25 hours of flying, 6 weeks, 6 games, 2 continents, and 1 mother's love

Every week of the fall, parents and family members of college football players crisscross the country to support their sons and watch them compete live and in person.

Few, however, have made a road trip quite like the one Kathryn Mastromanno is wrapping up on Friday.

Six weeks after boarding the first of four connecting flights from Melbourne, Australia, to Tallahassee, Fla. -- a trip that included 25 hours in the air over two days -- Mastromanno is heading home after watching her son, Alex, play the final six games of Florida State's 2021 football season.

She departed Australia on Oct. 21 and arrived in Tallahassee around midnight the morning of the 23rd.

"Ten hours later, I was at the Legacy Walk [to Doak Campbell Stadium] and saw Alex for the first time," Kathryn said. "It was pretty special."

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Before that weekend, the last time Kathryn Mastromanno saw her son in person was when he came home during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020 -- nearly 18 months earlier.

She also had never seen him play American football before that October day against UMass, when he punted one time for 47 yards in a 59-3 Florida State victory.

"It was incredible. It was unbelievable. It was just so exciting," Kathryn said of seeing her first game in person. "I just enjoyed every minute of it. It was so fun. ... The whole atmosphere was incredible. I've never experienced anything like it."

It was a long time coming.

Alex Mastromanno didn't grow up playing American football. Kathryn started him in tennis when he was 3 years old, and then he took up Australian rules football around the age of 5. He also was a competitive swimmer.

"He just always loved sport -- the competitive nature of sport," Kathryn said.

But after excelling in Australian football and playing at the club level, Alex decided to try out for Prokick Australia, an organization that trains players to make the transition to American college football or the NFL.

At the time, Kathryn had only seen "bits" of NFL games on television and knew very little about the sport. But when Alex explained that it might lead to an opportunity to attend college in the United States and perhaps eventually a professional career, she was completely on board.

"I just thought that would be such a great experience. An amazing experience," Kathryn said. "I just thought it would be a fantastic opportunity, as much as I would miss him."

Alex performed so well at Prokick that he ended up signing with Florida State in December of 2019 as part of Mike Norvell's first recruiting class. He would enroll at FSU the following month.

His American journey would take a detour, unfortunately, when COVID-19 forced FSU and other universities to close their campuses in the middle of that semester. The punter went home to Australia for a few months, but once he returned to Tallahassee to prepare for the 2020 season, it would be the last time he would see his family for well over a year.

With Australia enforcing strict travel restrictions for about 20 months due to the pandemic, Alex's entire first year of college -- and then some -- was spent with his mother on the other side of the world.

"I watched every game [on television]," Kathryn said. "We never missed a game at home. We were so excited. Usually, with the time difference for some of those games, I'm up at 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning. Obviously, I liked the later ones around 8 in the morning (laughing). But it was just so fun and exciting to be able to see them."

It was no replacement for seeing her son in person.

With the 2021 season approaching, Kathryn decided to apply for a government travel exemption this past summer. She sent in the paperwork in July, received the approval in August and booked a flight for October.

The only concern was there was no guarantee she would be able to catch a flight back to Australia if the travel ban wasn't lifted by her return date in early December.

"I was told if I came over that it could be a problem for me getting back home," she said, adding that it could have meant a delay of a month or more.

After not seeing her son for more than a year, "That didn't bother me at all," she said.

The trip to America came off without a hitch.

Over the next six weeks, Kathryn attended each of the Seminoles' remaining games. She traveled to Clemson with the family of FSU placekicker Ryan Fitzgerald, and she also flew to Boston for the Seminoles' win at Boston College on Nov. 20. There also were home games against Miami and N.C. State, along with one more road trip to Gainesville.

During games, she often sat with Alex's friends or other players' families, all of whom were more than happy to help educate her about the sport.

"I definitely have a much better understanding now, seeing the games live," she said. "And just having that full experience has been amazing."

While the games were a highlight, Kathryn also enjoyed just watching her son take part in the American college experience. She also often stopped by FSU's practice fields to check out Alex and his teammates going through drills.

"Just to see what his day-to-day life is like," she said. "We can talk to him on the phone, and he can tell us what it's like. But until you actually get here and see it -- how intense the training is and all of those other aspects of the game -- you can't really imagine what it's like until you see it in person."

On Friday afternoon, however, Kathryn will begin the long trek back to Melbourne.

Australia lifted its travel restrictions in November, and even with concerns rising about the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, she was told she can fly back as long as she quarantines for three days upon arrival.

It has been quite the journey, and even with all the red tape and uncertainty, Kathryn says she has enjoyed every minute.

"I'm planning to do the same thing again next season," she said.

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