When I was a little girl growing up in Chattanooga and twirling my way through the latest production of the Nutcracker or Giselle, sports and anything sports related was far from my mind. It just wasn't a world my mother had me participate in. Once I grew up, and dance became a part of my past, I married into a sports family (Go Vols.) My new family strongly supported the Tennessee Volunteers, especially in football and basketball. Ironically, my husband and I wound up raising a college athlete. Our daughter just completed her final season of volleyball, playing for the Bryan College Lions. It wasn't until recently that we finally found enough time in our schedules to attend some Chattanooga Lookouts games, and I realized, wow, I had really been missing out on something special.
It was a cool spring evening when my husband, daughter, and several of her college teammates piled into our car and headed to AT&T Field. The Chattanooga Lookouts were hosting a fundraiser for my daughter's college volleyball team, the Bryan College Lions. My daughter's team was excited, because many of them are from outside of the Chattanooga area and had never seen the Lookouts play. I was excited because it had been a while since I had seen the Lookouts play. We had a blast.
That evening the Lookouts took on the Smokies, and even though our Lookouts lost, it was such a fun evening. My daughter and her team enjoyed being spectators for a change. And I think my daughter secretly enjoyed getting her coach's child high on sugar that evening from the sweet treats that always seem to taste just right in the ballpark.
Looking around, everyone was having fun. Kids were enjoying hot dogs, cokes, and candy. Adults were enjoying adult beverages. The crowd roared every time one of our Lookouts got a hit. My daughter's team did the wave. It was good, clean fun for all ages. On my left sat my daughter's volleyball team, along with the toddler daughter of my daughter's volleyball coach. On my right sat an elderly couple, and every time our Lookouts got a hit or a run, a smile would cross the elderly gentleman's face as he fondly remembered his days, all those years ago, when he was the one getting that hit, or that run.
We had such a good time that evening, we came back in May. My husband put together a get together for his work crew and their families. We watched the game that evening from the Budweiser Party Deck. And it was even more fun. We were so close to the field we could actually hear the players talking, and they came by the party deck several times to give the kids high fives from the field. Looie, the Chattanooga Lookouts mascot, made several rounds on the party deck, absolutely thrilling the kids. All of them got baseballs at the end of the game from Looie, a memory that will stay with them for a long time. And next year we'll be renting out the party deck again for a reunion for my husband's Navy unit.
In a time where we're all so busy, and families see each other in passing. and we long for a time when things were simpler, and not so busy, you don't have to go far to find that. You just have to go to AT&T Field and catch a Chattanooga Lookouts game.
Mariah Smith
Soddy Daisy