If you would have told
me that cartons of chocolate milk could bond a team, create a cheer, and put a
positive spin on a lost game, I would probably have smiled and moved on.
It did, it does, and the energy created by the efforts on behalf of our local lacrosse
high school teams by the Northern NV Dairymen, Dairy Council of Nevada and
Model Dairy is amazing.
Last summer, I had the opportunity to see first hand how the Northern NV
Dairymen and Dairy Council invest in our local community, especially if the
activity was centered around children. I approached them during the winter to
see if there was any willingness to associate with my children's high
school lacrosse teams. Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport across
the country and it is taking off in leaps and bounds here locally in
Northern NV. Still recognized as a club activity and not a varsity sport,
the parents and fund raising finance all of the high school club's expenses
from field rental to uniforms, paid game referees to game balls. An offer came
back of chocolate milk for after the games. I of course thought "what a
nice treat." A bit of education later, I learned that chocolate milk is
the new "recovery" drink. Put down the sugary energy drinks, welcome
back milk.
If picking up 350 cartoons of milk to cover the first four home games - all
played over three days time - was comical, finding refrigeration space for
it all was down right hilarious. Some went into coolers with ice,
others shared space in my husband's beer frig and
still more was stacked on top of kegs in the beer cooler. (my
husband is a zymologist) I headed to the first game with 150
cartoons of TruMoo split between two rolling ice chests.
The head boys coach knew what was stashed in the coolers but
nothing was said to the boys. When I was asked if I had enough milk to
cover both teams, I replied "I have milk for Africa. Model Dairy has
me covered!"
In a very physical game, the Galena Boys team beat the North Tahoe Boys team
12-2. At the end of the game, I opened each cooler that was positioned behind
the team's bench and offered the boys a drink. Their faces lit up and I
got out of the way. The boys were grabbing and tossing cartoons to each other
like baseballs. The smiles on their faces were perfect. One older boy walked up
to me, I recognized him as the goalie from last year, he had graduated and was
home on college spring break. He asked very politely, almost shyly. if
there was milk available for a team alumni. I smiled and said I was
pretty sure there was milk for returning players. I walked over the North Tahoe
bench and all the boys all came over to thank me. Before they left the field, I
offered one of the straggling players another cartoon. He said he'd already had
had 5 them. I said "Well, it's a long drive home, let's make it six,"
his smile would have lit a room. On their way off the field, one young Truckee
player walked over to me and said "We lost today and that was bad but the
chocolate milk made it all right again." They're teens - each
one feels the pressure to have the coolest clothes, listen to the hottest
music, and have seen the latest instagram post but push all of that aside,
they're still just our kids and a simple gesture like chocolate milk can turn
their day around fast.
By the third game, the boys head coach said "You know Beth, there's
something to this post-game chocolate milk. They're too young to have a beer
together after the game but to watch them post-game bond over cartoons of
milk is something to see." I knew the Northern NV Dairymen and Model Dairy
had hit one out of the park when in a post game team huddle, the team chant was
led off with "TruMoo! TruMoo! TruMoo!"
Guest Blogger: Beth
Coffey-Curle
Northern Nevada Mom and Milk Fan
