School is closed on Friday because the North Tama Redhawks are playing in the Class A Football State Championship game.

Oh, and half the businesses in town will also be closed.

The team made it to the championship game 2 years ago, only to lose by 1 point in overtime.  Last year, they lost their semi-final game.    I think tomorrow’s game will be pretty tough, but if nothing else, we’ll have a big crowd.  The playoff games are played in the UNI-Dome which is only 30 minutes away, making it pretty convenient for the North Tama supporters to show up en masse.  Last week, I joked that we ought to have a town meeting, since all of us were all assembled.

On the one hand:  it’s exciting.  Of course it is:  I’ll be shouting and screaming and clapping, right along with everyone else in the crowd.

On the other hand?  This mom wishes that even a tiny percentage of this attention could be spared for, I don’t know: Academics?  Our music program?  The other team sports, especially some of our girls?

Along those lines:  Mark and I are helping to coach a team of 5th and 6th graders who are participating in First Lego League — it’s a robotics competition, but there is also a research project component.  Tomorrow evening (right after the game!) the kids are going to a practice competition:  no scores, just a chance to get a taste of what the real competition will be like in December.

The kids are doing a 5 minute skit, plus they have their robot to run, and today we had a really successful, if LOUD and CRAZY WILD, practice.  They have memorized the skit and it’s got some good solid facts, plus some humor, and it’s going really well.  And the robot! On the final run-through, all 3 group’s programs completed their missions with 30 seconds to spare, so that was pretty exciting.

All of this is to say:  some worldwide good vibrations for the Redhawks:  both the football team and the Robo Redhawks,  would be greatly appreciated tomorrow.

And maybe some Excedrin for me, please.