Meet Cheryl Kaut, Proud Mother of the New York Lizards Goaltender
September 12, 2020 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
New York Lizards News Release
BOSTON - Cheryl Kaut loves the game of lacrosse. Her husband, Jim, played in high school and continued to share his passion as he coached at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania. The fondness for the sport spread to their children as Jim coached their son, Austin, in middle school.
Despite her evident appreciation for the sport, Cheryl has yet to work up the courage to watch Austin play in recent years.
"I have all good intentions of going in and watching," Cheryl said. "I start out trying to go into the game, but it's too nerve-wracking for me."
"Last season, she came into one of our games after we were up by eight or nine goals and there were only five minutes left in the fourth quarter," Austin added.
It's not that she can't face the idea of her son, the goalie for the New York Lizards, getting pummeled with shots, but it's because she can feel the pressure radiating off him.
"I know he doesn't want to let the team down," she said. "He's not a good loser. He wants to win for the team and I can feel the pressure on him."
Cheryl's nerves began kicking in around the time Austin was a sophomore in high school.
"When I became a starter in my sophomore year, it was immediate," Austin recalled. "I asked her, 'How did you like the game?' and she was like, 'I don't know, I couldn't watch it.'"
As most athletes do, Austin picked up on the different levels of competitiveness that he was playing at.
"When I was young, especially in club ball and middle school, she would come to every game and tournament. There wasn't as much pressure back then," Austin said. "As I started to play more in high school and in college, she really started to get more stressed than me." Although she won't watch the game in person, Cheryl will gladly watch highlights afterward.
Photo Courtesy of Cheryl Kaut
Regardless of how stressed or nervous she got, Cheryl always traveled to support her son. She would drive three hours with Jim to State College and wait in the car with the radio blasting until the game was done. There was one occasion where she went to turn the car on to go home, and it wouldn't start.
"I haven't killed the battery since he started playing professionally," she said. "I learned my lesson when he was in college."
Cheryl's love and support for Austin knew no boundaries as she and her husband would travel to as many away games as they could.
"They came to the Whitman's Sampler Independence Classic where we were playing in the Jacksonville Jaguar's stadium," Austin said. "She flew all the way down there with my dad and brother, but couldn't watch it."
To Austin, he's just glad to know she's there.
"The love and support she has always given me has provided me with the opportunity to play lacrosse. It's unbelievable," he said. "The love and support is always there, even if she's not watching."
New York Lizards Instagram: @NYLizards
New York Lizards Twitter: @LizardsLacrosse
Austin Kaut Instagram: @kautonit
Austin Kaut Twitter: @kautonit
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from September 12, 2020
- Meet Cheryl Kaut, Proud Mother of the New York Lizards Goaltender - New York Lizards
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