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| Our running back and MVP. |
For as long as I can remember, my husband has been tossing footballs at our son. Yes, "tossing" not kicking, I'm talking AMERICAN football, not soccer. When my son and daughter were just wee tots they would set up football "games" in the hallway with their rooms on either end of the hallway as the "end zones".
As soon as he was old enough to play we registered my son to play in a community football league in our hometown of Chesapeake. He was 6, and he had played with his dad out in the yard so much that he seemed to know what he was doing from day one.
Fast forward nine years, and he had made it to his high school's varsity team. It was a moment we had all waited years for, a chance to watch him play under the Friday night lights..........And then we moved to Abu Dhabi.
As many positive things I saw for our family with this move, one of the biggest downsides was that we would be taking my son, Andrew, away from a sport he loved at a time he had waited so long for and worked so hard to get to.
Fortunately for us, Andrew is a talented athlete and he was able to channel his talent into other sports after we moved here including soccer and rugby. He's even been able to do some coaching and refereeing which he would not have had time for in the states.
Last summer my child saw an ad for the newly forming Emirates American Football League, and to say he was excited would be an understatement. We got him signed up, and last October he became an Abu Dhabi Wildcat, playing for their senior team.
I'm not sure who has enjoyed this season more, me or my son. I have always loved watching him play, and I'm his biggest and loudest fan. He gave us a lot to cheer about, scoring multiple touchdowns throughout the season that lasted into the spring.
In March his team won the first ever Desert Bowl for bragging rights as "national champions". Then earlier this month he and several other players in the league were recognized for their talents and effort displayed during the league's inaugural season.
Now, I get my proud mom moment. My running back brought home the following much deserved awards: Team Leadership Award, Team MVP, and last but not least, the League Offensive MVP. Yes, I was beaming from ear to ear, but honestly the awards were just the icing on the cake. Seeing Andrew pick up where he had left off when we pulled him away from football in the states was priceless.
Congratulations, Andrew! I'm so incredibly proud of you.
