Autumn is my favorite season. I am envigorated by the crisp mornings and clear-sky, low-humidity afternoons. In Maryland, the low-humidity and bright blue skies provide an unmistakable sign that the sluggish days of summer are coming to an end and that exciting changes are in the air. For those of us in education, the changes include a refreshing and energetic new school year as well as the changes in atmosphere. In the fall, different colors adorn the treetops and different clothes move to the front of the closet.
This year for me, the fall also means coaching field hockey. The primary reason I volunteered to coach this year was not so that I could get to know students on different grounds or so that I could feed my competitve streak; I wanted to coach so that I could be outside. I played field hockey in high school, but I don't remember my team's record as much as I remember being outside every afternoon during this glorious seasonal trasformation. Longing for those couple hours a day when I "had" to be outside is what inspired me to volunteer to coach a sport this fall.
Even knowing why I signed up, when coaching first began this year I found myself drained by the time committment. My lazy Saturday mornings now required me to get up and hold practice when I'd rather be in bed. My weekday evenings have been filled with games and practices that keep me away from my own workout at the gym and impair my adjustment to marriage as well as limiting my social life outside of marriage.
But now, in spite of the time committment, I'm finding joy in this job. My team's record is not outstanding. We're 4 and 2 right now. Loss number 1 was our first game which happened to fall the Tuesday after Labor Day when my team was still half-asleep from the three-day weekend. Loss number 2 came this Saturday during sudden death overtime when the other team scored before us. At the end of that game, my girls were in tears because they so badly wanted to win. We sort of made up for it yesterday with a 12-0 victory over another team.
We have five games left, but regardless of how our record looks at the end of the season, I hope that my girls will take some of the memories with them that I carry with me--memories of blue skies, crisp autumn air, and changing leaves; memories that conjure up feelings of excitement and fun each time fall arrives, even when the game of field hockey itself is a distant memory.
Posted by Kim at September 28, 2005 09:20 AM