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November 25, 2005
Throw-back to my childhood
I headed to my HS alumni soccer game today. It’s held every year the Friday after thanksgiving. If the weather is nice there is usually a good turnout, especially from 80s graduates who give their kids to their spectating husbands and then proceed to kick the younger players’ butts. We usually play 80s vs. 90s and in the past few years have reshuffled to 80s and early 90s vs. late 90s and 00s. The 80s had some great players who are all still playing in local leagues throughout NJ and they tend to dominate the alumni game. My theory about why this is is that fewer girls played sports and soccer then-so only the really good and tough people stuck with it even in the face of social pressures and lack of opportunity. My friend offered a second theory-those girls grew up playing with guys and ended up better b/c of that. We’re not really sure why those girls, now women, are so great. Anyway, it didn’t matter today since for the first time, and despite brisk, good weather, we didn’t have enough people to play a game.
Six people showed up (myself included) ready to play. I knew two of them-a woman two years older than me who I played with when I was a sophomore and a woman two years younger than me who I played with when I was a senior. Two 00 girls showed up who were injured but wanted to say hi (I did the injured show-up myself last year). Two 80s girls were there but couldn’t play b/c one had just had a kid and another was recovering from a third knee surgery. As usual there were some kids running around the track as their moms caught up with everyone. My coach was there of course. He has coached all of us and to my knowledge has been my school’s only girls’ soccer coach. He’s fabulous.
I was feeling serious nostalgia today. When I got in my car to drive over there I had flashbacks of the day I got my license. The first place I ever drove was soccer practice-I was late b/c I had been taking my driving test. I have no idea why that memory hit me today as I have driven to soccer (and the alumni game) a million other times. I felt like a dork for wearing my warm-up pants from HS to the game but they are what I wear even in Boston so on they went-and other people were wearing their HS stuff too.
Since we couldn’t play, we gabbed. Between myself and the two girls I knew at the game there are 12 kids in our three families. All of us are around the same age and/or our siblings are around the same age and we all went to the local public school. All of our parents know each other from years of spectating the 12 of us playing sports. It’s so crazy to be back in a place where people I see know my family. That hasn’t really happened since HS. I feel really connected to the school and the town in a way I don’t really anywhere else. It took a few years to realize I felt that way about my hometown (aren’t most people excited to get away the first few years?) but now that I am a bit older I can really see why people settle in an area and build long-term connections, etc.
After we gabbed everyone picked up and left. My friend two years older than myself suggested a run and we changed into sneakers and jogged 3 miles around the track (surrounding the brand new turf we would have played on today) in 27:16. I love what they have done to the place since I left!! It looks great there!!
Anyway, it was a nice day to be outside. I love people who love soccer and I love people who are active. It was nice to be around people (especially women about my age) with passion for the sport. A lot of them still play and it’s nice to know that playing soccer doesn’t have to suddenly end after HS or college (some of them played in college-not me). Finally, as we are an injured bunch, it is nice to be reminded (again) that getting hurt is part of the game and part of an active lifestyle. Injuries don’t necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong. They often just come from getting your butt out there and playing hard.
Posted by Audrey at November 25, 2005 03:20 PM
Comments
It is kinda odd that so many of you are injured, but like you say, its because you are all active in sports and that comes with the territory. I guess the couch potatoes have a few with broken TV's or something.
Posted by: Jon in Michigan at November 25, 2005 10:29 PM