My Sporting Boys

My big boys have been particularly aggrieved that we took them away from New Zealand when 'the biggest sporting event of their lives' was on. So consequently we found a website that streams the games live and my oldest has been waking up all hours of the night to watch various games.

Last weekend we travelled to Jackson Hole Wyoming through Yellowstone park (4.5 hours) for a soccer tournament for our smaller boys. It was the night of the big grudge match - All Blacks vs France. Despite the fact that I did not get up in the middle of the night to watch the same game 4 years ago, I found myself at 2am, laptop on knee hooked into the motel wifi, battling for a share of the screen, while trying to keep it quiet enough for those in our room not fulfilling their patriotic duty. Fortunately we won, and 4 years of rugby guilt was relieved.

I remember the first Rugby World Cup 24 years ago, I was fourteen and in fourth form at Wellington High. It was not much of an event then, our class was given free tickets to the pool match between Ireland & Wales at athletic park. It was an uneventful game and we left at half time, I watched the last 5 minutes at home on TV. Wales won 13 - 6.

Rugby has changed a lot since then. Professional players with large pay packets, massive endorsements, and national hero status. Pay per view matches, high priced tickets and huge international opportunities. Sport moved from just the National pride to a whole industry all of its own, with New Zealand a premium exporter. While being good at sport was always a fast track to popularity, it has now become the means to some pretty lucrative careers. I think some of my boys are counting on that!

No soccer scholarships this particular weekend though, as their wasn't much success on the field for our boys: but fun was had by all.

Jackson Hole the Queenstown of Wyoming with its tourist shops, ski fields and breathtaking scenery.

The Grand Teton mountain range next to Jackson Lake