Sharon Higgins
CFL.ca
A beautiful fall day embraced Toronto on a recent Sunday. I decided to lace up my sneakers and hit the pavement for a long walk, taking full advantage of the brilliance of the sky and warmth the sun was still offering up.
Living downtown on Lake Ontario, it didn’t take me long before I walked past the Rogers Centre. Tom was already there, working at the Argos vs. Blue Bombers game. Giving it only a mere glance I noticed the dome was retracted so all those inside could enjoy the magnificent day.
What happened to me next caught me completely off guard and would be my focus for the duration of my walk. I had a moment of self-pity thinking how I wished to be inside at the game. It just didn’t feel right that Tom was there and I wasn’t. It was after all fall, when the smell of football is in the air!
In the rush of emotion my thoughts gave way to how many sacrifices football women make to allow their men to participate in an industry they love. I don’t herald myself any different than other coaches’ wives; just committed to my husband and his career.
CFL coaches’ wives are a strong and independent breed of women. They are responsible for each and every facet of everyday family life during the football season. No issue can be too big to tackle, as leaving things until the end of the season is not an option.
Several things come to mind that CFL coaches’ wives learn early on in the game:
You will be alone a great deal, having a lot of time on your hands.
The ‘honey-do’ list for your husband will be lengthy and overdue so you will resort to completing it yourself, becoming an expert with tools you don’t even know the names of.
There will be numerous important events you will attend alone and will resort back to your school days of being a wallflower.
When birthing your coaches’ children, chances are he’ll be away at a game so best to line someone else up as the delivery coach!
You will likely raise the children practically on your own, leading you to worry that the children and neighbours may question if there even is a Daddy, and if there is where is he?
Your children will miss having Dad accompany them to their first day of school, music recitals, basketball games, emergency room visits and University convocations but thank heavens they have you!
Your children’s weddings will need to be scheduled during the months from December to May, or on the lone bye weekend during the season, if Dad is to attend.
You’ll attend every football game and know the players, their positions and numbers, the opposition’s defensive coverages. You’ll also have the right amount of cash to pay the babysitter after the game.
Solely, you will attend to all household moves, as more than likely they will land during the football season.
You will learn to exhibit great patience when you have specific ideas about how to spend some of that precious time off your husband has during the season and he has other ideas, like watching a football game!
Setting lightheartedness aside, being a CFL coaches’ wife is an honour and privilege. How great it is we are afforded the opportunity to share our husband’s careers, being deeply involved on such a personal level. The sacrifices are many but they add up to only a few when you know he loves the work.
I completed my walk with a self high-five for not only a great workout but for being blessed to have the friendship and support of a myriad of other coaches’ wives during my football years.
So to all of the CFL coaches’ wives who have walked the football path, give yourself a huge self high-five. I commend you for the incredible assistance you have given your husbands to allow them to participate in the great sport of football!
