7 Things I Learned In My First Season as a High School Basketball Mom

No. 1's first season of high school basketball has come and gone. SO bittersweet! The team finished 12-3, earning them the best record in the conference. Way to go, Spartans!

Just like with any brand new experience, I learned quite a bit along the way and thought I'd share it with you all today.

1. It's a big time commitment. Between practices and games, high school basketball is a six day a week sport- every single day except for Sunday. The days are long but the season is short. I'm missing it already!
2. Games are early. Well, Freshman and JV games are. In our area, the Freshman play at 4:15pm and JV plays at 5:30pm which can make it tough for parents to get to each and every game. Luckily for me, I leave work at 3:15pm and didn't miss a game. You may want to keep this in mind if you have a rising Freshman!
3. Cash is a must. As with all high school sporting events, you must pay to watch. Games in our area cost $6 for adults and $5 for students (cash only!), children under 5 and senior citizens are the only ones who get in for free. And of course if you give in and visit the ever so tempting concession stand, you'll need cash for that too. Mmmmm, Chick-fil-A sandwiches!
4. No participation rule. Yep, you read correctly. Coach does not have to put your player in if he does not want to. If your athlete is one of the last ones off the bench, tell them to not take it personally. Only 5 players from their team can be on the court at a single time. Be supportive and tell them to keep working. Hard work really does pay off! (Click HERE to read my post about what to say to your child after each and every game).
5. Volunteers. High school basketball depends heavily on parent volunteers. Each of our home games required 5 volunteers; 2 to help with ticket sales and 3 to help run the concession stand (click HERE for my tips on running a successful concession stand plus a list of the 10 best sellers!). Multiply that number times three home games (Freshman, JV, and Varsity) for a total of 15 volunteers needed per game day. It takes a village!
6. Student Section. You know the group of student fans that sit together to cheer on the home team and cheer against the visiting team. They are awesome if you are playing at home, but beware, they can be brutally frustrating if you are away! If your child is going to play high school ball or ball at any higher level for that matter, they're going to need to have thick skin (as are you!)... especially when they're shooting their free throws at away games!
7. Basketball is family! Many of the Freshman players and their families will stay and watch both the JV/Varsity games and vice versa, even if that means being at the gym for five hours. Hello, bleacher butt! We cheer for each and every player on the team. We help give each others kids rides to and from practice. We buy extra hot dogs at the concession stand for our hungry Sports Mama bffs. We're all in this together!

I hope you all have had, or are still having, a fun basketball season!


#BALLISLIFE




*** Like this post? Click HERE to read 7 things I learned in my first two weeks as a high school football mama!