Is your child bored at siblings’ sports events? Sideline Squad aims to be the solution

Shannon Caruso does not have fond memories of going to her brother’s wrestling tournaments in the 1980s.

She would find herself off in a corner somewhere, playing Barbie dolls with other kids and just waiting for the day to end.

“I would dread going to these things” knowing the family would be there for hours with not much for her to do while her siblings competed, Caruso said.

She disliked those tournaments so much that Caruso, of McHenry, had vowed to never step foot in another wrestling tournament again – that is, until her own sons started wrestling.

Even now, she looks around the field houses and see young children, the siblings of those wrestling, “going through what I went through 30 years ago. Nothing has changed. These kids are just miserable and their parents are miserable” attempting to keep the younger ones entertained, she said.

That is where the idea for the Sideline Squad started. Instead of the younger siblings hunkering down with a tablet all day during a tournament or running around a school building unattended, Caruso’s new business will give them something to do during that time. The kids club – or a Caruso calls it, an ongoing birthday party – allows parents to pay attention to their child’s game or match by paying the Sideline Squad to give their other children something else to do. The siblings won’t be bored silly or causing problems – all for about the same price as hiring a sitter, Caruso said.

When her friend, Robyn Blasy, heard about the idea, her reaction was, “Shannon, you are a genius,” Blasy said. She’s now on board as the Sideline Squad’s activities director.

Blasy, a teacher at McHenry School District 15, gets why something like this is needed. She spent large swaths of her own childhood at cheerleading competitions or with other friends at swim meets.

“Parents have to come prepared with an iPad, a charger, coloring books, concession stand money and for many trips to the bathroom,” Blasy said. And parents hope that while taking care of a younger sibling, they don’t miss the older child’s match either.

The very first Sideline Squad event is set for McHenry High School District 156′s homecoming game Friday at McCracken Field. Parents can preregister to have their potty-trained children, ages 3 to 12, go to Duker Elementary School instead of the game. Siblings will have activities, arts and crafts, and their own games to keep them busy. Caruso and Blasy and the staff they’ve hired will be at the McHenry Warrior home football games through this season.

They’ve also started working with area wrestling tournament organizers and hope to add more tournaments to their roster. As the concept grows and more tournament organizers and athletic directors get on board, they want to ramp up the business so other venues can have Sideline Squads, too.

By this time next year, Caruso hopes the idea has taken off so well that they are booked every weekend at sports tournaments. What she’s noticed, Caruso said said, is that the women athletic directors they have contacted tend to get what they are doing – maybe because moms are more often the ones chasing younger children at the tournaments.

The Sideline Squad is insured, and the adult staff are mostly schoolteachers looking to make extra income, Caruso said. They rent space from the school or venue where the tournament is taking place so parents only need to drive to one location.

As Caruso worked with parents and a daycare provider on her plans, they also worked out some potential kinks. Each child gets a wristband with a serial number, as does the parent who will be picking them up. Parents also get a map of where the Sideline Squad will be in the building, and where they should meet if there is an emergency.

Getting the business off the ground “has been very relationship-based. We have a good relationship with the districts we are working with,” Caruso said.

She said she assumed there would be roadblocks, “something I am not thinking about.” They haven’t hit many of those yet. As she’s talked to athletic directors, they’ve asked “what’s the catch,” like if they have to pay for the service. There isn’t one, Caruso said.

As a small company, right now they will consider providing the service at tournaments within a 60 mile radius of Chicago. They’ve had interest from farther afield – as far away as Iowa – but are not ready for that yet. But the business plan is scalable, and maybe even present the opportunity to franchise, she said.

For more on Sideline Squad or to register for an upcoming event, go to sidelinesquad.org.