Around here, we’re entering what coaches, athletes, and sports parents know as “Dead Week.” For those unfamiliar, Dead Week is a two-week period during the summer when school-sponsored athletic facilities are closed and there can be no contact, organized workouts, or practices between coaches and student-athletes. No workouts. No practices. No team meetings. No “optional […]

If you’ve spent any amount of time around youth sports, you’ve probably noticed something: there are a whole lot of people making things happen who never show up in the box score. No one keeps statistics on them. There isn’t a championship ring waiting at the end of the season. Nobody announces their name over the loudspeaker. […]

I don’t know exactly when it happened. Somewhere between vacation photos, baseball games, and the everyday chaos of life, it hit me that there are a lot of “lasts” happening these days. The tricky part is that most of them don’t announce themselves. Nobody tells you, “Hey, pay attention. This is the last time.” Life […]

We’re on vacation this week with Oliver. And somewhere between the sunscreen, snack runs, wet towels, souvenir shops, and approximately 4,000 photos currently sitting on my phone waiting to be sorted through later… I realized something. I am really bad at resting. Not “sit still for five minutes” bad. I mean truly unplugging. Being fully […]

This time of year can be brutal. One minute, a team is celebrating a huge win, talking about state tournament brackets, dreaming about championships and what comes next. And then suddenly…It’s over. One bad inning. One unexpected loss. One game where the shots just don’t hit, the calls don’t go your way, or the momentum […]

Somewhere between ballgames, work, laundry, community events, concession stand duty, and trying to remember if there’s anything in the freezer for supper… I realized something. Women are tired. Not “I stayed up too late scrolling Facebook” tired. I mean deeply, constantly, emotionally, physically tired. And the wild part? Most of us just keep going anyway. […]

After spending all day at the 3A Regional Baseball and Softball Tournaments in Perryville yesterday with the Mobile Sports Locker, I came to one undeniable conclusion: There are types of ballpark people. And if you’ve spent more than five minutes at a baseball or softball field in Arkansas, you already know exactly what I’m talking […]

I laced up my shoes last weekend and stepped back onto a basketball court. Not to watch. Not to coach. To play. Now, I knew going in it might feel a little different than it used to. I learned that the hard way after coming out of retirement for a couple of tournaments last year. […]

Alright… I’m just going to say it. The stands have gotten a little out of control. Not always. Not everywhere. But enough that if you’ve been to a few games this season, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And before anyone gets defensive — I’m including myself in this conversation. Because once you’ve been […]