One year after the passing of NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, the term "Girl Dad" has headlined many stories about famous female athletes and the undying support from their dads. My love of sports most definitely involves a Girl Dad, but I guarantee that Kobe and my dad ignited that passion in very different ways, whether on purpose or by accident.
Photo courtesy of Inside Edition.
I began playing recreational sports as a three-year-old. Like most young kids, I was aimlessly running around the soccer field, picking flowers in the outfield or traveling half the distance of the basketball court without taking a dribble. I understand now that it could not have been easy for the volunteer coaches to motivate a gaggle of three-year-olds to learn the sport their parents had signed them up for, much less compete to win.
I continued to collect my participation trophies and attend pizza parties, season after season. But at that age, youth sports seemed to be more of a social event for the parents and just a way to exhaust the rambunctious children.
Soon, I was six years old, and for my parents it was another weekend spent watching kids frolic around the soccer field, just waiting for some excitement. I guess my dad finally grew tired or frustrated with the lack of effort on my part, so he called me over to the sideline during a timeout.
He leaned over and told me that if I could just score one goal today, he would give me $20 when we got home. I can only assume that there must have been an upcoming Scholastic Book Fair at school that I needed money for. Apparently, I was more money-minded than sports-minded at the time.
Gif courtesy of Wix.
I went back in the game and immediately scored a goal. The parents cheered and my dad chuckled thinking to himself that at least I had some athletic ability, it was just a matter of coaxing it out of me. I like to think I just perform better in high-stakes situations.
Turns out the joke was on my dad, I went on to score six goals that day, running up his debt to $120. Because it was not clearly stated in our agreement whether the $20 applied to the first goal or every goal thereafter, I went home a very rich six-year-old that day.
I did realize that scoring goals and actually winning a game was much more fun than whatever I had been doing to pass the time on the game clock before. I stuck with sports all throughout high school and multiple club seasons. During it all, my dad was my coach whether he had volunteered, was in the stands or was calling from an out-of-town work trip after watching the film.
This meant many late nights in the driveway, shooting hoops until I could go "Around the World" without missing or pitching 10 straight strikes against the softball pitching net. Because of what I thought to be his insanely high standards at the time, I developed a work ethic that sets me apart from others.
Sports and a very dedicated Girl Dad have shaped me into the person I am today. Together they have made me realize my passion. I want to share my love of sports and all that you can gain from them with the future generation of outfield flower-pickers.
Happy National Girls and Women In Sports Day!
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