In 1997 (I originally put 1979...that the year David made his appearance on earth, LOL. Sarah caught my error. Thanks, Sarah.) my son was a member of the first basketball team from his high school to gain a berth in the Final Four in its division here in Florida. Most of the boys had played together since junior high, and they worked well together as a team. A school holiday was declared, and parents, grandparents, students, and friends all traveled to Lakeland to experience the thrill of it all. The boys won the semi-final game, but in the final game, they fell to a team that had highly recruited (so they say,) and even though, we had some boys of real size, some of theirs were even taller.
I think the thing that impressed me most that day about the team was that while the other team was revelling in its win, our team stood like gentlemen. They were probably crying on the inside, but they held their heads high...a job well done. The girls' team did go on to win the state championship.
This past Wednesday, the team traveled to the Final Four again. Once again, there was a school holiday, and one of the teachers asked if I'd like to ride along and go to the game. I had thought of driving over, but I was very happy to ride along with someone else. By the time the game was ready to start, the stands were filled with fans, cheering the team on.
This time the team was much smaller, but very quick. The tallest player was about 6'2" and many were what one would call short, especially for a basketball player. But speed was their friend. The first half ended in a tie, and then the boys fell behind in the second half and were not able to catch up.
Being there again was just a lot of fun, seeing once again the school come together as a family, cheering the boys on. Pictured above is the shirt that I wore, the mom's shirt that I wore back in 1979 whenever David was playing.
Some of you remember the young man I wrote about three or four years ago...a young man with Fanconi's Anemia. He was in need of a bone marrow transplant at the time. He had that, and then he needed another, and even now there is some cancer in his body. His twin brothers are key players on this team. Anthony was there, even though he was in an area isolated from everyone, cheering his brothers on. And everyone is still cheering for Anthony.
12 comments:
I bet your son appreciates that you still support his team, Beverly. Good for you!
What good memories you have, Beverly!
Go, ANTHONY! It's difficult to consider how much some kids go through, isn't it.......xx
I'm sure that was a trip down memory lane for you! So good to see both you and Sarah last week.
Having had a son and grandson who live for and play hockey I so understand the excitement at one of these sporting events.. especially a final game. The competitive spirit is strong in these young men. To hear how your son's team carried themselves with grace even when their team lost shows how much they have won at the game of life. You must have been so proud.
I remember those days, when Nyssa played on a small team, in a small school league... There is no major league basketball team or football team or baseball team that can come close to the excitement one feels when their child is out there doing their best (win or lose) and having FUN at the same time!
What fun! And you still have the important teeshirt, good for you! You are obviously a real fan!
And good luck to Anthony, nice to know that he is recovering.
Go, Anthony, go! Great post full of memories, Beverly.
Nice for your son that you still go and cheer him on. Wonderful memories - I can imagine. My boys were in hockey and it seemed every saturday morning we mothers sat cheering them on, drinking disgusting machine coffee while feeding our younger kids machine chips or doughnuts to keep them happy. Ahhh - where did those years go?
Yes, I remember Anthony. It's hard being sick and having to be separated from the others.
Great memories and so much fun to relive them.
Its great that Anthony could at least go to the game even if he has to be isolated.
hey bev, just got through reviewing all the pic's of em and i think her and jessica's daughter on her blog absolutely blow me away, and i have hanna who i should be partial ttooo since she is my very own, but these pixies are in my heart
i mean ella, where is my head?????
God be with Anthony. How neat that he was there to cheer for his brothers.
It sounds like you had fun!
David's team learned to lose with dignity and move on.
I played sports in Junior High and High School, and I learned that you win some and you lose some. It's what happens in real life in many areas.
I think that losing in sports also taught me to not give up. You lose some, but then you get right up and keep on doing your best and fighting for another win.
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