By my calculations, we have now supported our children through more than 10 sports seasons. Sloan has competed in a couple t-ball seasons and multiple soccer seasons. Beau has played t-ball, soccer, and basketball. All of these sports endeavors have been fun, fruitful, and developmental.

However, just like with everything, not all aspects of youth sports are enjoyable/convenient. It is easy to become cynical with practices that start seemingly before the work day ends, parents who treat the seasons like the major leagues, and games that drag on way longer than they should. But believe it or not, there is another youth sport staple that I might detest even more…

Picture Day.

Behind the scenes of Beau’s basketball team’s picture day. Not the best time to be a sports dad.

I almost feel like I rather be handed a speeding ticket than the picture brochure/envelope the coach hands me the practice before picture day. Besides a place for me to insert a check for overpriced photos, the brochure also represents a morning of wasted time and chaos.

Sloan and her teammate/friend/ Aminah posed for buddy photos during one particular picture day for T-ball. The photos always turn out cute but the process is usually a bit painful. 

I know I sound like a grumpy dad, but my wife and I value our weekends and evenings. Although watching our children compete is something we love to do, we prefer it doesn’t take up the whole day. Picture day requires that we show up early for our designated picture time, usually 30-45 minutes prior to the game. And then you have to show up early to your designated picture time so teams can get organized prior to the photographer taking over. Thus, picture day will always add at least an hour to that day’s sporting event.

Back to that brochure for a moment. Deciding on a package is always something my wife and I figure out in the car or a couple minutes before picture time at the site. Yep, probably not the smartest idea, especially when the options are as plentiful as menu items on a Cheesecake Factory menu but nowhere near as delicious.

Picture Day can give even the calmest folks an anxiety attack. If you have ever accompanied a child to the Spokane Youth Sports soccer picture day at the South Complex, you know exactly what I mean. Long lines, stressed photographers, huge crowds, and rowdy kids are enough to zap all energy from a team before they play their game and enough to rob parents of any sanity they thought they had. No joke, it is a s@#$ show.

Nothing is more of a cluster than picture day for soccer at the South Complex in Spokane. Beau and his soccer team might look like everything went smoothly but it was a goat rope.

And all of that is even before a single photo is snapped.

Once your team is finally at the front of the line you grimace as the photographer does his/her best to pose the kids. Then after that nightmare, you must worry about individual photos. Tucking jerseys in, making sure your child has a ball, and hoping they follow the photographer’s instructions all contribute to a certain level of stress.

Posing a child for an individual photo with a ball is one thing. Posing a child with a bat is an entirely different thing that requires a massive amount of patience.

After picture day is complete, I try to forget about it until the season is over and the photos once again come in late. I am sure the coach always enjoys meeting me and other parents at a local grocery store to pass out the picture packages that were supposed to be delivered a couple weeks prior.

And then after all that, what do we do with the photos? For our family, they end up residing in one of our junk drawers or junk bins. Although I will say that we have started ordering magnets and those usually end up on our refrigerator…so at least there is that.

Kudos to the photographers who brave the chaos so that they can make a living. Don’t Blink.