The Sporting Life

Looking back at my life I realize that because I never got to play sports as a kid, I have been trying to make up for it as a grown man! When I was young my Dad was in the Marine Corps and we kept moving all over the county, so it was hard to join a sports team. Then later on in life I got married and was busy raising four kids, so that left me very little recreational time as well. But now, as an “older man” I am having a blast every week. Besides playing baseball with the Halo Baseball Club for the past 12 years, I also work out regularly and have tried my hand at volleyball, tennis, golf and paddle boarding…and I absolutely love every sport I try.

I don’t know what it is that makes sporting events so fun but I am sure I am not alone in my love of sports, both playing and watching them. On Saturday last week I went to see a Pop Warner Football Game that my youngest grandson was playing in. The teams are made up of 5-7 year old boys and I was really impressed with what I saw. They played on a full size High School Field (Tesoro High) with regular football uniforms and pads. They had coaches, referees, statisticians and assistants (Moms) distributing Gatorade on the sidelines just like in real football. Not only that, they had a whole bunch of really cute 6 year old Cheerleaders pumping up the crowd in the bleachers. Quite an awesome site!

I know some people might think it’s crazy to involve kids as young as five in sports, especially football, but the more I think about it the more I see the potential benefits in it. I’ll give you an example. During the game, right after the whistle blew on a pass play, one of the smallest kids on the field walked over to a bigger kid who was still on the ground and kicked him right in the stomach. It was probably retaliation for something I didn’t see earlier, but the referee threw a flag, the team received a penalty and the tiny kid who did the kicking got a stern lecture from the coach about the rules of the game. I’m pretty sure the lecture included the following, “If you want to win the game, you have to play by the rules.”

And isn’t that the way it is in life as well? In life we find ourselves on all kinds of teams; our family team, our team of friends, our office team and maybe even a fun sports team. But no matter what kind of a team it is, we can’t win if we don’t play by the rules…and you’re never too young to learn that lesson!

Colin Hunnel, #75, Tesoro Titans (Age 5)

“And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not

crowned unless he competes according to the rules."

~ 2 Timothy 2:5