Track and field day just snuck up on us. I decided to try to do more than usual this year–rather than try to keep up with three kids running and jumping, (while taking care of a preschooler and a toddler), I decided to try to do concessions this year.

This was a natural extension of our entrepreneurial experiment. I remember that back when we first started going to track and field day, some 6 years ago, there was concessions. The people that ran the concessions either got tired of it, or ‘graduated’ from homeschooling.

Usually, we find ourselves starving at the end of a long day in the park, unless we have packed lots of food to lug around along with stroller and picnic blanket, video camera, water, etc. So I thought concessions would make a welcome return to track and field day.

Except. .. the announcement that there would be no concessions had already been made, and we witnessed several families pulling coolers and snacks out of their cars. Now I understand why the downtown festivals control the beverages at their event. If people bring their own, they don’t want to spend money on any!

The other point was that everyone was too busy with the actual track and field events to be concerned with concessions. Even after the meet was over, our traffic didn’t pick up like I’d hoped. Everyone collected their ribbons and exited en masse.

Then there were the children. My children. I watch them run, I even train some of them to run, and I get disappointed. The little ones don’t run very fast. They try, but they don’t get anywhere quickly, and if they see my face, they start losing heart. So I try to keep a cheery expression, or at least a detached one.

I was manning the concessions table when my oldest son was racing. He was fast. The stories others told me about his running got my hopes up. I remembered the stocky 8 year old giggling as he fell down in the sack race. Now a lanky 14 year old that could finally run fast!

The wait for the 13-14 year old ribbons seemed interminable. Finally, it was time. And I waited to hear my son’s name. And I didn’t hear it for first or second in the relay race, or his old standby event, the softball toss. He got third place ribbons for both of those events. And this is his last year to compete. So that was a let down. So were our concessions sales.

Now I want to take what I learned today about concessions to try it again. I’m looking for another opportunity to run concessions soon. You didn’t think I’d give up , did you?