Five years ago, my husband was preparing to deploy. I had an infant who refused to sleep through the night, and a three-year-old who refused to nap consistently. We hadn’t faced a deployment since becoming parents.

Six months as a solo, stay-at-home mom was an intimidating abyss. I was determined to find ways to make the days manageable, and even fun—but had no idea how to do that.
Just before my husband left, I was painting pottery at Margie’s with a group of women from my church. Over pallets of glaze and cups of coffee I started voicing my worries out loud.

“How old is your oldest?” one woman asked.
“He just turned three.”
Then several women chimed in at once.
“Oooh — that’s the magic age in Minot.”

I had no idea what they meant. But they were right.
Three is a magical age.
March is the magical month.

That’s when summer sport registrations begin opening up, and suddenly a whole new world becomes available to you. From age three on, opportunities start to bloom. T-ball. Kickball. Gymnastics. Golf. Tennis. Sports camps. In March we’re looking past the snow, and toward endlessly light, warm summer days.

There is one catch: spots are limited, especially for the youngest participants.
I learned that the hard way.

That first year, armed with minimal knowledge of what Minot offered, I set my sights on a classic: T-ball through Minot Sertoma. It would get us out of the house, my son could play with others, I could sit in the stands with the baby and maybe — just maybe — talk to another adult.
Registration opened.
I forgot to set a reminder.

By the time I logged in the next day, every single three-year-old team was full.
I joined the waitlist, slightly devastated. A few days later, an email arrived:
“We have enough children on the waitlist to form additional teams. However, we do not have enough coaches. If parents are willing to step up and coach, your child will be placed on a team.”
And that is how I found myself coaching three- and four-year-old T-ball with a baby strapped to my chest and a husband deployed overseas.

For the record: I have never played softball. I did not grow up in little league. I had zero qualifications beyond “can show up, corral small humans, and provide snacks.”
But they didn’t need a former college athlete.
They needed someone willing to be there.

It ended up being wildly fun. Chaotic. Sweet. Slightly unhinged at times. But fun. For several years after that, I continued coaching T-ball and kickball through Minot Sertoma — partly because it guaranteed my kids (and our friends) a spot on teams, but mostly because I realized something important:
Opportunities exist here because volunteers create them.

Minot has an incredible number of summer sports and activity options for kids — but they don’t run themselves.
If you’re new, here are some places to begin looking as registrations open in March (this is not exhaustive — do your own research for dates and details):

• Minot Sertoma – Little League and kickball, starting at age 3
• Gymagic Gymnastics – Independent classes begin at age 3
• Rebel Gymnastics – Independent classes begin at age 3
• Minot High Tennis Camp – Starting at age 3
• Minot Soccer Association – Beginning at age 4
• Minot Junior Golf Association
• Minot Parks & Recreation – General fitness, tennis, Little League, spring track, Summer Olympics
• Minot State University – Summer sports camps across a variety of sports
If a minimum age isn’t listed, most programs begin around kindergarten.

Here’s what I wish someone had told me sooner:
Set reminders. Registrations fill quickly. Especially at the younger ages. And if you land on a waitlist? Consider coaching.
You don’t need to be an expert. You need to be willing.
Even if you don’t have kids, volunteering in youth sports is one of the fastest ways to plug into this community. It’s also one of the most practical responses to the complaint I still hear from time to time — “There’s nothing to do in Minot.”

There are things to do.
But they require people to make them possible.
Sometimes that someone is a sleep-deprived mom with a baby carrier who just needed an anchor for her day. Sometimes that someone is a young airmen with no kids, but a desire to invest in Minot.
Three really is the magic age here.
And March is when the door opens.

Come back next week when I discuss building long-term health with Cornerstone Chiropractic. For more on living in North Dakota, join me online at amyallender.com or on social media @HeyMinot.