Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray! (22 Sept 2024)
I love cross country meets and I was sad to miss a meet this weekend due to a work trip. Rest assured I was cheering from afar! I like running, and I like cheering for runners, especially when those runners are my children!
I think we all like to be cheered for, but not everyone likes a big fuss, or the limelight, for their accomplishments. Your great grandfather, Hans Eugene Nielsen is one of those people that didn’t like a big fuss. When he was in grade school he had a great idea/invention that allowed him to catch orders of magnitude more flies than anyone else at the school during the fly catching contest. He handily won the first place prize and his brother won the second place prize by bringing some jars of Eugene’s leftover dead flies.
Young Eugene was excited to win first prize, a pocket watch, but he did not like what came next- the attention. His well-meaning teacher stood in front of the classroom and praised Eugene for his success, then led the entire class in a raucous cheer of Hip Hip Hurray- three times, and then had the students repeat it three more times when they didn’t do it loud enough! Eugene wanted to disappear into the ground.
Eugene (the one that didn’t like to be fussed over) and Dorothy Nielsen on their 65th wedding anniversary with their children and children's spouses.
I understand your great grandfather’s feelings in this regard. I love competition, but I could do without standing on a pedestal to be cheered for. Recognition of a simple nod, smile, and congratulations without too much fanfare would do just fine, thank you very much!
Kelsey in an intense cousin trampoline boxing competition.
I think that may be one reason I liked playing football at North Gem High School. Once I donned my uniform and helmet I was like 3-year old Caleb under his “Dino blanket”, practically invisible. I could run, block, tackle, raise my voice to cheer on my team, and play my heart out with blissful anonymity. It was almost as if I didn’t realize people could identify me by the “20” on my uniform. I don’t think I recognized the transformation that occurred once in uniform until one day I overheard a girl from my school remark how I seemed to change on the field- she was surprised by how animated I was and how loudly I yelled/cheered while playing football.
Graded medals and recognition ceremon. It is fun to get recognized for working hard and doing well.
But while we don’t all seek the limelight, I think we all want others to be pulling for us and to recognize our hard work and successes. We want others to see us and to be cheering us on in the games we play, the races we run, and most importantly, our effort to play well in the game of life.
Teaching at the US Air Force Academy I taught several intercollegiate football players. They were great football players, dedicated students, and fantastic people that I thought the world of. They knew I graduated from BYU so when BYU vs USAFA football games popped on the calendar I would always get the question, “who are you cheering for, BYU or USAFA?” My answer to this question was always the same, “I am cheering for BYU, and I am cheering for you!”
Megan and her Robinson Secondary School Freshman/Sophomore cross country team.
I did cheer for BYU and my students- I learned their numbers and cheered for them whenever I attended their games. I remember one particular game when Keith and Tamara joined us at a football game (the afternoon of the day of April’s baptism). My student, a defensive end, had a spectacular game with several great stops. However, despite his great game, BYU left victorious. I could not have asked for a better game.
Kelsey and her Discovery Canyon Campus cheer squad.
Of course life goes on after our games, but hopefully sports leave the participants better than before they competed. I know that sports were a great blessing for me. I learned many life skills, teamwork, focus, dependability, how to have fun while competing, and many other things through sports. In the end, the things I learned are much more precious than the number of victories or losses.
Climbing mountains is definitely a sport.
Sure, the game-saving defensive play in our game against Rockland was super exciting at the moment, but I am pretty sure I am the only one that actually still remembers that play. On the bright side, I am also probably the only one who remembers me missing an easy third-down pass during our playoff football game. A catch would have gotten us a first down and possibly kept our hopes for a win alive. It doesn’t matter how many times I relive that play- it doesn’t change what happened. What has changed is my perspective. I know now that one missed pass (or even several) in a game doesn’t decrease your ability to have a great life.
Wrestling is a sport- not sure who is winning this match…
I pray before games and races that are important to me and those I love, and I know many people the world over do the same. So who is God pulling for, watching over, and helping? Is it the team with the most people praying for it, or the most righteous people praying? I used to wonder, but I finally figured it out. He is cheering for His children (even if they drop the ball). He is cheering for you!
Love you always!
Dad
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