Another Tourney

A month ago I was writing about tragedies in life - poverty, earthquakes, early deaths etc. Now as I sit here, our family is anticipating another state tournament in adapted floor hockey.

What's interesting to me is the amount of energy I (and many others) put into the up coming games. We read about the opponents, we talk about who we'd rather face, we prepare celebrations, we honor our kids for their hard work so far and we get nervous! Yes nervous! Why? I don't really know. Everyone likes to be on a winning team, but when you compare a sporting event with the more serious topics poverty and death, it really doesn't belong on the same page.

A bunch of kids from several teams are going to gather at one place and duke it out for the honor of "State Champ." Don't get me wrong, it's a great honor and it shows a dedication to a lot of hard work. But in the light of those more serious topics, it fades so quickly.

I am mashing this around in my head because I recall our first state tournament. We had never been there before and I had never played a sport so I had no expectations whatsoever. I was merely thrilled to be there. I remember talking with the coach briefly about the upcoming games and trying to size up our chances of any kind of success. It turned out that we not only had a good chance, we were "State Champs" that year.

This year with 3 tournaments under our belt and 2 previous championships, I find my nerves getting to me if I think too far ahead. The sad part about this is that if I don't get them under control, I am going to miss the excitement of simply being at the tournament. On the other hand, I get the nerves because we've had a successful regular season and we do have a legitimate shot at that coveted title again.

I've watched the kids go through these before and I prefer their attitude to some extent. In most games, win or lose, about 10 minutes after the game they're back to just being kids. They leave that emotional baggage on the floor and go on with life as if they'd never been in a heated contest.

So here's to a good tournament for every team, a fun time for all the parents, family and friends and may the best team come home "State Champs."