My husband and I were shopping for a new couch on the day our daughter was born. The next several days were a blur, but what we do remember is the steady stream of international soccer games on TV, during the Euro Cup of 2012. Two years later, our second daughter was born, just in time for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Coincidence? Maybe. Or it could have been my husband’s way of planning paternity leave.
Then there’s my brother, John, who was born during the 1981 World Series. Because they were having their third child, my parents were quite relaxed about the whole thing. “We had to quit watching because he was coming,” explains my dad. They were watching the game in the labor and delivery room, with the obstetrician watching it, too. “Right up until he was born,” he says. “We were all glued to the game!”
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What’s amazing is how sports help us record time. We know the year that our favorite teams win and when they flat-out bomb. We can remember the weather at our first Cardinals game but not what the temperature was last week. We can tell you the first time our children won a medal or a trophy. The year that they were injured or cut from the team.
Sports unite us. This issue features the nation’s No. 1 high-school basketball recruit, who lives in St. Louis. We celebrate his successes along with him and will likely follow his career for years to come.
Sports inspire us. Maplewood’s community development director, Rachelle L’Ecuyer, was motivated to start cycling after her son beat bone cancer. She is stronger and healthier today.
Sports create community. GO! St. Louis will celebrate the 15th anniversary of its Marathon and Family Fitness Weekend when more than 25,000 people race this April. That’s incredible.
Whatever your age, fitness level, or interests, being healthy is an important part of our daily lives. We applaud those who make it a priority, especially in our schools and youth sports organizations. Those lessons carry into adulthood.
I may not know any international soccer players, but my daughter’s birth story will always include the Euro Cup. What memories will you make this year?
