The Parks Family of Eight Rises to Life’s Challenges Writer / Aaron Tevebaugh Photography Provided
Meet the new Plainfield Middle School 7th Grade Softball Coach Bryan Parks, his wife Carly, and their six amazing children. I have spent the last eight years working in leadership development and the last five years serving on the Avon Town Council. Needless to say, I have had the privilege of meeting a lot of people. However, it’s rare that I come across an individual, let alone an entire family, who I find absolutely impressive in all aspects. Though they love the competition and life lessons team sports provide, the Parks are a family first and athletes second.
I had the opportunity to meet the Parks family in the spring of 2017 when Bryan coached my daughter’s 8U softball team in Plainfield. Early on, I could tell there was something special about this family. His wife Carly was an assistant coach, his daughter Grace was also on the team, and the remaining family members were always hanging out around the fields. Yes, all the children, which were only four others at the time, and even grandparents were present to lend a helping hand. As the season progressed and I got to know more about Bryan and Carly, I could see they were exactly the kind of people I wanted coaching my daughter. In a world where fistfights and unruly parents at sporting events are the norm, I could tell these two had it together,
both on and off the field. When Bryan and Carly decided to start a family, they were faced with challenges from the start. They struggled for several years with infertility and after much research, thought, and prayer they came to the decision of entertaining adoption. They had some help in the process due to the fact a close family member had completed the process of adopting a girl from China. During the process of adoption, they received an amazing surprise, they became pregnant with their oldest daughter Sidney, who is now 13 years old. They were even more surprised two years later to find they were again expecting with their oldest son Jackson.
28 / PLAINFIELD MAGAZINE / FEBRUARY 2020 / PlainfieldMag.com
