Capturing the Glory Days

The idea of taping your kids’ sporting events is certainly not a new one, but I’ve discovered a new use for these recordings. Well, maybe it’s not exactly a “new” use, but it’s new to me as I hadn’t ever thought of doing this before. I tape my kids’ sporting events not only to preserve the memories, but to use as a teaching tool.

Saturday, I taped the football game in which my son was playing and at which my daughter was cheering. My daughter is a flyer which means that she’s the one at the top of the pyramid, and she’s the one who gets tossed around like a ragdoll. (It’s also a contributing factor to why I have gray hair.) Anyway, at the game on Saturday, the girls dropped her while doing a stunt. She landed on her back and had the wind knocked out of her, but wasn’t seriously injured.

Later, my daughter said that she thought one of the girls holding her had backed away instead of catching her. We were able to look back at the tape and ascertain that none of the girls had actually backed away. We could see what went wrong and how the girls can do it better the next time. My son benefits from watching the tapes as well. In fact, his coach has the entire team watch the game-day videos so they can see what they did right and what worked well, and they can see what they need to improve upon.

I’ve been hesitant to record sporting events in the past because I enjoy taking pictures of them and it’s really hard to hold a still camera and click pictures while also holding a video camera and filming. Believe me, I’ve tried. With my Sony Handycam, I can record, and when I want to snap a picture, the press of a button lets me change modes and take still shots. How awesome is that, right?

So now I’m all into recording the football games. The videos are teaching tools now. Soon, the videos will be a fun way to reminisce. And one day, they’ll be a way to relive “the glory days” and “that one time I sacked the quarterback fives times in a game”.

Want to capture your own family memories on video? We’re giving away two Sony Handycams! To enter for a chance to win, simply comment on any Sony-sponsored post (including this one) with an answer to the following question: what’s your favorite family memory? Contest runs through 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 30th, 2012, and you may enter once per post. Contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Want a chance to win weekly prizes like a Sony Handycam or a $200 Disney shopping card? Enter to win here!


A big thanks to Sony for sponsoring this campaign. Click here to see more of the discussion.