GAME DAY

Lights, cameras, Twitter banter, Carmelo Anthony Trade rumors and the like make the day of a game tumultuous if not exhilarating. One city is on the brink of mourning while another salivates at the possibility of landing the missing piece vital to that title run. Fan and athlete alike seem to share the same adrenaline. But the game is probably most exciting when it’s easily defined.

I just ran into the parent of a middle-school student who said that “game day is her favorite day.” Her daughter plays basketball and will probably play in high school as well. On this 24th day of January in the year 2011, my team has a game as well. And believe me, we need the win and the confidence boost. As a rule, I’d have to agree with that parent. Nothing beats a game day. Game Day means a lot of things. It’s chock full of emotions and anticipation. Game day is a chance to test what you’ve attempted to master, to compare and contrast performances. Game day is electric if you’re involved and it’s just another day if you’re not.

Injury, a change of schools or ineligibility eliminates dozens of kids from playing their respective sports every year. My best all-around player tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in the third quarter of our season opener this year. To a guy like him, game day may have lost its luster. But maybe game days are not thwarted by the unforeseen mishaps; rather the game itself just gets redefined. Another player I’ve known for about five years came into my office today and retold how she transferred from one university to another leaving an athletic scholarship behind. The social pressures and amoral lifestyles surrounding her were so imposing she had to leave one school and find the right fit. She moved schools and is now coaching a high school team while deciding whether or not she’ll continue her own career at the university she now attends. In so many words, she described how there was an emptiness on game day until she found coaching. She loves influencing young women to honor God and be the best athletes they can be. The game has changed but for her, the invigoration is the same. I thought that was cool.