Soccer parents brave cold for children's sport

No one leads cheers like a parent.

Standing on the sideline of a recreational soccer game, parents shout out words of encouragement to their children playing out on the field.

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

As a dad, I spent this spring cheering at Bailey's youth soccer games.

I was proud of her, not to mention her neon green socks.

Of course, most of her games occurred in less-than-ideal weather.

Generally, we froze. Cape Girardeau Shawnee Park in the spring always feels at least 10 degrees colder than anywhere else in the city.

When we weren't frozen like popsicles, we had to deal with rain.

Bailey's team was rained out of a couple of games. One makeup game was held in a steady drizzle. Instead of a rain-out, it was a rain-in.

Most parents watched the game from the dry and warm confines of their vehicles parked along the edge of the field.

But not me. I stood out in the rain and cheered.

My wife, Joni, wasn't at the game. But when I recounted the story later, she thought I was mad to have stood on the sidelines when I could have taken cover in my van.

"It's a man thing," I told her.

She rolled her eyes. Clearly, she wasn't buying it.

But I just couldn't retreat to my van. After all, I wasn't about to give in to Mother Nature.

So I stood out in the cold and drizzle, figuring if the soccer team could brave the bad weather, I could do the same.

Besides, it's hard to follow the game from behind a wet windshield on a gray day. It looks like a dripping, watercolor wash of a landscape.

When the game ended, I walked proudly back to the van with my frozen, soaked soccer-player daughter. I felt proud to have survived the ordeal. Now, I figured, I was a full-fledged soccer dad.

Only parents would find something to smile about while risking frostbite seated in a canvas folding chair on a grassy sideline.

It's truly amazing.

Cavemen would have trouble understanding this. They would think us crazy for venturing outside when we could be relaxing in the safety of our caves.

Who knows what could be lurking out there? Perhaps an errant soccer kick or a stray dog.

As parents, we tell our children they can't play outside in bad weather.

But it's OK if it's a sporting event. Even better, they can wear shorts in weather that would better suit penguins.

Green Bay Packers fans clearly understand it. They show up in all kinds of bad weather to cheer on their beloved football team.

But even parents who probably would prefer to sit in a domed stadium will risk catching a cold if it means they have a chance to cheer for their child and their child's teammates.

Of course with the end of the soccer season at hand, better weather has arrived.

But then it's easy to be a real fair-weather fan. It's harder to cheer in bad weather and without a good bratwurst sandwich.

But soccer parents are a hardy lot.

Whether the team wins or loses, we know we'll thaw out eventually.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.