Cheering from the Stands

Apr 16

We sat in the stands of my son’s soccer game over the weekend, cheering him and his team on. Most parents were quiet, just watching the game. In the stadium, we were further away from them than we typically are on the soccer fields. It would be unlikely for our voices to carry.

Usually, parents cheer loudly, and there’s always at least one overly instructive parent yelling at the kids too. For the most part, this game was pretty quiet as we watched the kids play hard, make mistakes, score goals… the whole thing. And then, in walked a beautiful older lady, both stylish and confident, and the energy of the game completely changed.

She had a bit of a southern hint to her accent which was endearing, and I knew who her grandkid was the second she started cheering. This woman had a voice that could cut through any crowd noise and get straight to those kids' ears. I didn’t know much else about her, but what I did know is that I LOVED what she was yelling.

As the kids ran toward the soccer ball, she would yell, “First to the ball, you are first to the ball” before anyone was near the ball. Followed by “Have purpose! Have purpose!” When the kids were working together making passes or handling the ball well, we would hear “I love it! I love it! I love it!” When two kids were fighting for the ball with their feet, she would yell “Battle!” Lastly, when our team tried to score a goal but didn’t, she would cry “Turn those hips, you gotta turn those hips, boys!”

Not only were these the most commanding cheers I’ve ever heard from the stands, but they were so empowering! I found myself wanting to record her voice and wishing she could be on the sidelines of my life, echoing the same encouragement in my ear.

I pictured myself writing and her yelling, “Have purpose, have purpose!” And when I run into roadblocks or get all insecure, I would hear her yell, “Battle, battle!” If I learned something new or had a small win, “I love it! I love it!” would ring out through my house. I imagine when I start walking the wrong way, or going through a door that’s not for me, I’d hear “Turn those hips, Jenna, you gotta turn those hips!”

At halftime, I leaned up and asked her, “Did you used to play soccer?” She laughed and replied, “I coached professionally, and I ran an entire league, for my whole career.” With her passion and instinct, I was not surprised.

Some people just sparkle with what they were meant for, and the glow never goes away. I told her I loved her cheering and admitted that I could use her kind of cheering in my life. She chuckled.

“I like to cheer for the kids too but I am not sure they can hear me,” I remarked. To which she replied, “Oh, they can hear you, they can definitely hear you.”

I don’t know why I share this story with you today. I guess it’s because I think we all need a spicy, southern, pro-coach, empowering grandma on the sidelines of our lives, believing in us, empowering us, correcting us in love, rooting for us to win.

And since we all don’t have one, maybe I just wanted to say this:

Have purpose today. When you reach a struggle, BATTLE! When you are going the wrong direction, you have to TURN those hips and go the way you’re meant to go. Lastly, every little win, every little learning moment, every time you work together with another human, I love it! I just love it!