He Out-punted his Coverage, and I got GREAT field position!

I was leaving the gym this morning after a great run and an even better swim, when I heard a member of the body-building set inquiring at the front desk as to whether our dear Y might have any athletic tape. Hmmm . . . "Sir, I have some right here. Take as much as you need." Well his eyes just about glazed over and he laughed, saying, "I guess you never know when you might need to wrap an ankle," because in case y'all haven't seen me in a while, I don't exactly scream "Weightlifter" or "serious athlete" when one gets a glance at me in my tennis duds. There are some things that all moms need to carry on them at all times: wipes, juice boxes, epi pens. I just happen to carry a few "different" accessories in order to make sure my days go smoothly. I can't count the number of times I've pulled out my roll to quell a squealing toddler as he motions to some obscure boo-boo that can ONLY be fixed with the same tape daddy uses. Tape works for so much more than curing wounds and tears, too. I've gift wrapped last minute packages with my leftover rolls, created numbers on the backs of blank t-shirts, and re-gripped my tennis racket in a pinch. So the fact that I ALWAYS carry a roll of athletic tape and pre-wrap in my Gucci bag really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise when one finds out I am married to a football coach, as I explained to the gentleman at the Y desk today. I also have a shiny, silver coaches' whistle-- and I'm not afraid to use it. Coach always jokes to people that he "out-punted his coverage" when he married me, and I'll be honest, it took me about 4-5 seasons before I really understood what that meant. I knew it was a compliment, but I hadn't quite deciphered the difference between a kicker and a punter at that point, so I just stood there smiling, proud of my husband/coach and all the information and fancy words in that bald head of his. Thirteen years into this marriage/career, I've got this bull by the horns. *When Coach says he's gonna be late tonight because he's lining the field, I quickly ask, "you got plenty of yarn and a screwdriver?" *I realized that sometimes coaches need to mow the field more than the field needs to be mowed. *I FINALLY figured out what trips means, and now I can scream it with the rest of the staff when I see a blitz coming(?). *I know spring football (or two a days, or 7-on-7) is coming soon when the text messages coming in from players keep me awake at night. *During the season (when he's home) when I make a dinner that he kind of turns his nose up at, I know right then and there that he's probably had it for pre-game meal one too many times already. *When he tells me that practice will be over at 6:00, y'all, I know he's not going to be home at 6:30. And that's OK. *I know the difference between running the spread and the quarterback option. I know how to defend it too. (Sort of). Most of all I know now, especially, that football is a year round sport that takes tons of time, energy, talent, smarts, and backbone, not to mention thick skin. I know that sometimes teams win and sometimes they don't. Some parents are nice; others are not. Some coaches work hard; others work hardly at all. I know that winning is more fun than losing; that playing (and watching) in the rain and cold is way better when the concession stand sells hot chocolate. I know that road games are fun, but nothing beats a win in front of a home crowd. And because of all this I know for a fact that nothing beats the life of a football coach and his wife.