It’s that time of year again. As I sit here typing this, with my morning coffee beside me, my son and my husband are at the second weigh-in and tryout for the Upper Loudoun Youth Football League.   This is Wil’s sixth season playing tackle football (he’s 12, soon to be 13), and he absolutely lives for it.  Who would have thought that my intellectual, somewhat bookish, computer game-loving son would be happiest strapping on shoulder pads and cracking helmets on the field?  I was certainly surprised.

I write about youth sports quite a bit here on LoCoMusings, not in small part because I have four kids that participate on varying teams in Loudoun.  My three girls all play softball (two within the Western Loudoun Girls Softball League, and one for the Loudoun Storm travel team), Wil also played lacrosse with Western Loudoun Lacrosse, and this year two of my daughters will play basketball with Western Loudoun Basketball in the winter.  One of the best things about raising a family in Loudoun is the smorgasbord of activities across the county that the kids can choose to participate in.

What my son and daughters have learned from their team experiences is how to work together with their teammates, a sense of camaraderie, and a quiet confidence (well, sometimes loud confidence, but still) that comes from doing your best and having success with it. You can’t put a price tag on seeing your child completely excited with their achievement, and proud of him or herself. Worth every moment spent in the stands to get there.

Football is a huge time commitment, not only for my son but for our family.  My husband helps coach, and practices (starting the second week of August) are every weeknight until school starts, then twice a week plus Saturday games through the fall.  What you see at the practices though, is the best of western Loudoun: families spreading out to watch, moms and dads chatting, little brothers and sisters playing together, picnic dinners.  For games, parents and siblings (and grandparents, too) dress in team colors and rattle cowbells to fire their boys up. True community, and I’m looking forward to it. I love being a football mom!

By the way, please mark your calendar for Upper Loudoun Football’s second annual Football Fest…it’s slated for Saturday, August 28th, at Loudoun Valley High School. There will be music, food, and exhibition games, and it’s the primary fundraiser for the league for the year.  Keep an eye on the league’s website for more details.

Cheers,

Heather

Cheers,
Heather

I don’t typically post market data here on LoCoMusings now that I have LoCoMarketStats up and running. However, I wanted to give you some links to this week’s market update posts so you can click on through if you are interested…

• At LoCoMarketStats… Western LoCo Looks Like This

• At AshburnMarketStats… Nothing Shocking, Stability is Good

• At LeesburgMarketStats… No Signs on Your Street?

• Also, last week’s post from LoCoMarketStats… Eastern LoCo Looks Like This

Cheers,

Heather

photo credit~~ phatman

Snapped this pic of the Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center when I was picking my son up from football practice on the fields there.  If you aren’t familiar with it, this community center was built on the site of an old dairy barn and is now home to theater productions, music, and exhibitions. My daughters performed there last winter in a Footloose Dance and Fitness production.  You can visit the website for more information or keep up on their Facebook page.

Cheers,

Heather

2009 12U Upper Loudoun Liberty All Stars

Anyone who knows me is aware of my passion for youth sports…I have been cheering my kids on from the sidelines of football and softball for years now.  Last July, my daughter’s 10 and under all star team played host to the Babe Ruth National Invitational Tournament, and this year, they are hosting the 12 and under Virginia State Tournament from July 2nd to July 6th at Woodgrove Park in Round Hill.  There will be 12 teams competing from across the state, so there will be a lot of great softball going on!

I’ve watched Erika progress from playing ‘coach-pitch’ as a 5 yr old to an accomplished 12 and under all star. My husband Mike coached most of those seasons, so it has been a true family experience for us.  This year, I realized that I had something to contribute too…I played softball from elementary school all the way up through college, and had the privilege of donning a Division I jersey to play for the Maryland Terrapins, as the highlight of my softball career.  Erika is playing on a level now where I can really help.  This summer, I stepped on the field as Coach Heather. <grin> So far, I’m thinking that coaching is just as fun.

If you’d like to come watch the Upper Loudoun Liberty 12U team play at the tournament, please stop by!  I can’t wait to see how my girls play!  Here’s a shoutout to our team: Big Stick (that’s my daughter),  Crunch, Mouse,  Bust, Shortie, Mae Mae, JoJo, Flash, Lefty, Boom Box, Wheelz, Pretzel, and Christmas. Go Liberty!

Cheers,

Coach Heather

(yes, I missed the team picture..I was showing houses…)