn't that surprising. A kid next door jumped the fence, they squared off, boys against girls, I made the calls and off they went, making football history right there in granny's yard.

TOUCHDOWN!!!!

Where Boys Become Men....

...at Jenks Mighty Mite Football Combine, 2010.
150 boys ages 6,7, and 8, 10 different drills, 2 nights of workouts, two dozen coaches with clipboards, wondering.... who is the best fit for my team?

Helmets, Pads, Mouthpieces, Whistles blowing, Coaches Yelling, Encouraging, "Daylight's Burning!" Throwing, Catching, Tackling, Taking the Hit. Down, Set, Hut!

Reveling in pure testosterone!

1 football draft....

which team will Luke be on? Black, Silver, Nickel, Gold, Titanium? No, BRONZE!!!