As the Season Closes
There is finally a chill in the air in the South. This signals the change of seasons to fall for most people, to a coaches wife it means so much more.
There is a slowing to the adrenaline, the days get dark at five, the weather is cooler, players are injured, coaches are tired, fans are beginning to move on with holiday festivities, this is how November feels. Coaching families are more than ready for a slower pace and a chance to be festive and observe some holiday cheer.
The sudden shift in schedule makes for an unusual change of pace. The coach hits the road and is gone for days at a time, but he calls more often. The kids have programs, productions, performances, parties and it is the standard question as the coach’s wife fills out a form, “do I pay for one parent or two?”
Why do we do it? How do you do it? These are the kinds of questions we hear as the season closes. You are over the hype when the last game rolls around. People see the strain on your face and in your circumstances, as you are hanging on for closure. Win or lose, you are just relieved more than emotionally high or low. There is a glimpse of a peaceful, ‘normal family’ kind of weekend and then the coach is gone recruiting. With only family schedules to dictate our monthly plans now, the wife is almost at peace. The negative musings of those in the stands are silenced, the high expectations are quelled, the revolving door of guests, visitors, and get togethers are closed and locked.
There is a murmur among the small close knit coaching fraternity about coaching changes — who is moving, who was unjustly let go, who is next? Have you checked footballscoop.com? We collectively hold our breath, waiting for the news to roll out.
As the season closes, it is bittersweet. The joys of wins, the lows of loss, the love for players and their families, the camaraderie of friends and family at tailgates and watching practices, all these and so much more are going to be missed, but a part of us exhales a large sigh of relief that we survived another season. We survived as a family, we survived as a team, we survived as a staff, and we survived individually. Some of us survive with a few bumps but mostly looking presentable, some of us are barely walking, bleeding and sore, however we still made it through and live to tell the stories.
The one thing that keeps me and so many of my coach’s wives friends grounded is the chance to savor our family time. We live to support the coach, not the game. We love the coach, not the game. We are a special team — just the coach the wife and the rugrats and the time spent together begins to heal every bump and bruise and strengthens us individually and as a family.
As the season closes, we are at peace, happy to be a family together. Until next season.
