Beth Stroud of Urbandale wasn't sure what she wanted to learn when she walked into the Johnston High School auditorium for the school's first Football Moms? Night in eight years. She only knew she wanted to walk out with the ability to know more about what she was looking at when she watched a game.
?For me, football games have always been a time for talking,? Stroud said with a laugh. ?I?ve learned that because of the friends I sit with and the positions their sons play, the best time to talk is when the defense is on the field.?
To Johnston head football coach Brian Woodley, the Aug. 11 event was about making sure moms and fans of Johnston football players left knowing more about the game than when they arrived.
?I did this when I first came to Johnston, and I thought it went over well,? said Woodley, whose team opened its season against Ottumwa on Friday. ?I always think it?s nice when moms can go home and impress their sons with what they've learned about the game. That's not to say that a lot of moms don't know much about football ? many of them do. But this is for the ones who maybe haven't been as involved with the game and would like to learn.?
About 40 moms, a couple of dads and a fan or two attended the event, which was advertised to parents of football players in elementary school through high school. It featured presentations by Woodley, assistant coaches Brian Lutter and Rod Wiebers, referee Jerry Kinder and trainer Melanie Mason.
Parent Diane Bridgewater, who helped organize the event, said she thought it would be a great way to help bring football parents together while ?giving people an excuse to learn a little something.?
?It's an effort sometimes for our kids not to roll their eyes when we ask dumb questions,? she said. ?I thought it might be a reason for less eye-rolling if we knew more about what we were talking about. I knew Coach Woodley had done this kind of thing years ago, and I thought, ?There's no reason we can't do that again.? ?
The attendees were given handouts on such things as hand signals, good nutrition for athletes and symptoms to watch for if a parent suspects his or her child has suffered a concussion.
The audience seemed to enjoy Kinder?s impromptu quiz on hand signals, with only a few moms shouting out correct answers.
?I?m giving you a lot to think about tonight, but if you remember one thing tonight, remember this: If you?re ever called upon to be a linesman and a hole opens up in front of you, get the hell out of the way,? the longtime referee and Johnston High School history teacher said.
Mason, who works for Iowa Health and is contracted to serve as a trainer for high schools and colleges, caused a stir among members of the crowd when she asked the mothers to raise their hands if their sons had suffered a concussion; many responded.
Mason said an effective way to help treat a concussion is to rest the brain by turning off electronic devices.
?I don?t make many friends among the athletes when I say that because lying there doing nothing can be pretty boring, but after a concussion, you want the brain to be quiet and bored,? she said.
Lutter, who also serves as director of strength and conditioning for the high school?s physical education department, stressed the importance of a balanced diet for young athletes. He focused on the importance of protein, telling the parents that not all proteins are equal in benefit.
?The general rule of thumb is that the more legs a protein has, the worse it is for you,? he said. ?It?s good when you can to choose turkey over hamburger, for example, and choose fish over turkey.?
He also said young athletes typically drink too many ?bad? calories, such as the ones found in sodas and some juice drinks, when beverages such as milk ? or even chocolate milk ? can give the body a healthy boost.
Wiebers, who teaches business at the high school, talked with the parents about the ins and outs of a good defense, while Woodley lectured on the finer points of an effective offense and called on Johnston High School freshman Carly Kinning to model the components of a football uniform.
The event concluded with three Johnston High School varsity cheerleaders performing some of their more familiar routines, such as the school fight song.
Woodley said he was pleased with the evening.
?This was a pretty good turnout for the first time in such a long time, and I'd like to do this again,? he said. ?The moms seem to be interested, and I think they had fun.?
Mikki Kinning of Des Moines, the mother of Johnston High School quarterback Michael Kinning, said even though she knows a fair amount about football, she thinks Football Moms? Night should turn into an annual event.
?I found that I didn't really know about all the different positions and what they do,? Kinning said. ?I imagine other people picked up on some different things, too. But mostly, it was a lot of fun just getting all the football moms together.?
