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Soccer

Saturday 11 November 2023

Today was the first day of the end-of-the-season tournament for E’s soccer team. He didn’t participate last year because his team didn’t participate: it’s an additional event, with additional fees.

We went into the first game hopeful: the boys had beaten them a couple of times in scrimmages, but this, I believe, was the first time they played an actual game. It was tied 2-2 when the referee made an awful call, calling a foul on our goalie when it was clearly a legal play. He’d dropped to the ground to reach out and stop the ball, and the attacker fell on him. How that was a foul I’ll never know. No one will ever know. But the ref awarded the other team a penalty kick, and that put them over: our boys lost 2-3. Technically, they didn’t. But technically doesn’t count.

The Boy was devastated. For the first time this year, he was on the verge of tears about the game. “We tied them!” he insisted, and I agreed. Still, what’s done is done: refs make awful calls all the time.

The boys’ second game went much better, with a stunning 6-1 win. They’d played that team twice before, beating them both times. So we go into tomorrow’s games 1-1. We’ll see how it goes.

Basketball Practice

Wednesday 1 November 2023

The Boy is playing basketball with his church team again this winter. This year, he moves up into a much wider age bracket — middle school players. So there’s up to a two-year difference between the boys on the team.

He looks much better than he did this time last year, but he’s still unsure of where to go, what to do — how to play the game. The other boys are aware of his inexperience as well: there’s a wide range of skill levels on the team. And of course, the Boy is aware that they are aware. I find myself wondering how this affects his self-confidence in the game. He said nothing about it on the drive back home this evening, and that’s a good sign. Still, we have to start going back to the Y for practice again.

Playoffs, Game 2: The End of the Season

Monday 23 October 2023

The Girl’s volleyball team played in the second round of the division playoffs tonight, facing River Bluff just as they had last year. Last year, the girls won in straight sets, but each set was by the closest margin.

This year, River Bluff jumped out to a 1-8 lead in the first set, and I was afraid it might be one of those nights. However, they fought back and eventually tied it at 13. That means they went on a 12-5 streak. And what did they do after that? They gave up 7 consecutive points, ending up at 13-20 in a heartbeat. This has been the story of this team this year: they pull back and tie a set or they roar ahead and dominate a set, only to give the points back. So they lost the first set 19-25.

The second set they jumped into the lead and held a two-point lead for a long time before River Bluff tied it up at 18. At one point, they were down again, 22-23, but they tied it on a big hit from L. They went on to with the second set 25-23, which is the same score they won their final set against River Bluff last year.

In the third set, it happened: they fell apart and could not pull themselves back together. It was 3-3, and suddenly that transformed into 4-10. Then it was 9-17. They just never managed to keep it together and ended up getting trounced 13-25.

I don’t mind so much when the Girl’s team loses when they just get out-played. I don’t like to see them beat themselves so badly.

Down two sets to one, the girls had to pull it out in the fourth set to send it to a final fifth set. They were doing fine, trading point for point until it was 5-5. But just as happened in the third set, they began playing uncoordinated ball and soon it was 7-13: a 2-8 run. They fought back to make it 18-19, but then they gave back three more points to make it 18-22. In the end, they lost the fourth set 20-25, thus bring their 2023 season to a close.

And in the end, tears. Tears because it was the end of the season, and seven seniors will be leaving this year. Tears because it was the end of the season after a state championship that they were all convinced they could repeat. Tears because of the stress of a whole season and the release when it all comes to an end.

There is a sliver of a silver lining in all this: the Girl desperately needs a break for her ankle to heal some. At least now she’ll get some rest before club season starts. But that’s little consolation when you see your daughter in tears.

But we have a 3-0 sweep and a subsequent state championship from last year to keep in the bank…

Practice

Monday 16 October 2023

August 13, 2020

When the Girl decided she wanted to play volleyball, when she tried out for the team as a sixth grader and didn’t make it, when she became really determined, she’d come ask me, “Padre” (She’d started calling me that by then) “can we go out to the front yard and practice volleyball?” I’d toss her balls, simulate spikes, help her practice running for balls — all the basic skills someone of my eager volleyball means could help with given our lack of a net.

At some point, she asked me for the last time to go help her practice. I didn’t realize it was the last time she would ask me, and to be honest, I don’t know if I even agreed to it. She might have asked, and I might have made some kind of excuse. Or maybe we went and practiced one last time.

She hasn’t asked me to do that in years now. She probably never will again. The last time, passed without knowing, fully past with complete knowledge.

So when the Boy asked if, instead of swimming tonight, we could practice basketball, I agreed. I didn’t really want to: I wanted to get some serious exercise in the pool. But he’s that age: how many more times will he ask? When will be the last time?

Today’s Cheerleaders

Thursday 21 September 2023

The Girl’s varsity team played a big rival tonight. The rumor is, one of the girls on the team is the next Journee, the powerhouse hitter we had last year who was number one in the state and number eleven in the nation. They already beat a team that beat us at a tournament this year, so it was going to be a tight match.

The first two sets, though, we won handily: 25-20 both sets. The third set we jumped out to a big lead only to lose it. The fourth set we jumped out to a big head only to lose it again, but we managed to regain it and win 25-23.

Among those cheering were the girls that came to Mauldin’s summer volleyball camp. They were there to cheer on their instructors/mentors, and boy did they cheer.

Soccer

Saturday 16 September 2023

Victorious

Monday 8 May 2023

Congratulations to our girls’ soccer team, who won the district championship tonight.

Several of my students are on the team, so I had to go watch this — not just our school to cheer but individual students I’ll see in class tomorrow and give high fives.

They went to extra time, scored at 0-0, and they won in the final minute of extra time. In a way, though, I feel awful about it: they didn’t win on a big strike to the corner of the goal. It was a goalie mistake, pure and simple. Almost a beginner’s mistake, I would say. The goal slumped down and began weeping. I felt awful for her: she’s going to feel the whole team did their part, and then she let them down. She’s going to relive the moment endlessly. She’s going to beat herself up over that for weeks. And the team will (and already did) huddle around her and cheer her up, tell her everything is fine — “We did the best we could!” But that won’t help. At least not for a while.

High Jump

Saturday 18 March 2023

The Girl won first place in the high jump today.

First Meet

Saturday 11 March 2023

The Girl had her first meet today. As in, the first meet of her life, not just of the season. It was a monster all-day meet, with 35 schools competing. She took third in the varsity high jump.

Three Pairs of Shoes

Friday 10 March 2023

The Girl has taken up field sports — javelin, discus, shot put (?!), and high jump. Today, here throwing shoes arrived, slick on the bottom to allow for maximum spin.

“Now I have three pairs of shoes to take to meets,” she laughed. That doesn’t count whatever she might wear to the meet.

Game 2

Saturday 25 February 2023

It was a close game, tied 0-0 at halftime and even throughout the vast majority of the second half. And then, with about one minute remaining, the opposing team scored.

It was disappointing, but the boys played well.

Last Game of the Regular Season

Saturday 4 February 2023

The Boy had his final regular season game today. Coach had him in the entire first quarter, and he got a rebound that he put back up for a basket.

That’s one basket a game for the last three games.

Toppled

Saturday 28 January 2023

The Boy’s basketball team took down an undefeated team in today’s game. K and I didn’t know that they were undefeated until the end, but I suspected: with about half of the third quarter remaining, down 14-8, a boy from the opposing team seemed like it was all he could do to keep back the tears, and he continued in this state until the end of the game. The Boy’s team lost their first game just a couple of weeks ago, so we know how that stings.

As for pictures — only one. From long ago.