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Today I am ridiculously thrilled to welcome back a guest blogger to our little corner of the web: Eli of Coach Daddy! Eli’s blog is full of wonderful information about soccer (or futbol, as he likes to call it), actually, all sports in general, food – oh! the food! -, the lovely ladies in his life, ruminations on being a dad of three daughters (all spectacularly gifted in the athletic realm) and a lot of humor. He does the “6 Words” series that I have been privileged to be part of for a few times. Last time he visited, he wrote to all the Dads of Daughters about how they can still enjoy competitive sports, even if it maybe isn’t football. Today, I asked him to share his thoughts on the #LikeAGirl campaign that sparked from a commercial during this year’s Super Bowl. And, as always – if I may be so bold as to borrow a sports metaphor – he knocks this one out of the park!
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photo credit: Pink Storm Cloud via photopin (license)
Grace had just pulled the soccer ball back, tapped it to the left, and blew past another boy.
Our parents cheered. Some of the crowd hated it, though.
“She’s just a girl!” People – even moms – growled this from the sideline. “GET IN FRONT OF HER!” Another boy would step up. He’d grit his teeth and run to the spot of grass right in front of where Grace had been – a second ago.
By the time he turned, all he saw were cleat soles and ponytail.
That’s co-ed rec soccer, when you’re 7. Grace’s oldest sister, Elise, did it. Her second-oldest sister, Marie, did too. Grace took a turn. The boys on her team didn’t mind. They got it in practice. On Saturday mornings, ponytails didn’t matter for the Cheetahs.
Playing like champs did. Turns out those goals she scored? They count, even if she kicked #LikeAGirl.
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Know what’s cool? Your teenager, when she asks, “there’s never been a woman president?”
It’s cool at halftime when Grace asks, “did you hear those parents, daddy?”
And puts her hand over her mouth and giggles.
That’s stirring the pot, #LikeAGirl.
It’s laying down the law, #LikeAGirl. Elise, my oldest, has done that. She’d find herself in a midfield sideline standoff with an opponent, often a boy. He’d jab and elbow and muscle his way to the ball. She’d lean back and control the ball away from him. The Dance, they called it.
One boy got handsy. (Not in that handsy way.) He got away with contact he shouldn’t have. I glanced down for a millisecond when I heard the whistle. Elise stood her ground – over the boy, who lay flat on his back. He got less handsy after that.
She stood her ground, #LikeAGirl.
Know what’s cool? Marie, my second-oldest, running cross country on the B team. She didn’t decide until the last minute to try out. That’s fair. She raced once with the B team and expected a promotion. It didn’t come. She ran another co-ed B race without complaint.
Discovery Channel shows us how animals beat it before a Tsunami hits.
That’s the feeling I got when I saw her on the start line. A storm brewed.
At the gun, she jogged out behind the pack, and into the forest. It’s spotty as a spectator sport, cross country. Watch them weave in and out of trees, and wait. A couple of boys emerge from the forest, a swinging ponytail right behind them.
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photo credit: Annoyed Lioness via photopin (license)
When one boy turns to find her, he’s a wildebeest with a late start in a death dash with a lioness. Oops. The other boy turns, and tries to dig in. Her strides lengthen, and as she passes, he stops and puts his hands on his hips. She’s out front.
She can win by just keeping the pace now. She doesn’t, though. I watch in awe. She’s digging in. Winning isn’t enough. She must annihilate. Parents notice she’s all alone. Has anyone seen the boys? They’ve already finished, right? They’re still back there?
It’s not enough to annihilate. She locks eyes with her coach, not even out of breath. She says nothing. She just got promoted to the A team, #LikeAGirl.
You don’t have to roll an opponent to be #LikeAGirl.
Who else rolls #LikeAGirl?
Tamara Bowman writes #LikeAGirl. Jennie Davenport writes #LikeAGirl, too.
Julia Mancuso skis #LikeAGirl.
Beth Livingston teaches #LikeAGirl. Norah O’Donnell hosts TV #LikeAGirl. Sally Herships reports for Marketplace #LikeAGirl. Stacey Dales covers the NFL #LikeAGirl. Becky Hammon coaches #LikeAGirl, and Erin Bowman sings #LikeAGirl.
Tina Stull races #LikeAGirl. Darley Newman equitreks #LikeAGirl.
Know who else lives #LikeAGirl? Volunteers and doctors. Women who serve in the military and a mom who documents beautiful moments with her kids in a hallway full of black and white photos.
Once, a dude commented on a post that I wrote #LikeAGirl.
Thanks, dude.
That’s also cool.
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When he’s not answering his kids’ questions or interviewing stellar authors, Eli Pacheco writes the blog Coach Daddy. Follow him on Google Plus, Pinterest and Twitter.
The post Coach Daddy shares the profound coolness of living #LikeAGirl appeared first on Home on Deranged.