THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON
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Every week this past winter, my neighbors drove to Massachusetts to cheer and support their granddaughter and her high school ice hockey team. In Kennebunkport, I have a friend who rarely missed streaming her granddaughter Lulu’s Florida soccer games or her New Hampshire niece’s basketball bouts.
I share that passion. But for all of us now, the season is over.
Granddaughter Maddie’s competitive Portsmouth (NH) Clippers lost in the semi-finals of the Division 1 state basketball championship Tuesday night. The starters — Margaret, Avery, Kenzie, Sydney and Maddie — played tough, smart and super-aggressive ball, especially in the first quarter. But despite a stand-up-and-roar crowd of parents and season-long supporters, most clad in maroon and white sweatshirts, hats and scarves (school colors), and even though 100+ Portsmouth High School students vociferously yelled DEE-FENSE! DEE-FENSE from the stands, the dream of a PHS state championship faded as the Bedford Bulldogs outscored the Portsmouth Clippers.
There was no joy in Mudville.
Like many of my “grandparent friends,” I’ve spent countless hours sitting on hard-as-a-rock plank seats in a smelly gym, or driving to Nashua and Keene in the rainy dark for an away game, or listening to rapper Lil Baby’s “Life Goes On” blaring as the girls warmed up on the court. (OMG, what awful music!) I’ve squeezed back tears watching the team stand hand-in-hand during the singing of our National Anthem. I will miss that.
Today, many young athletes have played their sport for years — in town leagues, at specialty camps, on AAU travel teams, and then in high school. They practiced near daily while also training physically and mentally. They and their parents traveled miles to “showcase tournaments” hoping to catch the eye of a college coach. (Maddie and parents went with her AAU teams to Atlantic City, Nashville, Cincinnati and Hershey, among other destinations.) Evening meals during the week were scheduled around practice. Sunday team sessions squelched church.
Being the parent of a dedicated athlete today requires more than waving a pompom at the game. Travel and equipment costs are expensive. Parents need patience, understanding and compassion when their child has a bad game or suffers a sprain or torn ligament. And despite year-round training and practice, not all team members make the starting line-up. It’s tough to see your child on the bench, itching to go into the fray.
Mary-Lou Retton once said, “A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.”
One of my favorite memories of Maddie’s 10 years on the court happened Tuesday night at the state semis. She was standing next to Bedford’s best player — Lana McCarthy, the 6’4” star forward who’s headed to play Big Ten b’ball at Purdue University next fall. Maddie has traded elbows with her for four years.
With two minutes left and Bedford’s victory assured, I watched the two ferocious opponents as they stood in the free throw circle. For most of the game they had shoved and pushed each other with steely eyes and gutsy determination. But as the clock ticked down, the two girls made eye contact, shared a couple of words, then smiled and giggled.
“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back ….. “ (Olympic athlete Mia Hamm)
