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A Little Perspective

My son’s high school basketball team placed 3rd in the WA State 2A B-Ball Tournament.  I was inspired to write this commentary which was published in our local paper.

Ok, I’ll admit it; it has been almost a week and I’m going through basketball withdrawal.  Over the course of the last three weeks I’ve felt physically sick, euphoric, anxious, frustrated and that’s just on the way to the games.  Does this mean I’m hooked? The whirlwind ending of high school basketball culminating in the State tournament is an unforgettable experience.  There is a level of intimacy and immediacy in the confines of the basketball court that’s electrifying. You can’t help but become involved in the game when you can almost reach out and touch the players, see the sweat, hear the hard foul, hum along with timeless fight songs and cheers, and feel the excitement of the crowd in the ebb and flow of the game.  As a parent you’re helpless, there is nothing you can do but be a spectator and go along for the wild ride, one game after another.  The farther they go, the more nerve-wracking it becomes as the possibility of going all the way comes into view.  Of course, there is always plenty of opportunity to vent anxiety and frustration by second guessing the referees, coaches or players’ actions; it is all part of the experience.

Like many parents these days I’ve hauled my three children to practices, stood on muddy sidelines in horrible weather, coached the seemingly uncoachable, waited in endless ferry lines , and been to every out-of-the way field, gym ,Taco Bell and Subway in the Puget Sound region.  I have to be honest; I haven’t always been a good sport about it.  On many an occasion I found myself thinking, “Why am I doing this?”, “What are we doing here?”, or worse “why doesn’t that idiot with the big mouth shut up”.  Yet, a comment by a longtime VHS basketball fan at the end of the last game at State brought the past 20 years or so into perspective; with tears welling up in his eyes he said “It doesn’t get any better than this… this is what its all about”.

By all counts this is perhaps the best basketball team in school history.  Certainly there have been other good teams and great individual players, but collectively this is an extraordinary group of young men not simply because they were winners but because they were a TEAM.  In all my years of participating in and watching sports I have never seen a group so collectively committed to the true spirit of team play.

Watching this group in action I am reminded of the bigger picture, the part of the sports experience that is not about winning but about deeper lessons of life… no, not just life lessons for our kids, lessons for us parents as well.  Although we immerse ourselves and our families in all kinds of activities for the good of our kids there is a part of us that hopes that through our efforts they will excel, be on a winning team, maybe even be a standout, a star with a chance to earn recognition or even a scholarship.  Don’t get me wrong, winning is great, but winning is the easy part.  Putting team ahead of self, that’s the challenge.  Somehow this group got that message, took it to heart and lived it.

One of the most memorable moments in my own son’s play came in a mid-season game.  Driving full speed toward the basket on a 2-on-1 fast break, the obvious choice was to take the shot himself, yet he chose to draw out the lone defender and make a short pass to an open teammate.  A split second decision in the heat of a game, a profound reflection on who he is as a person and teammate.  Of all the other great plays he has made in the many sports he has played over the years (he has been to a State tournament 5 times in 3 sports and placed 1st twice) I’ll never forget that moment… I could not have been more proud. 

You are right Terry; it doesn’t get any better than that… that is what it is all about.

Watch a 5 minute movie with audio of still images of the tournament
WMW
Flash

Here Comes the Judge.. There Goes the Blog

My dear wife was recently appointed a judge and we decided it was best to be more circumspect about our family and what is publicly available for the world to see.  While this site has evolved rather organically it does convey a fair amount about us.  Its beginning was my trip to Mt Athos.  Over the last year I’ve written about a number of things of interest to me most entries with little advanced planning or thought.  I plan to keep my Athos material available since that area actually gets a fair amount of traffic.  Still committed to blogging and with plenty of other web projects underway you’ll find me dabbling online elsewhere. 
Thanks for dropping by.

Remembering Athos One Year Later

It hardly seems like a year has passed since I was on Mt Athos but indeed one year ago today I was on the Holy Mountain. How memorable was our first 24 hours with the all night services of Theophany.  As I mentioned elsewhere the services at Xeropotamou Monastery were our induction into the rhythm of monastic life that has existed there for some 1000 years.  Of course, who can forget the amazing holy relics housed at the monasteries.  Where most of us are use to seeing tiny pieces of cloth or bone fragments of the saints in our own churches, on Athos relics are life-size.  Venerating the hand of St. John Chrysostom, the Skull of the Apostle Andrew, the largest piece of the True Cross of Christ to name just a few was an everyday occurrence.  When I touch the small cross I wear around my neck I recall how that day at Xeropotamou the priest took it and touched it to the relic of the True Cross.  How easy it is to forget such blessings!  God bless and preserve the Holy Mountain of Athos, its monastics, and the many pilgrims like me blessed to have tasted of its heavenly fruits. 

Hello From the Flight Deck

Good afternoon folks, I’d like to welcome you all aboard our flight today.  First let me apologize for the rough takeoff out of Seattle.  Seems that steering a 737 with the feet going 185 knots down the runway is harder than expected. And those big dips we took shortly after takeoff, well a 737 climbing under power takes a lot of muscle to maneuver up and down. A few inches with the steering yoke too far and the plane goes the other direction.  And those unexpected turns we made a few minutes ago accompanied by the rocking motion was just a test.  Pay no attention to the alarm signal you hear in the background, its just a little reminder to fly the plane at the proper attitude.  We appreciate your business and hope that you will fly with us again soon, enjoy your stay in Seattle or wherever your travels take you. 

On our trip over Christmas break to Tempe, AZ to watch Michael play in a B-Ball tournament I visited with a church friend, Ed (he is actually my godson) who works for America West as a pilot and administrator in their flight simulator program.  Ed gave me a tour of the facilities and we spent about a hour or so in a Boeing 737 simulator, what a blast.  It feels so real, the landing and takeoff from the cockpit is incredible.  My attempt at flying the plane was a disaster as noted above.  It is very difficult as you can imagine, thankfully Ed took the controls and got us back on the ground.  Steering on the ground is done with the feet but more precise steering required to get up to the gate is done with a small wheel located on the pilot’s left which controls the nose wheels.  The trouble is it only requires small movements to make the plane turn with the nose wheel.  I was all over the place causing me to start feeling sick from the jerky movements.  Now I know why they tell you to stay seated until the pilot turns off the seatbelt sign.  Ed reports that many pilots get sick learning to steer the plane on the ground.  I guess I’m in good company. 

Its December So It Must Be…

No, not Christmas, solstice, Hanukkah, New Years.. its the start of the Metropolitan Opera Broadcast season. Although the Met’s season is well underway the Saturday matinee (10:30 PST) broadcasts start in mid-December and run to the end of the season in the first week of May. The Met broadcasts have been bringing world class opera to opera fans for 75 years.  While the broadcast brings outstanding opera to a listening audience who may never get a chance to see the productions live, for many it is the intermissions that are truly the most valuable and enlightening, particularly for an opera novice like me.  Regardless of the topic or feature I always seem to learn something new or expand my understanding and appreciation of this fabulous art form. 

The first opera of the broadcast season was Rigoletto featuring Anna Netrebko as Gilda.  Ms Netrebko is a risng star and a welcome departure from the “big soprano” we have come to associate with opera divas.  I was anxious to hear her in this role since I’d seen the opera twice at Seattle Opera and was very familiar with it.  While I was not disappointed I have to say that the Seattle production was just as good if not better in many respects.  Ms Netrebko’s singing at the end of Act 1 of Gualtier Malde...Caro nome (Real Media) was very good demonstrating she can do coloratura with the best of them.  My favorite section Ancor Ce Mezz’ora near the end of Act 3 was fair, much better in Seattle but my perception is a bit skewed since I learned the opera listening to the spectacular Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, LSO, Bonynge recording.

The Met broadcast is perfect backdrop for working around the house on a Saturday morning.  You will note in the photo I’m still in my bathrobe, headphones on, busily baking prosfora.  One down, twenty one to go!