2008.10.11

Our Junior High football season has only one game remaining. This past Thursday we played our 6th game of the season. Just like the previous 5, we lost. The photo pretty well sums up our day. We looked like boys playing against men. Our team captain for the game was 4'8" and 70 pounds. Their team captains were at bare minimum 5'8" and 150 pounds. It was a very real David versus Goliath.

On our second play of defense, the opposition running back broke 8 tackles and rumbled 65 yards for a touchdown. The floodgates opened and never really closed. The opposing team never put in their second team. They left their starters in for the full game. With a minute to go in the 4th quarter leading by a score of 44-0, they continued to throw deep and get the ball into the end zone. They were successful. We lost by a score of 50-0.

There are two trains of thought. One, it is classless to leave your first team in the ball game and continue to attempt to score when we were so thoroughly beaten. The second notion, it is a game, and they continued to play the game to the best of their ability. They competed on each and every play, they were playing to win and it was our job to stop them.

The reality, I have no control over how the opposing coach runs his team. My job is to prepare my team. My team failed to block on offense and failed to tackle on defense. We lost. That falls on me and not on anything the opposing coach did.

Mini-Omega (MO) continues to deal with post concussion problems. He had 6 hours of neuralgic/psychiatric testing on Thursday. On Tuesday, we will return to the hospital to receive the test results. MO acts normal 95% of the time. Then, in the blink of an eye he does something completely bizarre. A few days ago MO tried to put his shoes on the wrong feet and couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Fortunately, MO is able to exercise again. On Friday, after school, MO went to the track for a timed mile. He ran a personal best, 7:38. This morning, MO competed in a 10K (6.2 miles) race in Vandalia, Ohio. He finished in 1:06. He placed second in his age group. I am happy with his effort.

I talk with other parents from time to time. When youth exercise comes up, I mention that MO runs 5K and 10K races in addition to youth triathlons as a means of staying in shape. Nine out of ten times my comments are met with chuckles and, "Yeah, a 9-year-old in a 10k, that would sure be something." to which I have to say, "No really - he competes in 3 and 6 mile races with adults." This is usually followed by a look of bewilderment.

To take this commentary back to the beginning and close it out... whether you are talking about football, triathlons, wrestling, or checkers... Excellence DOES NOT happen by accident.