Happy Birthday to the Blog and On Any Given Saturday

Hi Kari:

Can you believe it, this outpost on the internet is over one year old!!

The first post was a little over one year ago back in August 23 2003.

Today, I did the "uncle" thing and watched my 12-year-old nephew play in a local YMCA summer league. I hadn't had the chance to see him play in competition until today. I've shot hoops and played horse on a number of occasions with him but this was the first time I've seen him in an official game. And it was the championship game!

It was high drama as neither team could seize control of the game. A foul with 9 seconds on the clock put the opposing team on the line for two-shots. The kid missed the first but made the second giving them a one-point lead.

My nephew's team didn't have any time outs left so their star player received the inbound pass and took it upcourt and lofted a three-pointer with three seconds left on the clock...

Nothing but the bottom of the net!!!

The crowd goes wild including this forty-something uncle blogger.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that little slice of life from this part of the country. It is a little drama played out in small and big towns across America on any given Saturday in any of the 50 states in the USA. There is truly something magical about the excitment of competition, joy in seeing teams work together win or lose and a mixture of delight and anxiety of an uncertain outcome. It could be on the world stage like the Olympics where I'll root in front of the TV. It could be in a big league baseball stadium and I'll shout. And it could be in a local gym at the Y and I'll stand and cheer.

Perhaps this little blog post might tempt you to share some athletic stories from your youth in Western Rural Kansas? If I recall you were and still are quite the triple threat in sports (basketball, volleyball and softball).

I'm afraid I have very few dramatic stories as I was as I still am, a TOTAL nerd and non-athletic! I can only say I have found a home in back-of-the-pack marathoning as that race goes to the stubborn as opposed to the swift of foot.

But here is one little athletic story for your amusement... it was a hot summer day in my DC life when five late twenty-something and early thirty-something Asian guys were challenged by some hot dogging teenagers (I think one of them could almost dunk!) to a full-court 5-5 basketball game.

I'm happy to report, we beat them. It was a classic case of teamwork and defense beating athletic one-on-one players.

Take care and be good,
Rene