My Frustration Starts Here
So look, I got this nephew playing varsity for the Erie High Tigers this season. Kid’s pumped, right? Wants me at as many games as possible. Awesome. Except… finding the actual, final schedule was like pulling teeth. Official site? Updated maybe twice a season if we’re lucky. Local paper? Pretty slow. Team social media? Bits and pieces, nothing full.
Opening game was a total mess. Showed up thinking it was a 7 PM kickoff at Veterans Field. Turns out? Nope. Moved to Saturday afternoon at the other field across town because of some last-minute field maintenance nobody bothered to announce widely. Missed the first half scrambling around like an idiot. Not cool.
Time to Build Something Useful
Right then, decided enough was enough. Needed one place to see all the potential changes, tracked properly. Here’s basically what I did:
- Started Simple: Grabbed the official PDF schedule sent out at the start of the season. My baseline. Printed it out old-school.
- Cast a Wide Net: Made a big list of sources. Official school athletics page (I bookmarked the specific football section), the main school announcements page (under ‘Athletics’), the league conference website, the local sports reporter’s Twitter handle who covers high schools, the Booster Club Facebook group, even emailed the head coach (politely!) asking if there was a central update list.
- Set Up My Tracker: Made a stupidly simple Google Doc. Copied the initial schedule into a table: Opponent, Original Date & Time, Original Location, Status (Confirmed/Changed/Maybe), Updated Date & Time (if changed), Updated Location (if changed), Source of Update, and Notes.
The Daily Grind (It IS a Grind)
Every morning, first coffee in hand, I run through my list:
1. Hit the school sites. Refresh, refresh, refresh. Usually nothing new. Maybe once a week, a tiny notice buried in the announcements about a practice field closure or something unrelated. Annoying.
2. Check Twitter. The sports reporter? Actually super useful. Seems he gets texts from coaches about changes pretty quickly. Found out about a venue shift for Homecoming that way days before any “official” source.
3. Scan the Booster Club FB group. Honestly, goldmine. Parents and coaches post stuff there constantly. Saw a post about our Week 4 game moving from Friday night to Saturday afternoon because of referees… straight from the AD’s wife! School site updated it a week later. Parents complaining in the comments kept me sane.
4. Note It Down IMMEDIATELY. If I see a change mentioned anywhere, even just rumored in a comment? Straight into the Doc. Highlight it in yellow. Put the source. Even if it’s just “FB Booster Group comment from Jane Doe.” Later, if confirmed elsewhere? Update the Status to Changed.
Why This Actually Works (Kinda)
Sounds like a hassle? It is. Absolutely. But here’s the payoff:
- No More Surprises (For Me): Haven’t missed a game time or location since that first fiasco. Knowing there’s a maybe on Thursday lets me plan tentatively.
- My Doc is the Source of Truth: I shared it with my brother (nephew’s dad) and a few other relatives. Now they check it instead of asking me ten times. They even added notes once or twice!
- It Shows the Pattern: Seriously, it’s crazy how often stuff changes. Weather? Big one. Referee shortages? Huge issue. Opponent bus problems? Happened twice already! Seeing it all in one spot is weirdly fascinating and frustrating.
So yeah, that’s what it takes. Not fancy tech, no magical app. Just stubbornness, a free Doc, and refreshing Facebook way too often. Honestly wish they’d just… update their own damn site. But until then? This is my pre-season, in-season, and probably forever-season ritual. Worth it to see the kid play.