Burnet football Mom’s Night Out allows matriarchs to experience what their sons do
Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
When Burnet Consolidated Independent School District football head coach Ben Speer said he wanted to give the Bulldogs’ mothers the full experience of what it’s like to wear the Kelly green, he wasn’t kidding.
It was in plain sight as the moms lined up to experience the same drills their sons do and put on the full uniform complete with shoulder pads and helmets to know what it’s like to move and run in the attire.
The activities were all apart of Mom’s Night Out, the program’s annual gathering where mothers, grandmothers and any female wanting to know more about Burnet football were invited to participate. Now that the Student Activity Center is open, the drills were conducted indoors Aug. 8.
Speer said about 45 women made their way to campus and each one participated in passing drills, blocking drills and even ran some plays.
“I think they enjoyed it,” he said. “I don’t know who had more fun – the boys or their moms. It allowed them to appreciate what their sons do and get a realistic view about what practices look like. It helps moms connect with their sons.”
One of the best ways for that is when the moms competed in a uniform dressing contest where their sons helped them put on the uniform, complete with cleats, and run to the other end and return. The boys know full well the challenges of putting on a uniforms designed to hug their bodies. Typically both mom and son begin laughing hysterically as the realization hits that those uniforms simply don’t slip on the way a T-shirt and shorts do.
Seeing the humor helps everyone bond more.
“We want to do anything to encourage mom and son bonding,” Speer said. “I think they love it.”
The event began in 2022 when former head coach Bryan Wood and Speer, who was the defensive coordinator, were brainstorming ways to honor mothers and grandmothers for all they do for their sons and grandsons and help them better understand a sport the men in their families spend so much time watching, talking about and participating in.
Because of the positive feedback, the event is now apart of the Bulldogs’ fall training camp on Thursday evenings. Coaches invite any female who wants to learn more about the sport and meet other mothers and grandmothers who are all experiencing the same things throughout the season.
