This is a shot of the exact same marsh and structures from yesterday, except here I didn't zoom in. Speaking of shots and zooming up the court, I turn to the topic of basketball - girls' basketball.
OK.
Sunday was the Super Bowl, which is the only time you will catch Chesapeake Bay Woman watching football due to personal reasons which date back to the 1980's and have everything to do with male-dominated sports overshadowing women's sports, but this is a topic better discussed with a trained professional who specializes in Anger Management. Anyway, I was screaming until the bitter end of the game and was all jacked up.
Monday night I attended the Mathews High School girls' varsity district championship game against West Point (MHS won). I knew two players: Anonymous Hallieford Resident's Daughter (the same one who attended The Inaugural Ball and took my gown up there with her; the same one who reminds me of my young self oh so long ago) and Briana, who is perfection and poetry in motion on the basketball court. I helped her with high jumping last year in track, and she is a rare gift to a coach. The world will be her (perfectly fried) oyster after high school. I broke into a sweat watching the MHS team play - they are very good, very scrappy, and they don't take anything from anyone, including West Point. (Sorry, Big Hair Envy, I love you, and I know that's your old stomping grounds and all, but a West Point girl broke a track record of mine this spring, and I'm out for blood.)
Anyway.
Tuesday night I traveled to Chesapeake Academy in nearby Irvington to watch Chesapeake Bay Daughter, ten years old, play the scrappiest, most intense game of basketball I've ever seen her play. She had I-don't-know-how-many steals and points, but it was double digits in both categories. This caused some adrenaline to flow through these old veins at the same rate as water from a leak in the Hoover Dam.
We have now arrived at the brief math portion of this post:
Sunday + Monday + Tuesday = Chesapeake Bay Woman all jacked up on sports and wishing she were still out there playing. She was born to be a contender, not a spectator.
Is there anyone recruiting for a 44-Year-Old Has-Been Athlete who has a ferociously competitive, if not unrealistically confident, spirit?
I didn't think so, but thought I'd ask.
---------------------------------
p.s. In one of my many, many boxes of stuff that would have been thrown away long ago by a normal person, I found a program from one of my district basketball tournaments in the early 1980's. Guess who was listed on one of the opposing teams? Go ahead, try again.
There, among a host of other names, was Big Hair Envy's name. Yes. I played against her in high school but didn't discover this until recently. In fact, I didn't know her until recently.
p.p.s. I found another brochure from the 1980 district tournament and in it was an article that said, "Tammy S. led Mathews with 26 points making 12 of 19 field goal attempts. Chesapeake Bay Woman had 22 rebounds."
p.p.s.s. If Chesapeake Bay Woman had a nickel for every rebound she attempted to make tonight at her daughter's game--swatting the air like a maniac while screaming at those girls to get up off their feet--well, she'd have quite a few nickels.
Probably more than 22.
18 comments:
I'm off to the paying job today, but if one of my three readers visits today, don't forget to enter the story contest, it is not too late.
On a completely unrelated note, if I hear ONE more prediction of snow that is WRONG, I'm going postal and the weathermen will be TOASTal.
Otherwise, have a wonderful day, free from incorrect weather predictions and deflated weather expectations.
You should have a drink or four before the games. Just sayin'. Oh, we got your snow.
That gene that you have? The one concerning playing competitive sports? I don't have it, and that is why, despite all the other coincidences, it is very possible that we did, in fact, have different parents.
You would get along so well with my mother-in-law. She still plays competitive volleyball every week, well into her 60s, and has been overheard talking smack to her grandchildren (as in: "Come on over here, let Grandma beat you in air hockey!).
You are never too old to take up competitive sports. Curt joined an ice hockey team when he was 39, and now he's captain! There were fights, penalties and a player ejected in Saturday night's game. My oldest son was cheering for the fights. I was all, "dude, those are people's DADS out there. It's just not right!"
OMG!! That was the ONLY year I played basketball. (Best physical shape I have ever been in my entire life.) I saw a little action on the JV team that year, but pretty much warmed the bench on varsity!!! Good times:)
Don't forget to tell me the name of the girl that broke your track record. Just curious.
Sounds like your daughter is following in Mama's footsteps:) Lucky you!
not sure if you wanted to play that word game thingy... you may have your hands full already:-) if you do your letter would be F......
My Southern woman's solution to male pig-skin adoring macho screaming heads? I rooted for the opposite team every time. Sat right alongside them and screamed for the other guys. It never showed them how stupid they sounded and looked, but it pleased me that it made their BP's go up!
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/18629092/detail.html
Not that this would happen to you or even anyone you know:)
Enjoy the time while you can. Jr. & High school sports pass too quickly for those who have started thinking in terms of years instead of days.
Have always agreed that youth is wasted on the inexperienced young!
Sympathetic computer issues have me grounded for a while, hope to visit more often soon.
rc
ps. there's a reason why one of our pro teams is named 'Fever':))
My idea of competitive sports is fighting over the green chair.
But I admire those with the drive, the inclination, the dedication, the knees, the lower back, and that particular gene, which does not register on my family tree.
No sane male would dare tread these waters.
3M
alas, I did not have CB family's competitive spirit, although I was taller than a pine tree. Poor Coach Brown tried to toughen me up, but it was a lost cause... (baby sis can attest)
Perhaps I'd better send Anonymous Mathews children over to CBW for some coaching.... It's looking like they'll be taller than pine trees also, and their poor Mama's so averse to competition that she doesn't even enjoy playing cards. [sigh]
speaking of competition...I'm working on an entry, but it's not going to be much to write home about [double sigh]
I'll have to dig out some of my old basketball programs. The most amusing part was seeing how many inches Coach B added on to my height. When I told him I'd stopped growing at 16, he said "don't say that! think positively!" He'd be glad to know I've grown another half an inch since then. (He'd make me run suicide drills if he could see how many pounds I've gained since then...[triple sigh])
AMN
What a wonderful post. I haven't laughed so much in long time! I'll be back. Thank you for sharing.
Smiles
I'm sure CBW will deny it, but she was one of the greatest female athletes in the history of Mathews High. I'd hire her to coach my children's teams in a heartbeat.
CBW scored enough points "on her own" (33 pts, I think) in the VA State track meet to place her "team" 3rd in the state. She was 1st in the high jump, long jump and hurdles; 4th, I think, in the 200m.
Just don't call her "Golden Girl".
Hallelujah, I'm home from work and don't have to go in again until Monday. What a glorious feeling.
MPM - Believe it or not, if I had a drink before hand I'd probably be *louder.* We don't want that, not a good thing and very embarassing to those unfortunate folks sitting close by.
Meg - You might be right about our lineage, perhaps we only have one parent in common? I admire Curt for taking up ice hockey, which is no picnic, not that I've done it but I've ice skated and PRETENDED to do it before. Roller derby on ice - is that a sport? If so, sign me up.
BHE - I'm sure you did more than warm the bench. I'll ask Cool Breeze for the real scoop.
Val - F...I'll have to think a while on that one. But I'll do it, maybe by early next week after this little contest. Thank you for thinking of me.
Autumnforest - I always root for the under dog, and I was hollering for the Cardinals, not that they were necessarily the under dogs, but I think most people expected the other team to win (and they were right, but it was close). I like the way you think!
RC-Sorry to hear of your computer woes, I hope they get better. I find that punching the keyboard repeatedly, cursing, turning the whole daggone thing off, leaving it off for 8 hours and then starting it back up helps, but it's probably best to omit that punching part for best results.
Foolery, You may not be so athletically inclined, but I wouldn't want to be up against you in a battle of wit...you're the undisputed champion.
3M - ...which explains why you are diving in head first. For those interested, MMM was MY unofficial track coach in high school because Mr. Brown didn't know how to high jump or do the hurdles, or rather I wouldn't listen to him and he had to call in extra help.
AMN - PLEASE send me an entry - you still have time. If it is late I will still accept it. I rarely go on Facebook anymore because it locks up my ailing computer, but I've been meaning to tell you that MHS is having an "oldies" vs. "youngsters" fund-raising b-ball game on 2/27 that you should play in. It's not a real game, so to speak, more of an exhibition game. Interested? I have them calling up Baby Sister to see if she'll come do it. Send your kids over any time you want. Seriously. (Coach Brown also jacked my numbers up too, he was quite the embellisher.)
Carolyn - I hope you like crazy, because that's pretty much what this site is about. Crazy people, crazy old women who think they're still 17, crazy family members, it's all about laughing at Crazy. It's in abundance around here.
Nativedevil - Surely you jest, because you're forgetting about plenty of other great female athletes. Since our time, too, they've added sports such as crew, and many females have gone on to do great things in that sport, whereas I just moved back to Mathews and now sit in front of a computer screen all day long fantasizing about roller derby and such. Thank you for saying that, though, that's very sweet. BTW - you were a great athlete yourself.
Anonymous, I am going to assume this is 3M who said "no sane male would tread here" --he just comments twice OR see above about being crazy and fitting right in here. If I am right that you are he, then I will just say that whatever I may or may not have done in high school was in some part due to your helping me out and pushing me, at least in track. (If you are not 3M, then I am stunned that anyone would remember such details when I myself can't even do that.)
For anyone still awake (and how is that possible?) I may delay publishing my next post until later tomorrow so I can figure out how to present these contest entries. We have several from which to choose, and I'm still waiting on a couple more (B? and AMN and perhaps a few others out there). But be on the lookout tomorrow for the first one - I just might not get to it tonight to be published at my normal 12:01 AM time.
Have a great evening.
Scratch my previous statement about not posting until tomorrow. I've got it all queued up for tonight at midnight. I am very pleasantly surprised at our entries!
Yes CBW, I commented about your performance in the VA state track meet. It was truly spectacular - worthy of the attention of your loyal bloggers.
Looking forward to reading the contest entries.
MMM
Hi! You read EVERYONE I read. I see you everywhere and your comments are always funny, yet I don't think I've ever bee here. I like it.
Anyways, I have two words for you Roller Derby! You can do it! You like to slam total strangers into walls don't you? What about pain? Are you okay with pain?
Suz
MMM - Thank you but like i said you taught me anything I knew about track.
Suz - Hello, yes, I recognize your name, thank you for commenting. Our little blogging circle is a lot of fun, speaking of which be sure to check out the details on the Blog Fest in July here in Crazyville, USA.
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