Carolina Railhawks Have Me Soaring

What exactly is a Railhawk? Bird tried to tell me it’s a kind of bird that lives on train tracks. I would have believed him because he sounded so convincing, but his snicker outed him.

We went to a Carolina Railhawks game last Sunday. The plan was to just get out of the house and sneak in some fireworks so we didn’t have to battle the crowds and past-bedtime cranks on Monday for the city’s display of pyrotechnic patriotism. I braced myself for some over priced beers, a cheering squad for the men clad in orange, and lots of people watching. We settled into our seats, drank said over priced beer, and sat in awe at the athleticism of these young men.

I’m not a sports girl. I have no athletic prowess; running around the block leaves me winded, I pretend to play tennis just so I can wear the cute skirts, and I don’t know a thing about the rules of any sport. This last point poses a great deal of frustration to Mac Daddy and Bird because all I do during any sporting event is ask a lot of nincompoop questions and wonder why people are clapping/angry/screaming at the ref/pounding their fists in the air. Despite what my fan reaction should be, I’m always a few paces behind and settle for just smiling and sipping my beer. Sports are just not my thing.

But…the Railhawks might have me singing a new tune.

The whole operation is so fan focused and fun. The stadium (field? arena? venue?) is clean, has great accessible parking (also good for tailgating, my favorite sporting pastime), and has seats that make game viewing easy. Not a bad seat in the joint. The coach, Martin Rennie (whom I always want to call Remy Martin) seems like a likable fellow whom I’d like to have a cold beer with after a game some time. Yes, beer is clearly a running theme here. How else is a non-athlete supposed to enjoy sports? I digress…as I am wont to do. The best part is that the players come back to the field after the game to sign autographs for the kids. They are a bunch of talented, affable guys who share their love for the game of soccer. The players genuinely interact with the crowd and engage the kids. No too cool for school attitude or hubris that other athletes often exhibit. Bird and Deal get such a kick out of meeting real. live. professional. athletes. We are prepping them to not expect the same show of fan appreciation from Prince Fielder when we take them to a Milwaukee Brewers game later this summer. We too are prepping for their heartache. A family night out at the Carolina Railhawks game is affordable and fun, and I’d totally do it again. Even without the beer. Nah, who am I kidding?

10 Things I Learned at the Carolina Railhawks Game

1. Soccer players are fit as hell.
2. Soccer uniforms are the most flattering of any sport.
3. People watching is always fun, despite what the microcosm of society tells us.
4. Childhood obesity is really an epidemic.
5. There is a shameful lack of healthy food choices at most sporting events (ironic, considering point #1).
6. Very few children thanked the players for their autographs or the food vendors for their dogs (thankfully, mine did).
7. Even fewer adults said thank you and most exhibited a disgraceful lack of manners.
8. Soccer players are cute, even cuter with a foreign accent.
   (Never mind that I am old enough to be the mother of most of the players on the roster.)
9. If your ticket has a specific seat number on it, sit in that seat.
   
10. Headers are really cool to watch, even though I might have winced a bit each time.

So tell me, what’s your favorite sport to watch live? Do you think David Beckham is all that and does Posh deserve him?