AS THE sun rises over Tennessee baseball diamonds, golf courses, and public school parking lots, parents like Tana Adams make sure uniforms are freshly washed, the fridge is stocked, and the calendar is filled out. Adams is more than a spectator at her twin sons’ games. She and her husband, Ben, are steadfast supporters, cheerleaders, and confidantes. It’s not always easy, but boy, is she proud.
Tana’s sons, Ethan and Drew, have been in sports since they were 3. Their father, Mike Himmelmen, started them in baseball as early as he could.
“Their dad could not wait until they were old enough to play sports,” Tana said. “They played at the YMCA. They didn’t keep score or anything, but he was just so determined. He couldn’t wait for them to get into baseball.”
In November of their eighth grade year, Ethan and Drew’s dad unexpectedly died from a heart attack. That year, they finished the rest of their season and then quit baseball.
“That was really hard for me as the parent because we had put so much time and money and energy into it,” Tana said. “But I think it was honestly the best thing for them.”
It made sense to Tana. Their dad was the one who was passionate about baseball, and she knew they didn’t want to play anymore. But while grappling with the loss of her sons’ father, and the loss of her sister a year prior, she knew the boys needed to be doing something.
“I just didn’t want them to miss out on those relationships and that drive that sports gives you, to do better and be better,” Tana said. “They could quit baseball, that was fine, but we were starting high school, and they were going to have to do something other than just school.”
Come August, they both joined the golf team. Ethan also started in robotics, and Drew joined the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Tana and her husband, Ben, worked with the boys’ stepmom to make sure they had someone in their corner at every event possible. She said it was incredibly expensive and hot.
“There was almost always at least one of us there at everything,” Tana said. “If they were at a robotics competition, we were there cheering. If they were at a baseball game, we were there cheering. If they were at a golf match, we were in the golf cart being quiet but cheering.”
Ethan decided he wanted back on the baseball team the summer before his sophomore year. Unfortunately, many of his former teammates spent a year training and honing their baseball skills. Ethan had fallen behind and didn’t make the team. It was hard for Tana to watch him struggle. And when they got into middle and high school, it was hard for her not to absorb their growing pains in general.
“I tried not to be that person who texts the coach and says, ‘Hey, why isn’t my son playing?’ or ‘What do we need to do to fix this?’” Tana said. “It’s hard watching them find their groove.”
She and Ben got Ethan a gym membership, and he took it upon himself to train morning, afternoon, and night until it was time for tryouts the next summer. His coach took him back onto the team as a pitcher — a triumph for the whole family. Drew continued on the golf team and continued with FBLA.
Knowing that academic scholarships are more common than athletic ones, Tana and her sons prioritized school through it all. Both in Advanced Placement classes, there were times when one of the twins would stay up late for a game or tournament, have homework to catch up on afterward, and still make it to a 6 a.m. workout or practice.
“There’s probably times I wish I could go back to when they were little and take some things back that I said about different games,” Tana said. “You can’t lose sight of what it’s all about. Remember to have fun and enjoy it and not put too much pressure on them because they’re putting enough pressure on themselves.”
Their work ethic was never something she worried about. They had always been good in school, involved in sports, and competitive with one another. They just had two goals: to graduate in the top 10 of their class and go to a Southeastern Conference (SEC) school.
They’re both headed to the SEC’s University of Tennessee Knoxville this fall on academic scholarships after graduating seventh and eighth in their class while wrapping up successful senior seasons. So, for parents with young athletes at home, take Tana’s advice. She may know a thing or two.
“Leave the coaches alone; they know what they’re doing,” Tana said. “And let them have fun. Be proud of whatever they do out there. If they’re doing their best, that’s all you can ask for.” GN
