The Best Fathers Day Gift

I took over as my 13 year old daughters soccer team coach on Fathers Day 12 years ago. She was on a travel team that played almost year round and the annual try out's just happened to be on the week end of Fathers Day. To keep a "little" balance in our kid's lives our club and league had a rule that after try out's we were not allowed to have any organized team practices, using a ball, until the middle of August. A forced break to give kid's and their families a little time for summer vacations. Good idea in theory, but as you might expect, the best teams found away to train, somehow, in spite of this.

Well we were not one of the better teams (which is why there had been a coaching change) but I was determined to at least get us closer. I felt that on top of the obvious lack of soccer skills, our girls were not good at "competing". In keeping with the spirit of "not training with a ball", I instead held "voluntary" conditioning 3 times a week at my home gym.

It's in the basement with basic weight stuff, lots of room. I set up stations and paired the girls up and we did intervals of 1 minute on, 30 seconds rest, switch stations and so on. The kids loved it!! NOT the training, but just doing it, as a group, being together, having "fun". Most of my parents HATED it. Saw it as a waste of time, "the girls are to young for this", "they need soccer skills, not lifting skills" and so on.

Bear in mind that most of the parents of my girls were fairly well to do professionals (why they had their kid playing on a fairly expensive travel soccer team). This means that they made their money with their heads and brains, not the sweat of their brow. Not good, bad, better, or worse. Just that the idea of "working physically hard" was NOT something many of them had to do, or WANTED to do.

Not many of my parents were in very good physical shape either. What a coincidence.

But I wanted the girls to get "tougher". Resistance training teaches you that a little "pain" is necessary to make a difference physically. "It hurts" and "I'm tired" are no reasons to quit. In the gym OR the soccer field.

Also I was trying to instill something I felt was even more important. Good physical fitness habits. Remember these were 13 year old girls that had an interest in doing something other than watching TV or playing video games. At least they joined a group that did something active. So I felt they were already primed to absorb more info about how being physically fit mattered, then and forever.

Fast forward to today. My daughter is 25, and like most young athletes, hasn't "played" since high school. I was the same way, as are most people. It was during the years 22-35 that I tried to do some muscle building, but really all I did was take advantage of my "youth" to be able to live a fairly inactive life and stuff myself with mostly lousy fast food. I never gained a lot of weight, but like anybody with these habits, I gained a pound or two a year and, bam, 13 years later I'm 30 pounds out of "shape".

I had to learn the hard way.

I took over my daughters soccer team when I was 40, and had "figured it out" by then, which was why I did what I did, whether my parents understood it or not.

So, what does this mean to me on Fathers Day? Well, as I said my daughter is your average 25 year old. Last night I'm sure she went out, had a few drinks and ate some pretty lousy bar food. Might have even done it Friday night as well. Just like I used to. BUT she learned that other "habit" from me too.

Today, with no input, suggestion or prodding, my daughter will hit the gym, on Sunday, for the first of her 5 days this week of weight training. She's not trying to be "Ms. Olympia". She just knows that fitness is important, has learned to enjoy it, and it is, and will be, a part of her life forever.

What a great Fathers Day gift for me, and she doesn't even know she's giving it.

Have a great, safe, and healthy Father's Day.