Happy Mother's Day! Here are some amazing women you nominated for Sports Mom of the Year.
Happy Mother’s Day. For our “Sports Mom of the Year” feature, IndyStar high school sports Insider Kyle Neddenriep received many heartfelt nominations with compelling reasons why they had the perfect selection. And they did.
Here are their stories.
More: A freak accident took her children. How Sports Mom of Year dealt with the unimaginable.
More: Her mom died a hero. Sports Mom of the Year lives lessons learned from her.
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Your “Sports Mom of the Year” award is a cool tradition you have established. So, I wanted to nominate a mom in our community (Hamilton Heights) whom does a wonderful job volunteering for our local youth baseball & softball programs.
Her name is Alicia Lynch. She serves as the director of our youth baseball & softball programs, which is responsible for planning, organizing and scheduling practices and games for over 400 kids. This includes 45 teams and over 100 coaches.
In addition to her volunteer efforts in our community, she also has 3 children (4th grade, 8th grade and 10th grade), whom are all involved in various travel and recreation athletic programs. As a result of a family/medical issue, she is the sole driver in the household and is responsible for driving her kids around to their numerous practice & game commitments. All of this while she maintains a full time job as a Market Manager for a local community bank. Needless to say, she is a special woman, who is very deserving for all of her efforts to her family and the community she serves.
Appreciate your efforts in bringing some attention to the special sports mom’s in central Indiana. Keep up the good work.
Bob Letsinger
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Lindsay Chase volunteers her time from watching her kids play to focus on taking pictures of not only our kids, but other kids on the team so their parents have memories of their kids games. This is for school sports and travel sports as well.
Curtis Chase
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I would like to nominate my mom, Cassie Swinney, for Sports Mom of the Year.
She has been The President of our Mooresville Pioneer Touchdown Club going on her 5th year. She fundraisers and raises funds for our high school football program. To dare she has raised over $60,000. Could be more.
She is also our team photographer. She is on the sideline at every game taking pictures. She designs our senior banners too.
She designs senior banners for the softball, wrestling, and baseball teams too.
Before that she was on the board of our Jr football league where she ran and built up the concession stand. The money taken in from that helped supply the league with gear that was needed.
She also helps fundraiser for baseball.
If any of the sports need help, she jumps right in.
While doing all of this she beat breast cancer twice. And she never missed a game or fundraiser.
She has a heart of gold and considers all the players her own. Nobody goes without and she makes sure we get what we need.
She is the best sports Mom and she deserves this award.
Levi
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I would like to nominate Kasey Shade as Sports mom of the year. She is mom to Jack Shade - Noblesville High School, class of ‘23 (Baseball) Ashlynn Shade La Lumiere, class of ‘23. (Basketball) Since the time they were small they were in a gym or on the baseball field and mom was right there with them in the stands, working concession or one of the many jobs a mom does with there teams. She also was instrumental in starting IGB (Indiana Girl’s Basketball Club) to further girls basketball through leadership, training, coaching, scholastic achievement and devoted to girls with her husband Matt Shade and takes responsibility for all travel arrangements and uniforms for players and coaches. She is also a founding member of the IGB foundation which uses money raised for scholarships for any girl that has ever played for IGB. Kasey is always the mom organizing the other moms with travel, snacks. You name it she does it with a smile, words of encouragement and a true love of sports She has traveled near and far to watch her 2 athletes compete and is there for them through the great times and the hard times. There is great love of her children, a true love of sports and a firm belief that sports help a child become a better stronger adult. She does all this while working a full time job. She and Matt also started the FItLivin Thanksgiving Day run 13 years ago in their back yard with about 20 people and a couple of years ago turned the race over to Hemophilia of Indiana as one of their main fund raisers. I may be prejudiced as I am Kasey’s mom but you will never find a more dedicated sports mom. She is just the best.Thank you for considering KaseyLinda Erwin
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I would like to nominate Janice Mccarroll not only as sports mother of the year but sports grandmother of the year.
Jan has raised 4 children who have all played division 1 college soccer at University North Carolina Greensboro, Clemson, Ohio State University and a son who played at Indiana University
Her oldest daughter Tara won 4 Marion county basketball titles at Brebuf and played in state finals for soccer. Her daughter Tracey was first mental attitude winner in soccer and won 2 state championships at Carmel High School. Her daughter Tammy won 2 state soccer championships at Carmel High School. Her son Tyler won 1 state soccer championship at Carmel on no 1 high school team in USA.
Grandson Cameron won HS state basketball championship at Guerin. He was on US youth national team in soccer and was 2 time all American at university of North Carolina and now plays for Indy Eleven . Granddaughter Cassidy played in state soccer finals and played soccer at Florida and Clemson
She also attends most of her other 8 under 10 yo grandchildren’s soccer,baseball and basketball games.
Pretty nice record
Thank you for reading this long email
John Mccarroll
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I’m a neurologist in Richmond, IN. I saw the request for the sports mom if the year award, and can confidently state that no one is more deserving than my nurse Lakeyah Carpenter.
Lakeyah is a graduate of Richmond High School. When not at the hospital, she is devoted to the basketball pursuits of her children.
Mason is a 6-2 PG for Richmond High School. Touted by the Indy Star as a top ten player in the class of 2025
Mason currently plays for the George Hill All Indy AAU team. No doubt you are more than aware of the travel and time commitments parents both have made and continue to make for their children to play at this level. Mason has offers from IUPUI and Miami, OH, and is looking forward to a busy summer of tournament play in front of D1 scouts.
Her twins, Kolden and Kennedy, are both in the 8th grade. Kolden is following in big brother’s footsteps, and already spends every weekend playing travel basketball. He currently plays in an Ohio based travel league, and earlier this spring won the All-Ohio Grassroots Gold Championship.
Despite all the challenges Richmond has faced over the years, including the recent plastics fire which drew national new coverage, Lakeyah is proud to call Richmond home. The town rallied behind the boys varsity team this winter, who played a style of team basketball that Hoosiers want to see at the high school level. Moms like Lakeyah make it possible for the people in the area to take pride in their school, and by extension, also their community.
Sincerely,
Jordan Raynor MD
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I would like to nominate Lakeyah Carpenter for sport’s mom of the year.
Lakeyah is a very kind and loving person, not only to her family, but to others always. It really isn’t a surprise that Lakeyah found her way into nursing. Her compassion, kindness, and willingness to see and want the best in others made nursing a career that made sense for Lakeyah. Outside of being a wonderful person and employee, Lakeyah is a very dedicated sport’s mother. Her son, Mason, is finishing up his sophomore year, and has accumulated a couple D1 scholarship offers. Lakeyah and her husband are very dedicated to helping her son achieve his goals and dreams. Hours are spent making sure Mason gets to where he needs to go, so that he can flourish in his passion. Lakeyah also has two other children, twins, who are just as busy as their older brother. Being a full-time working mother is not an easy feat, and being one of three children who are involved and active within their school and community, makes the job of mom even more taxing. Add in trying to provide opportunities for your child that was blessed with a gift that can’t be nourished in your backyard, and that makes the job very difficult. While all these outside stressors are present, Lakeyah never complains. She is always calm, reliable, and continues to take care of others with a kind heart. Her children, have hit the mom lottery and are very blessed indeed.
Stephanie Allen
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I would love to nominate Lakeyah Carpenter for this award! She is one of the most hardworking and deserving people I know!
Haley Defibaugh
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I was writing to make a nomination for sports mom of the year. This year I would like to nominate Lakeyah Carpenter. I work with Lakeyah who is a full time nurse in the Reid Neurology office at Reid Hospital. Lakeyah has 2 sons that are heavily involved in basketball. Her son Mason plays for Richmond High School throughout the school year. He played varsity ball as a freshman and has already been offered a scholarship at IUPUI in Indianapolis. Her son Kolden also plays elementary school basketball and Dirt Road basketball through the year. Both boys also play AAU basketball as well. At this time Lakeyah and her husband drive their sons 3 times weekly for AAU practice; Kolden to Dayton and Mason to Indianapolis. She is also gone each weekend to attend each boys' basketball games. Their daughter Kennedy also in on the track team and throws shotput and discus, so they have that obligation as well. All of her children are honor roll students and great examples for their peers. Lakeyah has a kind heart and would help anyone in need. She is very worthy of this "sports mom of the year" nomination.
Suzanne McCurdy MSN, RN
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I would like to nominate my sister Becky Collier as Sports Mom of the Year. Becky has been a dedicated sports mother ever since her first child started playing sports and has continued through her next four. Her children have played basketball since they were old enough to pick the ball up, dribble and shoot baskets. All five have played high school basketball at Danville High School where Becky teaches. Ella, her youngest daughter is currently playing at Marian University and the youngest son, Owen, has just completed his Junior year of high school. She has been there supporting her children through untold hours of practices, endless miles of travel for home and away games. Always there for them picking them with words of encouragement, and coaching through their careers. Most importantly raising five outstanding children while supporting them academically and athletically.
Wayne Hammons
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I am emailing you to nominate my wife for the Mom’s in sports “Sports Mom of the Year”.
My wife is Alyssa Dillard. She is currently the assistant softball coach at New Palestine High School under the head coach her Father, Ed Marcum. She played at New Palestine for her dad and then later at Indiana State University. She has been the high school varsity assistant for the past 11 years and has won the NFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year award. We have two boys Brayden (age 7) and Bryson (age 6) who both play sports. Currently they both play baseball at NPYL and Brayden is also on the NPYL 7U Dragons team. We together coach those three baseball teams. Our schedule is always full and choices of which game to go to happen quite frequently. Alyssa has put the boys first and makes most of their practices and all of their games. Sometimes going from softball to baseball and then back to softball. I’m not sure how she does this to be honest. On top of that she is a 5th grade ELA teacher at Raymond Park Intermediate and Middle School and was nominated for teacher of the year there. She does an amazing job of balancing the work of a teacher with being a coach on 4 teams this spring as well as being an amazing Mother and Wife. I’m sure there are a lot of great Moms in sports out there but not sure any of them have the schedule she does and somehow finds a way to be great at all her roles (Wife, Mom, Teacher, and Coach).
Thank you,
Jeremy Dillard
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Rhonda Swartz. Just read the story about Luke Swartz published by Indystar in the fall. That family has been through a hell of a lot and she has been nothing but an anchor for her family.
Andrew Charboneau
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I would like to nominate Julia Edey for SMOTY. Absolute dedication to her son Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers over the last 3 years. She raised a young man to a mature man in many respects. He won the National player of the year, because of love and support of Zach.
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I would like to nominate Caroline and Sonya Cork for “Sports Moms of the Year”. Caroline and Sonya are the two saints who married my brothers.
My family is full of athletes and competitors. My parents participated in high school sports and again at Butler. Following their lead, my siblings (2 brothers & 1 sister) and I were all 3-sport participants in high school. Three of us continued sports at Ball State University, and one continued professionally. Obviously, sports are a HUGE part of my family and life.
Understandably, my sister and I married ‘sports people’. My brothers did not…
While Caroline and Sonya did not participate in sports growing up, I am nominating them for “Sports Moms of the Year” because of their never-ending support and their love of being spectators of all sports. Caroline, Sonya, and all moms like them deserve recognition as the unsung heros behind sports.
As my niece and nephews have continued our family’s year-round “sport participation” legacy, Caroline and Sonya have not missed a game/match/meet/competition. Indiana weather does not deter these two. Whether it is snowing, sleeting or 110% humidity, they are on the sidelines cheering. This is after they stay up late the night prior making treats, posters, packing coolers, chairs, blankets, water bottles etc. And let’s not forget the chauffeuring to a zillion practices.
In addition to attending EVERY sporting event, they both have full time careers. Caroline, the preschool program manager at Speedway Christian Church, is the organizer, manager, and accountant for the school. She is hands on with the 13 teachers and 80 kids…encouraging, teaching, supporting, and hugging. You might even catch her on “clean up” duty when a kid gets sick. In other words, she makes a difference.
Sonya is a program manager and social worker at The Concord Center. Like Caroline, Sonya manages her program (that serves those in the community living with HIV) while also serving clients directly as their care coordinator. When she is not writing grants and performing administrative functions, you can find her directly helping her clients with items as simple as securing transportation to medical appointments to avoiding homelessness. In other words, she makes a difference.
I have no clue how my brothers and my entire family got so lucky with these two additions. Perhaps sports drew them in? Regardless, I am thankful for the opportunity to recognize Caroline and Sonya.
Cheers to all the “behind the scenes” sports moms!!!
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The date was September 8, 2022. It was a chilly, late summer evening as the Speedway Sparkplugs (HS enrollment 543) were taking the field against the Ben Davis Giants (HS enrollment over 4,000) in a highly anticipated IHSAA soccer match. The date had been circled for months on our family calendar – a chance for our Sparkplugs to show they could compete against their much larger westside rival. The bleachers were full of all the usual spectators – except one was absent that night. My wife Sonya, mother of the Sparkplugs’ center midfielder and one of Speedway’s “team moms,” would be missing a soccer game involving our son Toby for the first time in his high school career. Sonya had been making plans around September 8th for quite some time. Not only was it the day of the big game, but also the day of her surgery. Diagnosed with breast cancer a few months prior, Sonya worked diligently to ensure all her team mom duties were handled properly in advance of her upcoming surgery. Snacks needed to be prepared, game day locker treats needed to be delivered, senior night gifts needed to be made. Despite her diagnosis, nothing had changed with Sonya’s commitment to the team – nor did things change with her commitment to her job. Sonya has spent the last 25+ years working full time in the social work field for a local community center. Serving the needs of those in our community struggling with HIV (oftentimes coupled with poverty) is challenging by itself. Balancing this career with driving her son to countless practices and events throughout his childhood is an amazing feat. Add in multiple seasons as travel soccer team manager, high school team mom, as well as other volunteer positions, and her daily schedule can become overwhelming at times. Then cancer happens. When I suggested to Sonya that she consider scaling back her duties while going through all the appointments, tests, surgery, and daily radiation treatments related to her diagnosis, she was not interested in the discussion. Not only would she tackle this new challenge with grace and courage, but she would also do it without sharing her health news publicly (as she feared it would make other moms feel obligated to pick up her slack). With only one child compared to other moms with multiple children, Sonya surely could handle her duties without bothering others. To no surprise, she was right. Fast forward to the morning of September 8th… I wake up to find Sonya packing her Speedway gear in a bag to take to the hospital. Her planned schedule for the day: cook breakfast for Toby, surgery to remove breast cancer, attend the Sparkplugs v. Giants game that night. Sonya completed 2 of her 3 goals that day, failing to realize that major surgery may require a longer recovery time. By 7:00 that evening, Sonya and I return home from the hospital. Nauseous from pain medication and sore from surgery, Sonya begins demanding that I leave her alone at the house to attend the game. As I prepare to argue about staying home to assist her, I see the look in her eyes and know this argument is already over before it starts. In her mind, at least one of us must be at this important game to support our son and his team. There would be no debate. Later that night after the game was over, Toby and I arrived back home to find Sonya sobbing. Yes, she was still sore and nauseous, but that was not the cause of her tears. As it turns out, she had been watching the video that I had texted to her 30 minutes before our arrival… the one showing the final seconds of Speedway’s 2-1 victory over Ben Davis. At the end of her long day, Sonya was crying tears of joy. I would like to nominate my wife and my hero, Sonya Cork, for the 2023 IndyStar Sports Mom of the Year.
Scott Cork
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Hello, I was reaching out to nominate my mother, Julie Ferrucci for the "Sports Mom of the Year" award.
My mom has always been there for my brothers and I, supporting us through wins and losses, going to every game, making sure we had the proper equipment for practice, etc. We are very blessed to have her as a mother and without her, we certainly would not be where we are today.
But what makes our mom so special is the fact that she is a "Mom" to so many other athletes at Guerin Catholic. Dating all the way back to my older brother's Junior year of High School in 2015, she served as "Team Mom" for the GC football team. Since then she has gone on to hold a similar role for both the baseball and basketball teams as I progressed through high school, graduating in 2020, and through my younger brother's years, who will graduate this upcoming May. I know that the job takes a lot out of her, especially in a year like this one when GC made the state finals in basketball and there was seemingly no time before baseball was in full swing. Not to mention that my brother got hurt during football and she accepted the role knowing that he would not be playing all year! Her job never ends. Whether it is planning food for road games, coordinating senior nights, sending weekly updates for the team's practice and game schedule, organizing team dinners, she is constantly facilitating, helping to ensure that all the coaches have to worry about is coaching and all the players have to worry about is playing.
I know that her role takes dedication. For one, she has never had more than two children on the team at the same time. Effectively she is playing the role of mother to the rest of the team members in her efforts. There have been many nights when, for whatever reason, the food catering does not work out and she is forced to put together a pre-game meal. You would never believe the number of PB&Js she has made in one evening.
And when the season is over, her work does not stop. Right now, for example, she is putting together the basketball end of season banquet - ordering coaches gifts, planning out the food. She has mastered Sign-Up Genius at this point!
She does all of this selflessly, without getting paid and while teaching at our local grade school St. Louis de Montfort full time. My mom has a servant heart and I would love for her to see just how much her work means to us and to the entire Guerin Catholic community.
I realize that there are so many Moms out there that deserve this award and I just wanted to say that your mission to highlight them is commendable. I have always loved your coverage of Indiana high school athletics and you have made it easy to follow from afar - I now attend Boston College and your coverage has been great to read. Please know how much your work means to people like me that move away from Indiana but still have a connection to the state. It is journalists like you that make a real impact. So thank you. Wishing you a fantastic month of May!
Dominic Ferrucci
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Let me first say that once my wife, Kim, the mother of my three sons, Cale, Creighton, and Camden, finds out that I have nominated her for this award, I may be sleeping outside in the boys' treehouse!
While this is certainly an award that would be for 2023, this award would reflect what she has done for the last 29 years. I say that because when we were married in 1994, because I coached, she became the mom to all the student-athletes I coached. From day one she was providing team meals, team snacks, helping with laundry, and because I had this great idea to have several team overnights with my JRHS teams, she had several sleepless nights.
Over the years, she has cooked for as many as 20 young men. She has attended weddings of former players. She has even to attend a funeral, that of Sgt. John K. Rankel.
I say all this because as I describe what has encompassed her time in this past year, it is nothing that she has not done for the last 29 with her own sons or the sons of the teams I have coached.
For her, this is also kind of ironic, as when we were married, she didn't have a liking for sports nor probably could have cared less for them. She was more into the finer things in life like shopping and the show or acapella choir. But over the years she has become knowledgeable and FIERCE FAN for her boys!
Of course she still has a hard time finding her boys on the football field, or understanding why someone might want to go after a goalie for making a save, or why the shot/discus could not be done closer to the 1600 m relay, or what the difference is between an eagle, birdie, and bogey.
Thank goodness for map quest as she is directionally challenged even if she has been to that school many times before. Although, she does know where a lot of good out of the way restaurants are.
In terms of the 2022-23 school year, having three sons in different sports can always present a challenge. First, is family dinners are pretty much out the window except for Sundays. In fact, she would prepare a week's worth of dinner and put it in the fridge so the boys could warm it up during the week. Second is something she might do on a 24 hour a day basis and seven days a week = laundry. Try keeping enough socks, shorts, t-shirts, and school clothes washed for three young men. The phrase, "We live in a frat house" has been uttered numerous times due to the laundry and the fact the boys don't always clean their bathroom real well.
During the fall, it was extremely busy as our youngest son, Camden, sophomore, was playing JV football. Those games were on Monday nights. Creighton, senior, played varsity football so Friday was taken up. Camden also dressed and by the end of the year, we were fortunate that he moved up which made the last half of the year better. Our other son, Cale, senior, played soccer which meant that during most weeks there were games on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. If not three, then at least two. So for pretty much all fall, six days a week she was in the stands supporting her sons.
Two highlights from the fall season that really stand out, one football game versus Ritter - Creighton snapped, Camden held, and Cale kicked an extra point. She got that on her phone. The other was not really a "highlight" but more of what a mother does. We were on the road to South Dearborn for a regional soccer semi-final when we get a call from Creighton informing us that he had broken his finger at football practice. Let's just say there were some tense moments as the cell service went out in southern Indiana and mom couldn't be there for one of her boys. All turned out okay, but mom coordinated Uncle Todd taking Creighton to the med check.
Then we turned to winter and basketball. Not complicated enough that Kim is married to the head coach, but she also has three sons playing. Year started off real rocky with Cale getting his third concussion and a complex fracture of his right cheek bone from a fall suffered at mid-court. This was a 60 day recovery not to mention the fear for mom when he returned to play the last ten games with a mask of course. It also was another time where she would spend nights in the gym for two games as Camden split time between JV/Varsity. As I have said before, she not only took care of her three sons, but helped with team "mom" activities such as Christmas Team Brunch, Sectional Team Brunch, Locker Decorations, and helped with uniform washing for me. Attaching a great picture of her with the boys on Senior Night.
And now the spring has arrived, which means Creighton in track and Cale and Camden in golf. Also, with the addition that spring weather can wreak havoc. Even through all this she has not missed an event. Thank goodness for Google as at the first golf meet she was mixing up birdies, bogies, putts, pars, and drives. She is definitely getting better.
With all this said, she has made the life of raising three boys, supporting three boys, look easy! She will be wondering what to do with her time next year.
Her passion for her three boys is second to none and yet she makes all parts of being a sports mom look so graceful.
She is definitely deserving of recognition.
I’d start off by saying that if my mother knew that we were going to nominate her for this she would probably be so mad. Not because she wouldn’t want to win or doesn’t deserve it but because she’s the most selfless person I know. Kim Bennett has not only been a coach's wife for the last twenty years, she’s been a coach's wife and an athlete's mom for the last eighteen. She is the mother to myself, my twin brother Creighton and my younger brother Camden. I can’t think of an athletic event my mom has missed since I started playing soccer when I was 4. She’s at every single sporting event or fundraiser. She would never miss a sporting event for the world. Not only has she done it for one athlete, she's done it for three. I can also recall her taking me and my brothers to every single one of our dad's games when we were younger. She was the ultimate example of what a supportive mother and wife looks like. There’s not really one story that sticks out to me from my mom because she goes above and beyond over and over and over again. It’s the usual for her. I think of all the years of my athletics and how my teammates would always ask “Does your mom ever miss a game?” The answer to that was always no. I think there’s no one more deserving for this award or article than my mother. Being a coach’s wife and mother to 3 athletes who each play 3 sports is not easy, but you wouldn’t know that if you saw my mom. I’m sure my father and brothers will only add to what I had to say and there’s so many stories I could tell about my mom.I hope I get the opportunity to tell everyone else about these stories and my incredible mother. I hope that she gets chosen as Sports Mom of the Year because she’s earned it over the last 18 years.
Story 1: During little league baseball, one of our weekend tournaments took place during relay for life. After one of our games, which took place at the same park that relay for life was at, we walked over to our tent at relay for life. There was an "alligator" wrestling game going on, so in my baseball clothes, with my mom who just sat through a little league baseball game, we wrestled the 'alligator' and ended up winning.
Story 2: During my Freshman year, during a JV football game, it was pouring down rain, and super cold, my mom was sitting in the car outside the fence with my grandparents in a car next to her. My grandparents' car alarms randomly went off, and I remember just looking over and seeing my mom out of her car trying to get the alarms off.
Story 3: During my sophomore year basketball, we were playing our rivals, and as I went up for a rebound a kid straight up bit my arm. My mom, obviously after finding out about it, freaked out, and ended up putting it all over Facebook. Her reaction to it, and me having to pose for a picture of the bite mark in the morning for the next couple of days so everyone can see. The Facebook page is still there to this day.
Coach Chuck Bennett
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Happy Mother's Day! IndyStar Sports Mom of the Year nominees
