Fans in Stands
The stadium lights come on, the marching band performs and the bleachers fill with eager fans, waiting for the first two helmets to collide.
Each fall, high school football stadiums become centers for communities to catch their hometown teams in action.
Yet for many of these teenage titans, such nights of glory would not be nearly as sweet without the help of their number one fans — mom and dad.
Filing into the stands early to get the best possible vantage point, these seasoned fans know how to show their spirit in rain, snow and cold.
Whether it's clothing, embroidered or screen printed with their player's name or number; a jersey, matching the one worn by their favorite player; or beaded necklaces in school colors, many parents have developed their own signature game-day style.
For Paula Gruber, mother of Grove City High School sophomore Jordan Gruber, game day attire includes a jersey and a pin bearing a photo of her son in uniform.
Now watching her second son rise in the ranks of the Grove City team, Gruber has also learned to make her game time comfortable, taking cushioned stadium seats, a Grove City Eagles blanket and an umbrella in case of inclement weather.
As game time approaches, football, band and cheerleader parents, students and community members — the mixed company — becomes a unified team of fans, anxiously awaiting the team to take the field."When the band starts playing and they're coming out of the field house, it just gives me the chills, said Cindy Marzock, mother of Seneca Valley Raiders team member Nick Marzock.After years of coming to their sons' games, many parents have watched their children grow up in the sport."I cried the first time Isaw him in his pads,"said Lynda Eagle, mother of Raider Shawn Eagle.Moniteau mother Joy Smith surprised herself when her competitive spirit came out."The first time he hit the field, I wanted him to hit harder," she said of her son Jordan, who plays on the Warrior's junior high team.Marzock noted that though her son never experienced injuries early on, she thought at first it would be hard to keep from running onto the field to assist him following an injury.With the support of other parents, however, Marzock said parents learn to trust the coaches and trainers with the safety of their players.
For football parents unfamiliar with the game's rules, time in the stands is a learning experience."You've gotta ask the dumb questions," said Raiders mom Sally Berkebile, who has been watching her son Andy play since elementary school.As new Raider football parents and booster club members, John and Teresa Lysowski are learning a bit about their son and the sport.Mother of sophomore Jack Lysowski, Teresa is using the opportunity to learn the terms and tackles of football play."She's kind of green,"joked John.After watching just a couple games, Teresa had already learned to recognize achievements more subtle than a touchdown."He recovered a fumble, and I knew that was good," she said.For father John, however, seeing his son on the field reminds him of his own high school football days."I never said a word to him about playing,"said John, who was surprised to hear his son take an interest in football during his freshman year of high school."It's kind of in our blood I guess. We're all small, but we love the game," he said, noting that his father also played football in school.Like John, Eric Marzock, a former high school and college player and junior league coach, is happy to see his son share his interest in football."I get to see my kids follow along," he said. "It's very gratifying."In addition to watching his own son take the field, Marzock takes pride in watching players he coached in the junior leagues."There's just nothing about September I don't like,"he added.
The spirit of parents supporting an entire team and not just their own player is one that coach Clyde Conti of Slippery Rock High School finds valuable."(The parents) realize it's a team-type concept and they're out there supporting everybody."Kathy Manuel, or 'Mom' to members of the Moniteau Warriors football team, knows what it takes to support a team: dedication and plenty of home-cooked food.A mother to five football-playing sons, Manuel serves as secretary of the Warriors Quarterback Club and team chef, providing meals for both the Warriors and their competitors before and after home games."I married into football," said Manuel, a Butler High School alumna who married a former Moniteau football player.Afamily affair, her husband sells raffle tickets at games and her older son, Don Manuel Jr., attends regularly and designed this year's program book.In addition to preparing meals for the team, Manuel will also be found on the sidelines, taking game photos used in scrapbooks the Quarterback Club presents as gifts.Having incorporated football into her lifestyle, she said the work is no longer stressful. She even thinks her normally high blood pressure goes down during games.
Like the Manuels, many football parents take time away from their lives and away from the stands to help raise money through booster organizations and quarterback clubs.Game day fundraisers such as selling programs, raffle tickets and souvenir items require outside planning and organization.In addition to raising money for the team, Moniteau's varsity football Coach Steve Wilson said their efforts get the team name into the community."It kind of boosts overall community spirit," he said.Though time-consuming, for Gruber, supporting her sons through the booster organization is essential."I think its important to be there for your children,"she said. "It helps better the organization for the coaches and all the players if the parents get involved and help."Gruber's son Jordan, 15, appreciates the effort made by his parents."Anytime I look to the stands, it's like they're just watching me," he said.Conti noted positive parental support can help a team's performance overall."When you see people that care that way, it's not unusual to see then that the programs continue to do well."As a father of football players himself, Conti knows it is important to be supportive of his sons despite their performance."When you're on the field, you're the coach and when you're home, you're just dad again."Whether we win or lose, that's a pretty good feeling for me, and that's not as his coach, that's as his father."For Warrior mom Tina Glenn, she takes pride in supporting sons who have experienced both winning and losing seasons."It's hard to watch your kids go home and lose,"said Glenn. "Win or lose, it doesn't matter, but it's a lot easier to see them work their hearts out and win."
Though some high school football players will go on to play at colleges and universities, for many parents, the football lifestyle will end upon graduation."Number 60's been our life for the last four years,"noted Steve Schnaubelt, father of a senior Seneca Valley football player.For Eagle, having spent so much time with the football players and their parents, she plans to attend local games even after her own son has graduated."I think that football's one of those things that gives a community an identity," she said. "I've been coming to football games for 14 years, and I'll probably still come."For other parents though, graduation represents the end of an era."Ithink it's gonna be sad,"said Gruber. "We have our Friday rituals,"she said including music for motivation and favorite meals."I just think it will be so sad not to have that ritual going on."With younger sons still rising in the ranks, however, Manuel has no plans to slow down."I inspire them, and they inspire me," she said.
<BR><BR><BR>
