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Showing posts from November, 2012
My Beautiful, Winding Road  - a blog for espnW. Below, ictures from the road.

Good Bye Neighbor

The lights whirled. My head spun. I peered through the small square window of indestructible glass. My heart raced. I was uncertain. Was it rude to look? For a moment our eyes met. I didn’t smile. My face contorted into an uncertain grimace. I wanted to smile. I wanted to open the door, and say something silly, grab his hand and tell him that I cared, and that he’d be okay, and that if he needed anything, we were here, right next door, where we’d always been. Well, where he’d always been. I didn’t, though. I couldn’t. I was scared. Too scared. Fear won. The moment between us broke. He threw his head back in mad laughter as he sat the rapturous clutch of pain, still too proud to show weakness. Age hadn’t crippled his stature. He was broad, tall, and strong. His presence commanded attention. His gaze settled upon the roof of the ambulance; I thought maybe I’d been wrong to look. Tomorrow, he’d be fine. And when he came home, I’d walk across our ...

Update: Pick Up in the Park

Week Two: Pick Up in the Park . What a turn out.  We had over 25 people show up and play. Great local representation - mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, sisters, brothers, neighbors, and friends. Everyone got competitive and joined in on the play.  Novices competed against Olympians, All-Americans, and High School Football Coaches. What was the common denominator?  Competitive fun for all. This week's Pick Up Session will take place on Thursday, November 15 at 6:30pm. We will play under the lights on the tennis courts at Berlin Park. It'll be the first go on the tennis courts. Be patient. Eat dinner, then come play.  Just an FYI, I'll be away this Sunday. Please don't let that stop you from arranging a game. Remember, all you have to do is Show Up and Play.    Pick Up in the Park: Upcoming Week Purpose:   To empower creative play, develop competitive instincts, grow leaders, and unite our community with sport. It’s spontan...

Join Her. The Blue Collar Kid

Kylie Dawson at the on Nov. 4 Pick Up in the Park I look out onto the field, but she's not there. The fierce, nitty-gritty, blue collar, I'll-find-a-way-where-there's-not-a-way-kid is no where to be found. Where has she gone?  What have we done to her? I miss her. I miss watching her play. I miss the ferocity and focus of her eyes.  I miss her anger, her tears, her post game spazzes. I miss her exploration, her creativity. I miss her determination, her passion.  What have we done to her? Have the exorbiant costs of youth sports forced her out of the game? Have we praised pretty too much or patted her too often on the back. Have we overemphasized skill and dimmed her competitive instinct.  The early specialization, the debilitating costs, the pressure. Where's the fun in the game? Where's the exploration? The creativity? Where are the dialogues of different perspectives? The constructive conversations that prom...

On and On