A Parent’s Tale: Let The Kid Play

Marcos was good at football. Not great. Not some natural talent, but good. He was a helluva lot better than I was. 

Marcos got a late start in football. We put Marcos in soccer for two years when he was ten and eleven. Soccer was “safer” than football, or so we’ve been told. Lucy even coached the team. Still, soccer bored Marcos to tears. By his last game, he was wandering around listless on the field debating life. 

In his 8th grade year, he told me and Lucy he was joining football. And he loved it. He loved the hitting, the team, the games. By the time he got into high school, he was committed entirely to the sport. 

Marcos wasn’t always a starter, but when he played, he played well. But his margin for error was small. Once he made a mistake, the coaches would pull him out. Going back to their starters. He did special teams as well. 

I could sense his disappointment from the stands. I listened as he complained after games, tried to be supportive and encouraging as I could. 

But I knew Texas High School football from my two short years playing it. If you were just good, you would ride the bench. So it makes sense; High School coaches have families to feed and boosters to please. 

So they need better than good. 

Marcos’ angst was often a mix of frustration with himself and the coaches. Marcos knew he was good, but he didn’t understand why he didn’t get a lot of playing time. 

And Marcos wanted to be better at football, and so he was willing to try anything.

So I suggested Rugby.

If nothing else, he would be the best tackler on the team. Maybe that would give him the edge he needed to be a starter. 

Marcos agreed. So he joined Rock Rugby his sophomore year. And boy did he enjoy it. Plus, Rugby was giving him a path to get better at football. That was the original vision. 

Then, that vision changed. 

By the end of his Junior year, Marcos saw the writing on the wall. His coaches liked him, recognized his work ethic and character. There was only one problem: he was, in their eyes, always just good. Not good enough to start Varsity. 

Plus, there were the politics that accompanies Texas High School football. So and So parents are boosters, do a lot for the team, know the coaches, etc. That played its part as well in his playing time. 

But by now, Marcos’ participation in Rugby had skyrocketed. He was starting and playing every game. And boy did Rock Rugby provide ample opportunities to play. 

Rugby seemed to suit Marcos’ temperament a lot more. 

Rugby is constantly moving, not jerky like football. 

In Rugby, you could miss a tackle and make a tackle all in the same series. 

Plus, Rugby is more of a team sport instead of a specialized position sport like football. You had to be good at several things, not just one. He had options. 

Marcos was getting invited to bigger things: 7’s tournaments, Cloudcroft, XV’s games in other cities, and a Select team affiliated with a Major League Rugby team, The Outlaws. Marcos is being coached by a Who’s Who of elite international players. 

In Rugby, people were interested in him as a player and person on and off the field.  

And most importantly, Marcos saw a future in Rugby. He knows his strengths (thank God) and his weaknesses. He knows where he has to work. 

He knows he has the character and work ethic to get there, and in rugby, it is rewarded. 

So, Marcos made the big decision before starting his senior year: he opted out of his football Varsity year to commit to Rugby. 

We tried to talk him out of it. Playing varsity football is a big deal. Not every kid in Texas gets to dress, much less have the opportunity to play under those famed Friday Night Lights. 

Marcos was adamant. It was the first manly decision I’ve ever seen him make, and boy did he lay it out well. I was proud of him. 

The other day Marcos came home from a Rugby practice. He’s playing with a select team for Austin’s Major League Rugby team, the Austin Gilgronis. 

After name-dropping all the world-class teams his coaches played for, he talked about how a scrum works for about twenty minutes. I could tell he was working through what his coaches had taught him. 

Marcos is better than good at Rugby. He is better than good because he works at it; lifting weights, training, dieting, watching Rugby games when he can. 

That’s all him. 

One of our proudest moments was the NAI 7’s tournament up in Utah. Marcos played in the 2nd half and made every second count. To quote Coach Rock, “he was a beast on the field.” 

Even though his team lost, Marcos was beaming. Marcos had given everything he had during that short time. 

And he still had more to give. There would be other games, other opportunities, more Rugby. 

Marcos has found a sport he is passionate about playing. And Rugby is a sport that rewards passion and perseverance. 

He found Rugby, and Rugby found him. 

And his mother and I couldn’t be happier. 

Thank You, Rock Rugby!