A Coach's Family
It's February. The time of year when I think about Dad a lot. His birthday was February 27 plus it all ties in with basketball. High school districts are just around the corner; the State Tournament will be here within the blink of an eye. So I will talk about what it is like to be the family of "The Coach".
It's exciting, exhilarating, thrilling, fun, and heartbreaking. The thrill of winning; the agony of defeat.
Once the season began, Daddy was totally preoccupied with basketball. The family joke was that he even designed plays with his food while we were eating. Game days were especially tense. To quote Mom, "Don't bother your father; we have a game tonight." Was that OK with me; sure, the family is part of the team.
There were also superstitions. Did you know we didn't dare forget anything as we piled in the car to head for the game? It was bad luck to go back into the house for any forgotten item.
In junior high, Mary Jo and I spent game day tearing up old newspapers for confetti assuming we would win.
The team had uniforms and so did Mom and I. Mine was a black skirt and a red sweater. Oh, yes, we wore skirts and sweaters to the games; no slacks or jeans in those days. To this, add red lingerie and a lucky penny in the loafers. (A lucky penny is one you find.) Mom had her penny inside her shoe. Dad had to wear his red tie.
The newspaper printed this picture in 1958 during the state tournament. I was still married to Don Droud thus he printed Mrs. Droud. I would have preferred Mary Ann Weyand.
Posted February 26, 2013
