Adversity Does Not Build Character, It Reveals It
Charley Li notched his first goal and played solid defense, and earned the "Man of the Match" award from captain Michael Philipp, but this game was about WAY more than soccer if you ask me.
Dear avid readers of the Millbrook Boys 3rds Soccer notes,
Buckle up; you're in for a treat.
On an absolutely gorgeous fall day, the mustangs found themselves meandering through winding Connecticut streets in two of our newer white "toaster" buses. Maple trees, bursting with glorious yellow foliage, lined the roads, and parallellograms of dusty sunlight cut through the branches; seemingly fixed in space and time. We knew we were headed to play a very strong Rumsey Hall varsity team, but spirits were high. Music poured out from the JBLs in the back, and the boys sang along to John Denver. It felt like something magical was about to happen.
The squad jogged half a lap, stretched their legs, and were ready to play in under ten minutes. Coach Raciti, I'm embarrassed to admit, made a blunder in guiding the mustangs to pick the worse side of the field after winning the coin toss. Perhaps he is to blame for the three quick goals that Rumsey notched in the first half. Soon after though, Millbrook's Charley Li, a player who has made huge leaps this year, earned his first goal of the season, and almost paired that goal with an assist just a few moments later. What happened after that initial foray was unlike anything I have ever seen on a soccer field.
As Rumsey continued to pad their lead, the mustangs began encouraging the younger Rumsey players, and even sharing jokes with them. In the second half, one of our defenders climbed onto the back of a teammate to block a free kick. On a whim, our goalie pulled himself and made a wild break for the Rumsey goal! At one point, one of the younger-looking Rumsey players told one of our captains that he wanted to score for his mom, who was watching from the sidelines. Every time he got close, our guys started cheering him on. And then, late in the second half, it actually happened. Rumsey's #7 hit an unbelievably good strike that found the top corner of our goal. The Rumsey players ran him off the field. Do you want to know what the Millbrook players did? They walked over toward the Rumsey bench and clapped for the young player who had achieved his dream. I feel my heart grow bigger in my chest as I stood there, also clapping for the happy young man.
After the game, as we were about to do our post-game debrief, one of the mothers from the Rumsey side (and her young daughter) approached us. She handed us two bags of freshly-picked apples, and her daughter told us we played a good game. Touched, we accepted their gift and communicated our gratitude.
In our breakdown, I told the guys how proud of them I was. One of our captains observed that being upset about the outcome wouldn't have changed the score, and would have stopped them from the positive and uplifting experience they had on the field that night.
Cell service on the Rumsey campus seems to be non-existent, so we didn't know what to do about dinner. I found the woman who had given us the apples and asked if there was a good spot to take the team. She gave us some good advice and then, as we were leaving, made a point of saying the Millbrook squad showed excellent sportsmanship. I agreed, and told her I thought they did a good job today.
When we finally made it back to Millbrook, the forum had already started. The guys were trying to decide if they had time to take a shower and change back into class dress. I asked them to hustle and make their best choices. After returning the busses and dropping off some of our gear, I made my way to the theater to catch the second half of the forum. I was stunned to see a large group of our players, showered and dressed, almost beat me there!
If anyone asks me to tomorrow, "Who won?" I won't have to think about it for a second.
Back
Buckle up; you're in for a treat.
On an absolutely gorgeous fall day, the mustangs found themselves meandering through winding Connecticut streets in two of our newer white "toaster" buses. Maple trees, bursting with glorious yellow foliage, lined the roads, and parallellograms of dusty sunlight cut through the branches; seemingly fixed in space and time. We knew we were headed to play a very strong Rumsey Hall varsity team, but spirits were high. Music poured out from the JBLs in the back, and the boys sang along to John Denver. It felt like something magical was about to happen.
The squad jogged half a lap, stretched their legs, and were ready to play in under ten minutes. Coach Raciti, I'm embarrassed to admit, made a blunder in guiding the mustangs to pick the worse side of the field after winning the coin toss. Perhaps he is to blame for the three quick goals that Rumsey notched in the first half. Soon after though, Millbrook's Charley Li, a player who has made huge leaps this year, earned his first goal of the season, and almost paired that goal with an assist just a few moments later. What happened after that initial foray was unlike anything I have ever seen on a soccer field.
As Rumsey continued to pad their lead, the mustangs began encouraging the younger Rumsey players, and even sharing jokes with them. In the second half, one of our defenders climbed onto the back of a teammate to block a free kick. On a whim, our goalie pulled himself and made a wild break for the Rumsey goal! At one point, one of the younger-looking Rumsey players told one of our captains that he wanted to score for his mom, who was watching from the sidelines. Every time he got close, our guys started cheering him on. And then, late in the second half, it actually happened. Rumsey's #7 hit an unbelievably good strike that found the top corner of our goal. The Rumsey players ran him off the field. Do you want to know what the Millbrook players did? They walked over toward the Rumsey bench and clapped for the young player who had achieved his dream. I feel my heart grow bigger in my chest as I stood there, also clapping for the happy young man.
After the game, as we were about to do our post-game debrief, one of the mothers from the Rumsey side (and her young daughter) approached us. She handed us two bags of freshly-picked apples, and her daughter told us we played a good game. Touched, we accepted their gift and communicated our gratitude.
In our breakdown, I told the guys how proud of them I was. One of our captains observed that being upset about the outcome wouldn't have changed the score, and would have stopped them from the positive and uplifting experience they had on the field that night.
Cell service on the Rumsey campus seems to be non-existent, so we didn't know what to do about dinner. I found the woman who had given us the apples and asked if there was a good spot to take the team. She gave us some good advice and then, as we were leaving, made a point of saying the Millbrook squad showed excellent sportsmanship. I agreed, and told her I thought they did a good job today.
When we finally made it back to Millbrook, the forum had already started. The guys were trying to decide if they had time to take a shower and change back into class dress. I asked them to hustle and make their best choices. After returning the busses and dropping off some of our gear, I made my way to the theater to catch the second half of the forum. I was stunned to see a large group of our players, showered and dressed, almost beat me there!
If anyone asks me to tomorrow, "Who won?" I won't have to think about it for a second.
