Gunners on 3, 1-2-3 GUNNERS!
It is 47 degrees and the lights are on in the stadium.
The team parents who have spent years and years together are huddled on the cold bleachers, sitting closer than at any other game. Maybe because of the cold. Maybe because it is the last game. We are ready to cheer on our girls together, highlighting the positive plays that we see on the field. It is the State Championship final game and our team of 12 (one sub) seniors are playing for the win. The opposing team is in a higher league but that has not stopped this gunner team before. The other team has two players up top that really stand out. They score one and we respond quickly. They score another and we respond yet again. This is how the season has unfolded. Not only is it 2003 Gold's last game as players on a team but our incredibly talented coach is experiencing his last game at the soccer club before he moves out of state this summer.
Gunners on 3, 1-2-3 GUNNERS!
I have heard this chant before every game and after each halftime for 8 years. Sage and one other teammate have been together all 8 years but it feels like this team has literally grown up together. They are united and respectful of each other. Twelve distinct personalities, and each person brings a different skillset to the field. They support each other and make each other better players.
We moved here when Sage was in 4th grade. She had already been playing soccer since she was 2 years old. When we moved to Georgia, Sage gave up her "A" travel team spot in Needham. We researched the two soccer club in Augusta prior to our move and within 2 days of moving here, Sage tried out for the Augusta Arsenal Soccer Club. The season had already begun and she did not know one soul on the team, much less anyone in the town of Augusta.
Eight years later, the challenge, the community, the structure, the skills, the unsurpassed coaching, the support, the consistency, yes-the grit, that this sport and this club provided to my daughter are invaluable. As a mother, I can't even put into words what this has meant to me.
Gunners on 3, 1-2-3 GUNNERS!
2-2, and the other team scores. But the gunners keep fighting. They don't stop. They keep working together, stringing passes and doing whatever they can to tie the game. The parents are cheering with a bit more emotion as they realize time is running low. Anticipation that another one of the "lasts" of the year with these seniors is approaching. The girls are scrappy but they are skilled. They are talking on the field. They are a team. Momentum builds and it feels like just a matter of time before they will score.
You see, the years of learning the fundamentals and later the strategy have filled this team for this moment. As their final season progressed, they kept improving. This team grew together and morphed into one that I have never witnessed before (though came very close with the Dream Team all those years ago). This game was literally at the height of their ability. Did they win every game? No. Did they always have the perfect game? No. Did they ever have the perfect game? No. Were they at the top of their league? No. Did they beat the number 1, undefeated team? Yes. Were they the underdog in a smaller ball club that proved time and time again their strength? Yes. Were they coached in a quiet but powerful way? Yes. Were egos left on the sidelines. Yes. Was drama basically non-existent? Yes. They had one goal and they were one team.
Would it have been amazing to end the season with a win? Yes. Was it necessary? No.
They lost 3-2.
Many tears ensued. Watching this strong group of young women sitting on the field listening to their coach talk to them one last time was heartbreaking, but oddly it filled me up too. They were in the moment and probably more together than they ever were before. That moment - just the team and their coach - was all theirs.
The lessons they will take. The friendships that will last. The memories that will stay with them. The team they became. This is fact. Win or lose. These things will always be true and as a parent, I will forever be grateful.
Gunners on 3, 1-2-3 GUNNERS!
Time to put on Run by OneRepublic and let's get cooking.
I love chili, especially during the fall and winter. In particular, I love Clyde's Chili. We make this routinely and it is delicious each time. Click here to make Clyde's Chili
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