Emo Mommy on Sports Psychology

As a psych tech I'm always interested in how psychology relates to random day to day things and how we react to them -- for example, sports.  While there are numerous studies on how psychological factors affect performance for athletes, the fans, too, experience hormonal surges when cheering for their favorite teams.  

Oakland A's fans know this feeling all too well after following an amazing 2012 season in which they claimed first place in the American League West (LET'S GO OAKLAND!!!!).

My boys and I

As a kid I fondly remember getting ice cream at Baskin Robbins served in a cute little A's batting helmet.  I even convinced my dad to buy me an A's flip up watch (wish I still had it!), but I gotta say I didn't really feel a true passion for the sport until I became a mom.  As a single mom, I worry sometimes that I'm not equipped to influence my son in, you know, masculine ways, but I found that more importantly watching A's baseball together teaches him the value of achieving big things with very little money, especially when expectations from others are low; a true underdog story.

 

When it comes to baseball my son could've went in several directions as far as teams go.  His older cousins are HUGE Yankees fans.  His dad is a Padres fan and takes him to games often.  Living near the bay, I wouldn't even have been mad, in fact I would've totally understood if he was a Giants fan.  Not only are they a great team, but those panda hats are awesome!  What can I say, I guess he likes elephants better :)

Yesterday at the 2012 Oakland A's FanFest, I choked back tears when he met his favorite player, Cocoa Crisp along with the crowd pleasing and loveable Stomper.  Just seeing how full of energy and happy he was despite hours of walking and waiting in long lines made my heart swell and my eyes water.  He's halfway done with Kindergarten, but watching him yesterday covered from head to toe in A's gear from his loving (and die hard A's fans) aunties, I finally see a little boy instead of a baby. (Sniff, sniff).

Speaking of baby, I'm a big wuss when it comes to relief pitcher Sean Doolittle, a lefty just like my son as you can see which hand he's holding his donut hole in.  When he came into the scene, closing out games against the Yankees, I became mesmerized with the odd way that he holds up his glove to his neck before he pitches.  It wasn't until later that I learned how truly talented and undervalued he is.  Through out a number of injuries that almost ended his career, he went from being a first baseman to a pitcher.  

As if that story wasn't touching enough, during a Q&A session Doolittle stated that he was an Air Force brat and that if he never became a baseball player he would've joined the military (be still my heart)!  And get this.. turns out he's the great nephew of the famous General/Doctor James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle (Alec Baldwin played him in Pearl Harbor)  of the United States Army Air Forces (this was before the Air Force was its own branch #WWII) .  Whaaaaaat?!  Crazy.  Dubbed one of the unsung heroes of the A's, he's definitely my favorite.

How cool is this?!  Doolittle stated that his dad was stationed "in the area" when he was 3-5 years old.  With no other AF bases open at the time (or since) in our area, it had to be Travis AFB.  Hua!  (Pic tweeted by Sean Doolittle).

For many reasons I wish I would've gotten into baseball before I became a mom.  Loving sports and identifying with your favorite team is not only exciting, but it gives you a sense of community, keeps you from alienating yourself when times are hard (which is something I tend to do).  I was pleasantly surprised to observe Kahlil and other small kids at the the FanFest making eye contact.  It makes me smile wondering what they would've said to each other if their parents weren't frantically trying to get them from one autograph table to the next.  One kid even tugged at his jacket just to say hi to him.  Isn't that just awesome?

On the drive home I asked my son how he felt.  He thought about it for a minute, then said, "Before I only could see Cocoa Crisp up close on TV... But today... Right now... I feel SUPER!"  Pretty much summed up how I felt too.

Celebrating with the fam.  
A special birthday shout out and thanks to Rosan dela Cruz, one of the biggest A's fanatics I know, for taking us to FanFest... You will never know how special this day was for Kahlil!

Have a super week, all.

K Bye!

I've been waiting for some Chucks like you

I come across a lot of personality disorders working with individuals with developmental disabilities.  Many are considered to be egosyntonic, which refers to behaviors, values, and feelings that fit their ego or self image.  It can be difficult to deal with, but sometimes it's straight up funny!

I work closely with a particular client, who we'll call Chuck :)  For months he was very stand offish with me, would always give me dirty looks, never wanted to work under my supervision or go on recreational outtings with me.  He'd question, in all seriousness and maybe even anger, why I'm an A's fan and not a Giants fan.  Then one day, he took off his enormous headphones, nodded his head towards me, and actually struck a convo with me.  It went like this:

Chuck:  "Ay, where you get your shoes at?"

Me:  "Umm.. heyyy, how ya doin, Chuck?  You can pretty much get Chuck Taylors anywhere.  I got mine at the mall."

Chuck:  "Oh forrealz?  I'm bout to cop me a pair when I get paid." 

Me:   "That's cool.  They go with everything, so yea.  Cool."

Not long after Chuck was messing around with the radio and stopped at a soft rock station.  He knew every word to this song:

Goes to show not everyone is too cool for Foreigner.  I think everyone, to some extent, acts in ways that's acceptable to the needs of their own egos.  Since then he hasn't dropped the too-cool-for-school act, but he completely changed his attitude towards me.  He could not wait to show me when he finally "copped" a pair of classic black Chucks followed by a pair of green ones he found "hecka cheap at Kohl's".  He even joined our fitness program and insisted on being in my group.  Just a small personal victory for the books.

This has been the Cut of the Week brought to you by (ficky, ficky) loft remix.

K bye!

Those who can't do, teach, and those who can't teach, teach gym.

Fortunately in my line of work, I can both do and teach.  Today I joined the millions of Americans who belong to a fitness club along with members of a day program that provides employment for adults with disabilities.  In addition to job coaching it's nice to support them with recreational and community integration activities, especially ones that promote health and fitness.  

We first assessed individual capabilities, recorded each of their weights, measurements and end goals.  The plan is to go to the gym twice a week, walk/hike twice a week, and my favorite part -- dance!  Dancing is not only great exercise that anyone can do, but it's also an outlet to express themselves, relieve stress, and most importantly it's fun.

I'm super excited to go on this journey to health with them!  The benefits are pretty obvious, but the most rewarding part is seeing how good they feel about themselves.  Stay tuned for adventures in our journey to fitness. 

K bye!