The Jersey Race

We went to the minor league baseball game in our area last weekend, and shortly after we arrived, we were approached by two young gals wearing the appropriate attire for the sport and carrying clip boards and looking all professional. They asked Emily and Jared if they wanted to be in a Jersey Race after the first inning. My children happily agreed, probably not having any idea AT ALL what they were agreeing to... LOL Jared heard something about real jerseys and helmets and was allll for it, and Emily, not about to be outdone by her brother, decided she was alllll for it as well.

I wondered if they knew they'd be on the field in front of thousands of people, and that Dan and I wouldn't be with them?

Dan and I spent the time before the game started (about an hour) hyping the kids up about how COOL it would be to run the bases on a REAL baseball field, and how we wished WE were little kids so we could do it to. Emily seemed a little nervous and Jared was totally clueless. Halfway through the first inning, the kids and I went to the first place gate where we were told to be and Dan stayed behind to save our seats. We waited and waited and waited and no one really explained what was going to happen, or paid much attention to us at all... I think the look on Jared's face plainly shows how thrilled HE was with the wait! LOL

(by the way, I can't take credit for these pictures as I, unfortunately, did NOT have my camera that night, of all nights!!! The Corporate Partner Services Assistant, Kari, took the pictures and so graciously offered to email me copies!)

Jared waiting:

Emily waiting, much more patiently than her brother:

"Ready, Set, GO!" Jared takes off running toward first base, while Emily takes off the opposite direction to third base. Who will reach their respective bases first? (EMILY!)

But Jared made a FANTASTIC effort and it was just the funniest/sweetest thing to see a little boy running as fast as he could on a big basefall field.


You can do it! Get that jersey shirt on!


Now run, run, RUN to second base!


Gotta love the "flying" look with his arms all stretched out to keep the jersey up high enough to run! (Emily's arriving at 2nd base for the helmet already, see her?)

J's still making his way there; GO Jared, Go! WOO HOO!!!

Almost there!



Emily rounds off from second base and head towards first. Jared prepares to don the helmet that is several sizes too big. Can he make up the time he needs?

There he goes, folks, headed off to third base, hoping to reach it faster than his sister can reach first base...




Emily's arrived at first base, she's ready to get into the jersey pants. Will she be able to run in them? The suspense is killing me! And where's Jared (somewhere between second base and third, but wel'l never know just where for sure, that was the last pic of him above)



Here's Emily, still working at getting the jersey pants on. And wait! to the FAR right of the pic, you can see the lady in charge of J squatting down to get him into HIS jersey pants! It's a close race folks!


WAIT! WHAT'S GOING ON! I sense some cheating going on right about now! (I wish you could more clearly see that her helmet is completely tipped forward over her face, but not before I caught a glimpe of the "WAIT! WHAT'S GOING ON?" look on her face...


And EMILY is our winner of today jersey race. Thank you so much to Emily and Jared for your participation (something along those lines....)


To the sound of cheering crowds and laughter (it was adorably HILARIOUS watching these two race!), Emily is exited off the field and posed for one last picture before they took the jersey back. Jared is SOMEWHERE in the stands with the person in charge of him, on his way back from exiting by 3rd base...

The kids received t-shirts for participating. Adult Medium. LOL!! Because they'll have to be about my size before an adult medium will fit them, I think we'll just pin the shirts to their bedroom walls for the time-being to help them remember and enjoy the event.

You just never know on any given day what incredible experience will be handed to you and how each decision you make in life affects the rest of it, even in a minor way. Had Dan waited to use the bathroom, the kids and I wouldn't have been standing around waiting, and wouldn't have been there to be approached. Had we not missed a game earlier in the summer, we never would have arrived so early for this one, and again, wouldn't have been there to be approached. I guess that's what makes life so exciting! You NEVER know when you'll show at a ballgame and get to do a Jersey Race! LOL!