The little things matter

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If anyone knows me, they know I have spent a fair amount of my life around sports, from playing several different sports through out school, traveling with my dad for over 20 plus years to high school basketball games that he refereed and later on taking on umpiring high school softball once I turned 18 years old.

I have very view things in this life that I love more than my family and sports, so needless to say it has been a hard time these past couple of months not being able to take part in anything sports related.

From the time I was old enough to understand different sports, I knew athletics were going to be a huge part in my life and when the time came that I told my dad that I wanted to become a licensed high school umpire, it was an opportunity for myself to be apart of seeing a lot of excellent athletes and to see students grow as a person and an athlete.

This year has been very interesting to say the less when it comes to me taking my dream job and getting to witness so many different things such as seeing several Highland County schools do great things in the fall and winter, to sports coming to an abrupt end when the state championships starting for wrestling and basketball were about to begin, and spring sports being tragically canceled and ruining all of these high school seniors final couple of months of high school due this Coronavirus pandemic.

In the world of professional sports, I witnessed my Cincinnati Bengals get destroyed during the 2019 NFL season but the Bengals did however get the number one overall draft pick, “the Ohio boy” Joe Burrow to make up for the terrible season, NBA legend Kobe Bryant dies so young, and the NBA gets canceled at the halfway point.

I’m patiently waiting for the NBA to begin once again and I am keep getting hope that major league baseball will be here before too long.

During this pandemic, the little things in life have started to mean a lot more like celebrating my youngest sons first birthday and knowing that his aunts and uncles and cousins couldn’t all be there to celebrate it with us hurt a little bit but it’s understandable at this situation, spending time with my fiance’ and going outside with my boys when it’s nice out and letting them play basketball has meant a lot to me because usually at this time of the year I am on the road either umpiring or planning on taking on a sports story so family time has really been a great thing after not being around much in the fall and winter.

I’ve found myself watching a lot of the movies that I have bought over the years, and different documentaries about on netflix or The Last Dance on ESPN, I’ve spent a lot time at Lowe’s or Walmart just to see different face’s to keep some of my sanity because sitting still just isn’t my cup of tea.

When spring comes I usually have a few concerts tickets and Cincinnati Reds tickets ready to go, and my fiance’ and I actually planned on taking a vacation for the first time in six plus years and it just seems like I am sitting in the corner waiting for Governor DeWine to say it’s okay to move now.

It really is amazing how the things you do almost everyday matter when you’re told that they won’t be there tomorrow, but you learn to cherish people and things that you still have at the end of the day.

Reach Tate Erkenbrecher at 937-402-2572 or email [email protected].

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By Tate Erkenbrecher [email protected]

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