As anyone who’s ever been on either side of the relationship can attest, it’s not easy coaching your kid.
It’s also not easy being coached by a parent.
But as Cynthia and Peyton Lyons will tell you, it is so worth it.
The Palmyra swim coach/mom (Cynthia) and her star swimmer/daughter (Peyten) reached a bittersweet milestone in their unique mother-daughter/coach-swimmer experience on Tuesday when Peyten swam in her final home meet at Palmyra. It was a good day, as the Cougars celebrated Senior Night with an impressive victory over Lower Dauphin that put them on the brink of a fourth straight Mid-Penn Keystone Division title.
But it was also a time for reflection, and a few happy tears from Cynthia, as the significance of the day sunk in.
“I am so honored to be a coach, but I’m really more honored to be a parent,” Cynthia said, as a few tears formed in her eyes. “Tonight, I’m honored to be both. I’m so blessed to have this team, and I’m so blessed to have them as my family. I couldn’t be more proud of them and I couldn’t be more proud of my daughter.”
The two will be together on the pool deck for several weeks yet as the postseason begins to unfold, but after that it will be a brave new world for both of them. And also one they’ll look back on mostly fondly as the years pass.
“This day is bittersweet,” Peyton admitted. “Swimming for my mom, we’ve definitely had our ups and downs but we’ve mastered it. It’s gonna be bittersweet to leave but I’m excited to see where college takes me. It’s been fun.”
↧
A special Senior Night
↧