Call Me Crazy: Joining the Youth Track World

I know, I know. I'm crazy busy. The kids are crazy busy. Husband is crazy busy. And what do you do when you have a full schedule? Well, generally the answer is NOT to do what I did - add another activity to the mix. However, both the kids have expressed an interest in running, so when husband sent me a link to a local youth track club, I stopped in to sign the kids up on my way home from work.

Now you're probably wondering why I would ever add more practices and competitions to an already hectic schedule, given my reservations about the time commitment of J joining a new team. I'll tell you what I told him: I am willing to make personal sacrifices if it will benefit my kids. Forever and always.

A few things stood out to me though, as I made this decision. If I can make it work I never want "busy" to get in the way of opportunities or experiences. So here's the "why" for the skeptics:

1. Running is such a great way for kids to prepare for any sport. I don't care if you're going to play football, be a gymnast, or if you're just looking for a healthy lifestyle, running is awesome.

2. A has always played lots of sports, enjoying flag football, t-ball, gymnastics, wrestling, etc. R has ever only been a gymnast (though she tried soccer and softball). When she expressed an interest in another activity I wanted to give her an opportunity to nurture that interest.

3. They seem to be super inclusive and understanding of busy schedules. While they practice twice a week, I asked about "mandatory" practices. Since A often has t-ball conflicting with one day that they practice and at least through May R has practice conflicting with the other practice, I wanted to make sure they were flexible. They were very open to us being there whenever it worked out for us.

4. They'll be exposed to both track AND field - the track part is easy to do at home with a former college hurdler, the field part is a little harder. Yay for new experiences!

I can't wait to start this new adventure, and look forward to sharing it with you all!

So for all you track people out there - what do I need to know?! This is another new world for me!