I like sports and encourage participation. I appreciated and enjoyed the opportunities I had playing and coaching for many years. There were some great moments of celebration and bragging rights. There were numerous others of misgivings and second-thoughts and what-could-have-been. But looking back - I would not want to have missed one of the moments.
Great team mates, practices, hard work, persistence, more practices and attempting to be and do your best. And then there were the games. Games are the smallest part of the entire experience. But those minutes in a game situation are the ones that count for the ages.
Super Soccer Saturday is a great tradition for Southwest and South students, families and community. Generally they are exciting and fun and two wonderful rivalries continuing in the spirit of fair play, competition and youthfulness. This year's pair of Saturdays were great examples of people coming together and enjoying the moments.
Saturday, we played games and it was a beautiful fall day under a partly cloudy blue sky. Just enough breeze to smell the beginning of fall and sufficient heat to get one of those last sunburns. Lots of people coming and going as the games progressed through the day. Hot dogs, candy and popcorn provided the energy and smoke and smells.
As the sun was setting in the west and we were finishing the last game of the day one of those moments in time happened. 88 minutes of soccer reflected the intense spirit of the competition and the balance of talents between the two teams.
It was a corner kick and the ball left the foot and sailed into the hands of the opponent. A move that had been practiced countless times both offensively and for defense. Everyone was in place and moved with speed and timing. Then the player struggled with the ball and feel back. It was a score and with that score the game was won. That moment in time will be remembered forever.
I love sports and playing sports. It is those moments I hate. Regardless of the season, it is the last game that is remembered. No matter how many lifetime friends we make it is the win loss record that gets attention. No matter how many great and wonderful things that happen throughout the season it is that moment in time that stays with us.
No single event in a game causes victory or defeat. It is the accumulation of all the plays and movement and bounces of the ball or puck. No one play and no one player is responsible for all that happens. There were countless opportunities to score during the regular play. The other team scored because of an error and miscue at some other time.
I feel for those who will keep that moment in time tucked away and replayed way too often. The rest of us must remember we have our own moments in time and make sure we celebrate together and share in our victories and defeat. I speak from too many years of my own moments in time
No comments:
Post a Comment