Are you sports fans? You should be able to tell now that most of us like at least one sport and we all have strict allegiance to our geographical regions!
I'm really not. When I was in high school it seemed like it was either the sports fans or the music (rocker) people. I was the latter. I am athletic, though, I mean I work out and run.
Also my geography places me square in between Yankees and Red Sox territory. You can imagine how that goes... If I had to pick, I guess I'd side with the Red Sox. There's something about the over-funded Yankees that turns me off.
I only like the sports my kids play (basketball & soccer). Well, that's not completely true. I LOVE me some college basketball. I had to resort to watching PRO the other night just cuz there was no college on. (ugh)
My kids' basketball practice started last night. My son plays. My daughter is helping coach. This ought to be interesting....with the whole sibling rivalry and all.
My kids are 19 & 10. As for my team.... Does the phrase 'RRRROOOOOOCCCCCKKKKK CCCCCHHHHHAAAAALLLLLKKKK JJJJJAAAAAAAYYYYYHHHHAAAAWWWWKKK KKKKKKK UUUUUUU" mean anything to anyone besides me?
Your daughter must be the older. That is cool that she is helping coach! My kids are 11 years apart, do you like the distance between yours?
Hey Pambo, I have a 19 year old daughter too. That is as of today! I have a 14 year old daughter too. She is the trouble child. Pushing buttons and acting like she knows what is best for her. She's really a good kid but stubborn as hell.
I like the distance between my kids. It's kinda like we had 2 only children. Not in the bad way though. The older one takes care of the younger one. The younger one is the "gopher" for the older. It works out pretty well. I can't complain. Both of my kids have been a joy to raise. My daughter was pretty active in school (band, volleyball, basketball). My son's on his way to doing the same stuff (band, soccer, basketball). There have been moments...but you get thru them, right?!?
She played clarinet. She dabbled in oboe & bassoon for a while. She played percussion during marching season of her junior year due to a knee injury she got playing basketball. She had a triangle solo (yeah, I said triangle solo), played the vibra-slap & played a really loud cymbal. I don't have a musical bone in my body but I think I've tried to live vicariously thru my children...I make them play 'cuz I can't I suppose. In fact, my son just finished practicing his clarinet...again coached by his sister.
My mother was in Choir in school and was in the musical for South Pacific. her thing was that she did not win but 3 awards for her singing solos for competition.
I won 12 medals for Singing solos and Ensembles. ( I won best solo in the solo and Ensemble competition beating out over 600 other kids from all over OK.
I was in Choir for 6 years, Voted into All State music choir 2 years in a row, Band 7 years playing Clarinet. Orchestra for 5 years playing Oboe and Bassoon. made All State Band 3 years running and Orchestra 2 years.
All State is a music Festival held in Oklahoma City every year. Sutdents from all over Oklahoma audition for a chance to be selected among the top 25 for each section in Choir ( 25 first tenors, 25 2nd tenors, 25 first sopranos etc) 200 total. In Band its a total of 200 as well with 15 Clarinets. in orchestra They picked 3 oboes and 2 Bassoons. Only problem is if you get picked for more than one ( band and Orchestra, Choir and Orchestra etc) you have to choose. I went ahead and chose each one. At the end of the festival we performed for every teacher in Oklahoma. ( over 5000 at the time. ) It was pretty intense.
I wasn't very "involved" in high school. I went to a big school & kinda got lost in the wave of people. I had a few friends but we didn't really participate in much of anything. Maybe that's why I try to get the kids involved in everything. Each activity is an instant "in" with at least 1 crowd. I know that NOW...dang.
Is your band involved in Bands of America? The school my daughter went to was heavy into BOA. BOA Grand Nationals are in town this weekend. It's a racket. You have to pay to watch prelims, then agian for semi-finals and again for finals. It can cost as much as $100+ just for tickets. When she was a sophomore they marched in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. The whole family went out to L.A. It was a lot of fun. The band performed at the Hollywood Bowl in a contest for all the bands marching in the parade. She was in the guard all four years but in order to be in guard you had to participate in any class in the music department. She played flute but the main thing was guard. She did Winter Guard too. It was a very busy four years. It was nearly a year round event.
As far as I know they weren't in the Bands of America anything. The went to Disney World her senior year & they got to march in the parade there. They didn't get much respect from the judges in the different competitions around Kansas though. A new director came in & decided to put a little rock & roll into their competitons marches. It did NOT go over well. I guess the band world isn't ready to jam to "Mr. Roboto" during their high falutin' competitions...much less a whole Styx retrospective. Sigh...
I love the age difference too Pambo. My daughter ( the 2 year old) has her older brother wrapped around his finger! They do very well together, less sibling rivalry!
It's fun for both of them...except when she gets told how well behaved her son is. He, of course, runs with it & calls her Mommy. That kinda gets on her nerves.
We tried not to MAKE her be his chauffer...but she ended up carting him everywhere just because she could. They actually LIKE each other. I came from a pretty good sized family where we didn't find out we liked each other until we were grown. This is much more fun.
