023: NEW Episode! You Asked, We Answered - Sports, Parenting, and Sideline Confessions

In this listener-powered episode, we answer your best questions—from our most cringe-worthy sports icks to the one sport that still makes us say, “Wait…why do people love this?” We talk about our sports origin stories, how parenting has completely changed the way we watch games, and the moments in mom life that rival championship pressure. Plus, we debate future-kid sports picks and unpack how being sports podcast hosts has impacted our personal lives.  Whether you’re a sports fan, a parent, or just along for the ride—this one’s for you. 

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MEET AMBRE: https://www.instagram.com/ambre.hobson/  

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Chapters

• 04:39 - Please Don’t Pick Tackle Football
• 10:05 - Weirdly Passionate Sports Opinions Ahead
• 14:40 - Momming Like It’s Game Seven
• 19:07 - We Watch Sports... Differently Now
• 24:34 - Life Advice, Courtesy of Youth Soccer
• 29:06 - Snacks Packed, Emotions Unstable

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:00.78)
Okay, I really love this question. What's your biggest sports ick? Like something you see and you immediately cringe.

I have an answer to this immediately. I cannot stand poor sportsmanship. I am a type A rule follower. I highly respect authority. So the idea of a player mouthing off and embarrassing themselves, like keep yourself in control.

I hate when the people I'm with complain about the refs when they have no idea what they're talking about. mean, come from the refing world, the officiating world. So I do have a good handful of friends who have officiated and are very knowledgeable. So when they complain about the refs, I'm like, that's probably warranted. You know what you're talking about. But when people just have no clue what they're saying and I'm like, you should just shut up. Just shut up. Also mansplaining.

Yeah.

you

Speaker 2 (00:55.394)
Have you ever wondered why people get so hyped about their favorite sports teams? Well, it turns out it's not just about the game. It's about the community. My name is Teryn.

And I'm Ambre. Welcome to Almost Fans, the sports podcast that's fun, a little bit educational, and will give you plenty to say when you're trying to keep up with those diehard sports fans in your life.

Speaker 2 (01:19.884)
Welcome everyone to a very special edition of Almost Fans. Today we're tossing out the playbook. No hat trick, no she's got game segment, just us, your hosts, and you actually, we're answering your questions you sent in on sports, life, and whatever chaos you threw into our inbox. Buckle up, it's about to get personal, maybe a little weird, we're not sure quite yet, but definitely fun. So let's dive into a first...

question that we got from one of our listeners, is, what made you want to start a podcast? Ambre, do you want to like answer your thoughts on that?

Yeah. Okay. So I like talking and I like talking to Terynand then I watched, is that? Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This. Yeah. And she and her, and that one, it's a sister, but their back and forth is so fun and just funny. And Teryn and I in our day jobs, we do a lot of public speaking. So it felt like something that we could be good at and we both really love sports. So it sort of just felt natural and really

Teryn, tell the listeners our origin story. So we had a big argument and then remember,

We had a really big argument at work. Yeah. our other job.

Speaker 1 (02:37.134)
day job and then you were like, hey,

Well, we had a heart to heart. We like kind of had a come to Jesus moment where we were like talking through our problems like good big girls do. And I was like, hey, while we're on this topic of like what's happening in our job, what are we doing? What's next? Like, how are we working together? Blah, blah, blah. I was like, I really want to start a podcast. Like, and our thought was to maybe start one for our day job, which people don't probably don't know this. Maybe they do know this is that we work for a company that sells

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 (03:10.006)
cycling and hiking vacations. So what kind of the thought was maybe we have a podcast talking about that. And then I found this Jenna Kutcher, many people probably know her. She has a award winning basically podcast that is like crushing it. And she was doing a how to start a podcast webinar. And I was like, Hey, I really want to go to this. she's like, Ambre was like, I want to go to that too. And we're in the middle of it. And she messages me, she says, Hey,

Maybe we should just start our own podcast. And I was like, let's do that. anyways, that's where we are. And then it took us a little bit to land on this exact like vibe, but it makes no sense.

Yeah!

Speaker 1 (03:51.456)
It was like end of October, but we had, I mean, and then we launched. January. We launched, like we had three episodes fully polished, all the branding, the website, all the things three months later. From concept to launch, that's actually, I think, pretty crazy fast.

Yeah, certainly didn't have it all down then. Feeling more like I understand what we're doing and kind of our brand now than then. And I'm sure it will adapt and evolve even more so.

Yeah. Okay. So we're going to be hopping around to all sorts of different questions today, but the next one, Teryn, for you as a mom, I've got an answer for this as well, but you first. As a mom, are there any sports you really don't want your little man to play when he gets older?

I don't want him to play football when he's young, like tackle football. I get really nervous about that, all the concussions and I know they say that they try and teach them the right way to tackle young and that's why you should start them young. I just feel like it doesn't happen. I'm fine if he plays football like middle school and up, honestly, that's when I feel like your brain is starting to be more developed. But that's the one I don't really want.

him to play early on.

Speaker 1 (05:10.412)
Yeah. I had the same exact answer, but I also think about, mean, okay, so professionals theoretically do know how to tackle, how to be tackled, and they're still getting concussions. And I know that other sports are not injury-free by any means at all. But NFL and head injuries are the ones that are most in the media, they're most talked about. And those head injuries are the ones that, yeah,

know, have a bigger impact on your whole body, the way that you think, the way that you operate, as opposed to maybe a busted knee or, you know, something else.

It's more of the invisible injury. Yeah. Unfortunately.

Yeah, so tackle football is also the one I'm not super excited about. Luckily for ours, my oldest son is nine years old and this coming year is the first year where he will choose. I will very strongly. think, I don't, I mean, he's going to do flag, but he gets to, they start to split. Some kids are going to go and do tackle football and then some are going to stay in flag football. And I think you have that option for several more years, maybe all the way, probably all the way up to middle school, which for us is seventh grade.

have a feeling I'm going to have a hard time getting that past the old co-parent.

Speaker 2 (06:29.568)
any sports you really want them to be into.

That's a really long list. I mean, soccer, soccer, and that's so easy. They're all into it, whether they love it or whether they just see how much I love it. It's hard to say, probably the second, but they, yeah, both of the two older kids want to be professional soccer players when they grow up. I have all sorts of drawings. I've told you about this where they have pictures of them and gold medals and things with soccer balls. Aside from that, I really want

my nine-year-old son to play golf. He's super cerebral and strategic and mathematical. And I think he'd be really good at that. You know what, like golf and tennis and those sports where it's just you, just you and only you. There's nobody else out there to really like help you stay in the game mentally. I feel like he'd be really strong at that. And my daughter is very tall for her age. I want her to try volleyball. And my youngest runs like a freight train. So I really want him to try hockey.

I don't know if he will. That's a big, he has no interest in being on skates. A couple of times we've taken him on skates. He's miserable and hates it. That feels probably like it's not going to be a thing, but those are for each of the kids. Those are the ones I want him to try, the sidebar.

I just want my son to be into baseball. I love baseball.

Speaker 1 (07:47.618)
Hmm, baseball. I like that. I'm surprised you didn't say golf.

I do want him to be in a golf too. do love golf. I love watching golf on TV. and I think it's a, it's just such an expensive sport. Baseball is far less expensive. Yeah. Okay. Ambre, what's your first big sports memory? Like one that made you fall in love with the game? Honestly,

Yeah.

Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 1 (08:12.973)
Okay, semi-recently, so not my first memory, but semi-recently scoring my first goal in hockey because I just learned how to play a couple of years ago. I can remember that super vividly. When I was a kid though, I remember eating orange slices at soccer games. I loved that, being teammates. For us at least, because we were a smaller community, we played a lot of co-ed soccer and other sports. That was just really fun with a bunch of kids from my class.

I remember being goalie and not really liking that and being far more interested in looking for four leaf clovers. So, like not memories that connect me to sports, but just feel good. Like I just liked the feeling of being outside in the grass, like hanging out with friends, having fun. But soccer was my sort of earliest sports memory, but then hockey is my most recent. What about you?

my dad used to give my brother and I like little trinkets. So was like pencils or erasers or whatever it was that for like dribble the ball in the driveway from a hundred times, you know, or like shoot a hundred shots. And so I would just remember getting so excited to like get my new pencil. Even though like, why do I

care.

Yeah, it was just like a fun memory of that. I do remember getting also very frustrated doing that too, but pushing through that, right? Like that's all part of it, you know? And then also I just remember T-ball. I remember, like you said, the coed, same. Like I remember playing T-ball with the boys and being like one of the better athletes on the field and getting to play the good positions, like first base. You you want to play first base when you're little like that, cause you get every ball.

Speaker 1 (09:55.054)
Yeah.

So that was always fun. always liked being able to beat the boys.

Yeah. Okay. So tell me this. What is the sport that you don't get the hype about?

Yeah, you already know the answer to this one. It's soccer.

I don't get it.

Speaker 2 (10:10.35)
I know it breaks your heart and Vito called me out on it too in our last couple episodes ago. But yeah, I just, don't know. I can't get into it. I do appreciate it more as an adult. I just can't really get into watching men's soccer. I'd far prefer to women's soccer. are such babies out there.

The, yeah, the drawing of penalties or the acting, we'll say. It's not my favorite part. This is probably my favorite You basketball? Yeah, it's like basketball is so squeaky and loud and there's whistles and like banging of the...

Yeah. What about you?

Speaker 2 (10:43.502)
wasn't like, cause she gets over stimulated.

overstimulating and watching. only like March Madness basketball. And here's the other thing about basketball. So many games, the last 40 seconds come down to foul and free throw, foul and free throw. So rarely actually changes the outcome of the game. Can we stop torturing audiences for the one in 20 times that it actually comes down to a dramatic shift in lead? don't

Time out.

Speaker 2 (11:15.095)
On the alternative, soccer just like has an unending clock that you never know when it's gonna be done. It's annoying.

Surprise party! I hate it.

ate it so much.

I probably watch more basketball and TV than I do soccer. My son's starting to get into soccer, basketball is just on more often in our house. I'm coming around. I love March Madness. That's really fun. Like the knockout, everybody has their brackets and whatever. So I like that aspect of basketball at least.

Okay, really love this question. What's your biggest sports ick? Like something you see and you immediately

Speaker 1 (11:51.854)
I have an answer to this immediately. I cannot stand poor sportsmanship. I am a type A rule follower. I highly respect authority. So the idea of a player mouthing off and embarrassing themselves, like keep yourself in control.

Also when they do it and they actually ruin it for themselves and their team. Yeah. There was a play, this is so funny, this just popped in my head and someone's gonna call me out on the specifics, so don't at me people. But there was a play in, it was Florida football, I think it was a playoff game or maybe it was a bowl game or something like that. I think it was a bowl game and the player, it was a close game and he took his shoe off and chucked it, or maybe it was the other team's shoe that fell off and the kid chucked it down the field, the Florida player.

and they got a penalty and like losing the game for them. might have already have probably gonna lose the game anyways, but whatever it was, it like shifted the energy, right? Like you did not need to do that. That was so stupid. Your whole team is now gonna suffer because you're an idiot.

Yeah. That is such an ick. Like yelling at the refs and just doing stupid stuff. was mine. Yelling at the refs. Yeah, yeah. I cannot handle that sort of lack of sportsmanship.

But I also, added some, because I wasn't 100 % sure how this question was supposed to be phrased. Like is it when you're watching sports or when you're watching, like the athletes stick or if it's with the people you're with? Because I hate when the people I'm with complain about the refs when they have no idea what they're talking about. Like I have a lot of friends, I mean, come from the refing world, the officiating world.

Speaker 2 (13:33.678)
So I do have a good handful of friends who have officiated and are very knowledgeable. So when they complain about the refs, I'm like, that's probably warranted. You know what you're talking about. But when people just have no clue what they're saying and I'm like, you should just shut up, just shut up. Also mansplaining. For those of you who don't know what that is, you can probably figure it out. It's a man who's explaining something to a woman like they don't understand it. And that's really irritating. So just don't.

Yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:02.616)
Yeah, yeah, amen.

Speaker 2 (14:07.81)
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Okay, Teryn, what is your mom moment that most reminded you of being in a championship game?

Okay, this one, I was thinking about this. It was like being in a championship game and working your super hardest and doing your very best. mean, that's like every day with a three-year-old temper tantrum. Anytime I have to force him into his car seat in public because he's just like, I'm not leaving, or literally last night I had to wrestle him into brushing his teeth.

I mean, I would have just said screw it and I'm not gonna do it because like this is not worth it. But he was eating candy all day and I was like, I know WWE championship mom moment and I literally looked at him and multiple times and I said, we could do this the easy way if you just wanna stand up and I could brush your teeth. But either way, your teeth are gonna get brushed.

Speaker 1 (15:23.148)
WWE moment.

Speaker 1 (15:37.23)
Yeah. You have options and those entail, how are we going to brush your teeth? The brushing or not? That is not an option actually. Not an option. That's in your future. Yeah.

option.

Yeah, yeah, Did you have a different one? Like different version of this question? is broad.

Yeah, it is. This one is super sport specific. So I coached my nine-year-old soccer team last year. He was eight years old. It was a different kind of league than I usually coach. It's the kind of league where I was scheduling the games. I was working with opposing coaches. I was coming up with all the practice plans, all these things. Okay. It was like a part-time job.

It was both amazing and also exhausting. So it's a last game of the season and these kids have come so far. They've won a couple of games. They're really crushing it. Last game of the season, we play this team that is so good, like so good. I don't even know what the score was, but we definitely had zero goals. I think they might've had five or six and it's halftime. It is so hot out. And it's me and three other dads who were coaching and this group of

Speaker 1 (16:43.948)
eight, nine-year-old boys. We're getting crushed and it's just miserably hot. So we're underneath the tent at halftime and I look around and these kids are a little bit downtrodden. They're like, we're really getting beat. It's our last game. Right before the kids had come over, I looked at the three dads and was like, how can we make losing more fun? And they looked at me like I had just grown six heads. They were like, that's not.

a thing. So they come over, the kids come over and we're sitting on the bench and they look exhausted and miserable and they're losing. And it comes to me and I look over at one of the players, he's sitting next to a Gatorade cooler and I said, Hey Harrison, what's inside that cooler? And he opens it up. like, it's water. It's like, is there ice in there? And he said, yeah. And one of the dads goes, no. And I said, great. Everybody look at me. Eyes on me.

nobody will take any drinks out of that cooler. Do you understand? And they're all like, yeah, crazy lady. Like, because if anyone here scores just one goal, we're going to dump that cooler on coach John Luke's head. And coach John Luke goes, what? It's like, like the chillest guy ever down to earth. Like after his immediate shock, he was like, okay, all right, here we are. So, and the kids were like, yeah, we're going to jump.

and the other team, they're looking over like, what in the world? We are creaming you. And like our bench is like jumping off their butts. They're yelling and they're screaming. The parents are like, what's happening? So our kids go out. Conclusion is we continue to just get creamed. We score zero goals. We dump the cooler on coach John Luke anyway. He was a super good sport, but it was like just one of those moments. Yeah. Like that felt like a championship win as a mom.

I think the final score was nine to nothing. So we held them to just four goals in the second half, but we really got beat bad, but it was still like, still made it, you know, sort of a little victory. And when I talked to my son or some of the other kids in the teams, or even the coach dads about that season, that's one of the top two memories that folks talk about. So yeah, it like a little mini championship.

Speaker 2 (18:57.454)
That's amazing, I love that. Okay, next question. Have your careers changed how you watch or enjoy sports in your downtime, Ambre?

My answer is super fast, yes, because I watch one million sports documentaries. It is my favorite way to learn about new sports or series or people. So Netflix, HBO Max, and surprisingly Prime Video has some stellar sports content. What about you?

I guess the way I watch sports now, I think about the mission of our podcast, which is to get people off the sidelines, for lack of a better term, when it comes to knowing sports. I try and watch sports through the lens of someone who maybe doesn't understand it or isn't comprehending the little details. And if I do know something, I try in a very non-judgmental way, a non-mansplaining way, to get people to be included.

hey, that call right there, that's what it means. This is why they called it or whatever. Maybe people don't care that I'm with, but I think about like the Super Bowl, right? Like everybody wants to watch the Super Bowl, but most people don't really understand the ins and outs of football. Not most people. A lot of people don't necessarily understand the ins and outs of football. And so like trying to explain it and like think about it in a way that helps people understand and helps people feel like they're part of the conversation. So this podcast has made me think about sports in that way a lot more.

I love that. Can I toss in something much less honorable? I also love when I can watch sports and know something about them more so than my husband. Yes. Not my dad, because he like, my dad has started asking me questions. He asked me a NASCAR question the other day. I was like, oh, I know that person. And that's, wow, we can like talk about this now. But I love, I love it. can be like, that's wrong. If my husband says something about a sport and I know it to be wrong. Oh man, I totally.

Speaker 1 (20:57.314)
in a very immature woman's explaining way. I love, I love. It's happened so rarely even now still, but I love when I know something more than. No, he's going listen to this and just roll his eyes. He's not going to talk to me about it. He's just going to roll his eyes and move on. Yeah, exactly. Okay, Teryn, when did you first start loving sports, whether watching or being involved in sports? And as you are,

does. does.

Speaker 2 (21:14.488)
Hi, Erin.

Speaker 1 (21:27.118)
looking for love and looking for someone to share those sports with. How important is it for your next partner in life to also love sports?

Such a creepy way.

Speaker 2 (21:42.232)
Not like, love. Love. If you want to be part of my family, you need to know and love sports, period, period. But you should, because to answer the first part of your question, since I was out of the womb, I mean, I was not given a choice. Like sports are coming. They are coming, you are gonna be around it. Like we're watching it, it's on TV, it's on the radio. I mean, I used to listen.

My mom used to listen to the Tigers on the radio constantly. I could hear it. It sounds like summer. We've talked about that many times. But you know, it is so ingrained in my family and their lives. But I will say this for my future partner, if you're listening to this, here is your word of advice. You should also be able to stand up for yourself because my family is super opinionated and not always in a great way, sometimes to a fault. And I...

typically have to stand up to them because I'm like, what are you talking about? Or that opinion is silly. So silly. I have a great example. Sorry, I know my dad's gonna listen to this, but he is the number one culprit of this in my family. Actually, my brother and my dad are both pretty bad about this, but my dad hates when somebody like celebrates on the court, on the field, wherever it is. He does not like a celebration and that drives me nuts.

Can we?

tongue.

Speaker 2 (23:07.52)
I understand if you're being obnoxious and like you're not good. Like don't celebrate if you are terrible.

Wait, so even like a little fist pump or something he's not a fan of.

Nothing. He finds it revolting. He just thinks everybody should be humble and quiet, you know, because that's the kind of person he was. like, fine, do you. But like people are people want to celebrate. you know, like as long as it's not hurting the team, like I think it actually gets the team hyped up a lot, you know. So that's one of those things where like either I'll be like, I just sit in my corner and roll my eyes or I'll challenge them back on it. And I would like to have

Just need his own face.

Speaker 2 (23:46.552)
someone else who is like, hey, why are you, why do you think that? Or also that's an opinion, not a fact.

No.

So yeah.

Speaker 1 (23:59.362)
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Okay, what is something sports has taught you about parenting? I think this is a really good question.

I love this question. I don't remember what podcast you sent me, but it was two women and they were talking about how when they encounter challenges at work or whatever, they think to themselves, be an athlete. I think to myself, be an athlete when, for example, we're late to the bus and one kid didn't want to eat any of the eight breakfast food options I offered her.

and another kid just can't wear that sweatshirt because it's too big or that one because it's too small or that one because it's too lame. And that kid really is desperately and passionately trying to fit six stuffies into his backpack to the point that it won't fit on him any longer. When all of that is happening and they're yelling in my face, I think to myself, stay in control, stay focused on the goal. You know, like I think about being an athlete or at work.

When there's frustrations, I think about what would an athlete do. They would buckle down. They would figure out all the players on the field, stay focused on whatever the ultimate goal is. So I think about that when I'm parenting. When you're just like in life in general, when I'm faced with challenges and stuff, I try to think about being an athlete. What about you?

Speaker 2 (25:52.282)
Similar, yes, mean, yeah, absolutely. And then I also was thinking too, like, you can't win every battle. Like, you're not gonna win every game. Sports has taught me how to lose, and honestly, parenting, you're not gonna win every battle, but you can also can't give up when things are hard, you know? So sports like taught me to push through even when things hurt, you know? Like running physically hurts my lungs and my legs right now, but I'm just gonna keep going.

And also kind of just in my life in general, I mean, I've experienced so much loss, not necessarily losing people physically, but like loss of what I thought I would have in my life currently. And sports remind me all the time that you lose things, you keep going, you just keep on.

Yeah. You know what else too? I know this is like a Ted Lasso-ism, but I think about this when I play hockey and I think about it sometimes when I'm parenting as well and that's being a goldfish. Yeah. I'll make a stupid play in hockey. Like I was half asleep this morning when we were playing. I was making stupid passes, just not whatever. But after every stupid thing I did, I would just remind myself to move on to the next thing. And I think that's, you can't hold grudges against your kids. know, like this morning you were a pain in my butt. So tonight, you know, I'm going to

continue to be angry with you or punish you for that, you sort of have to just move on to the next. I think the best athletes can do that, learn from it, but then just move on. And I think that that's really important for a parent as well.

Yeah, for sure. Another part to this question, has being a mom ever changed how you look at athletes in sports culture? I thought about this. I see athletes now as more so as real human beings. Like this is a kid who has parents or maybe didn't have parents and they're trying to make something of themselves. So I try to give grace for the mistakes that they make or what maybe they, what you see on TV.

Speaker 1 (27:28.942)
I don't know, what about you?

Speaker 2 (27:50.744)
feels off, but you're like, that's someone's kid. You know, that could be my kid someday. Like being in the spotlight, I would be so, so hard. I certainly don't know that I would handle it as well as some of these people do, or maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't, I don't know. But I just, think I see, and I also see them as like, they are role models. So whether like you like everything about them or not, like there is something about them to aspire to or to teach your kids.

Yeah, I love that. I can definitely see the looking at athletes and thinking about them more as people who are growing and maturing and maybe making mistakes. I totally see that, especially for NCAA, like some of these football players and basketball players and other athletes as well who are making certain decisions again, because they're not full-time. They're 19. Yeah, they're still teenagers, some of them. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I like that.

fully developed brain.

Speaker 2 (28:44.94)
Okay, Ambre, this question is specifically for you because I do not have a child that's currently playing real life sports, but what's your sports mom persona? Are you a chill mom on the sidelines? Now I know that's not the case because you're not around the sidelines, you're actually coaching. Or are you the quietly intense one with the snacks? What's your persona?

Yeah. So either me or my husband coaches our kids in 95 % of their sports. My oldest son has just aged out. So now he's too good at soccer for me. So he is not being coached by me any longer. But otherwise all the other sports with the exception of swim lessons are covered by me and my husband. And we even love that. That window is so short. My sports mom persona, I'm crazy organized. If you could please restrain your shock. We've got-

We have the spreadsheets, we have the schedules, all the things are organized at the games. I'm not cheering all that loud. A couple of years ago, I took a course on how to be a good sideline parent basically. And listen to this. So they had you as the parent go through this exercise and it was something like memory. I don't remember, they would light up different things, different colors and you had to say, I don't know, like a square or circle shape.

number. can't remember exactly what it was. So they had you do that and then they gave you some sort of a result for your accuracy and they had you do the same test again, different answers, but same concept while somebody was yelling at you, not negatively, but just like, can do it, work harder, concentrate, trying to encourage you. And then they compared your answers and even though that person was shouting, encouraging things at you, it's still a distraction.

when, yeah, isn't that fascinating? So my sideline, I'm usually pretty quiet. during breaks and play, I might say something like, you know, hey man, that was a great pass or good hustle, you know, to my kid or other kids too, because I know them so well at this point. So usually, right, exactly between plays, right? Like a ball kick or a corner kick or a free throw in basketball or whatever. So usually pretty chill on the sideline, but super organized.

Speaker 2 (30:52.792)
Like, well, they're not playing.

That makes sense.

Speaker 1 (31:03.31)
And then later on, depending on the kid, depending on the sport, usually I'll sit with them. It might not even be until bedtime that night and just sort of talk through. Usually my two talking points are, hey, at your basketball game today, what do you think you did really well? And depending on the age level, right, the four-year-old is going to say, I ate a Capri Sun. You know, I don't know. that. Same, seven-year-old daughter is going to say, yeah, right, hopes, hopes and dreams and goals. My seven-year-old daughter is going to say,

I ran really fast. My nine-year-old is going to say I played really good defense and I was really good at bringing the ball up the court. I don't know. And then I'll talk about like, do you have any ideas for things you could do better next time? Again, all age appropriate really depends. My nine-year-old is so cerebral. He really wants to break it down. He went so far as to create a soccer field to scale. It's like 11 by 14. He has red and green players. There's a little ball.

And we actually go through the corner kick setups and strategy and he'll talk about pros and cons of different lineups. And it, I mean, he really loves that. So that's my sports mom persona, super organized, quite on the sideline except for the appropriate times developmentally, but then also break some stuff down later if the kids feel receptive to it.

Yeah, that, my gosh, that just gave me, I don't think, I mean.

about, right? Because you're like, I'm cheering them on. I'm helping to build energy. But no, because it takes them however long to process your words, even if it's great job or good hustle or whatever, they still have to process that while they're doing something, while they're trying to focus on what they're doing with their feet or their hands and other players in the basket or the goal or the touchdown or whatever.

Speaker 2 (32:50.72)
It makes so much sense when you say it, but you just don't think of it like that. But yeah, that's so good to know.

Yeah. Okay, Teryn, last question. If you were not doing a podcast about sports and working at Trek Travel, et cetera, what would your dream alternate life look

I this question. I had to think about it for a little bit and I was like, I don't know, because I actually love my life. I love my jobs. But I think it would be so cool. Again, this is all very relative because one, I obviously don't have the skills for it right now. I could gain the skills, obviously, but also in my life, I couldn't really move around that much. But I thought, how cool would it be to be someone who works with athletes to help them with their personal lives?

So like someone who does brand coaching or helping them with interviews and how to do interviews, managing their money, something that feels super rewarding and can help and still be involved with sports, like in a very developmentally, like helping them to be good humans, know, and the soft skills that people don't necessarily think that they're practicing, but they for sure are, you know, and need the knowledge on.

That's so cool. I know this is like a kitschy term, but life code.

Speaker 2 (34:09.442)
kind of like a life coach, but you know, like a lot of professional athletes, they have these people just in their organization that help them with this stuff. I think it would be cool to have that role.

Yeah. that's super fascinating. The first part of my answer is somewhat similar. I actually really like what my life is. I would love to cut out 10 % of the work that I'm doing somehow. I don't know. It feels like in all the things I'm doing, I'm sort of doing them pretty okay. I would love to do everything better than pretty okay. So how would that work out? I don't really know. Aside from cutting out 10 % of

work that I'm doing so I could do things better. I have always wanted to work at Lululemon in their headquarters. They have this program. I haven't looked recently, but a number of years ago they had this program called Collective Impact. think that's what it was called. Lululemon works with really amazing causes all over the world. These causes submit proposals, requests,

get funding from Lululemon support. And so there's an organization that approves or denies those requests and then supports those brands and chooses them really thoughtfully because they're connected to Lululemon then. But I just love the idea of working for, I love Lululemon, the whole company. I loved the idea of working for Lululemon in a way that would benefit really amazing causes. I came from a little bit of a nonprofit background in a couple of jobs that I worked at before.

So I loved the idea of kind of being on the other side, the giving side to those nonprofits instead of the operating side of the nonprofits. But mostly I just really like what I'm doing right now. I would just like to do a little bit less so I could do a little bit better at all of it.

Speaker 2 (36:01.119)
Amen to that.

Speaker 2 (36:05.838)
This was fun.

This was so fun. So fun. And listeners, if you enjoyed this no rules, all vibes episode of almost fans, we did too. We loved talking sports, fun and life with you. And honestly doing it without a plan was a little bit liberating. So listeners, if you also enjoyed today's episode where we answered your questions, we might just do it again. So send us your questions, email us anytime at

AlmostFansPodcasts at gmail.com. We are all ears. So thanks for hanging out with us today and we will catch you next week.