Weekend Sports Update

What a tremendous weekend for Copeland athletes. We kicked off Friday night with that heavily anticipated Homecoming football game. Can I just brag a minute? Chantilly is really kicking some butt. Three touchdowns within two minutes of the game. For the packed bleachers, this was fuel for our fire! Being a little particular it was a little too close for comfort. I mean, it's a football game; who wants to have people's knees in their backs. That personal-space violation aside, this was a fun, fun game. We entered the half 45 to 0 and believed this to be a shut out. Our boys seemed to have a celebratory party in the locker room and decided to come back on to the field without interrupting a heavy slumber. Many of our well-spoken dads in the stands didn't have any problem kindly and courteously alerting their boys to their nap-time needing to end. During our "nap" we managed to let these guys score a few times and what should have been a shut out now was just a well-played victory. The boys won 45-19...once they woke up. That makes us 4-0 and well into a very good season.

Oldest, as you know, was restricted from play. You know that he, with his bull-headed self, was fully dressed on the sidelines. Although he knew his restrictions, he was determined to get that one play of his Homecoming game. Twice we saw him trot out on to the field w/ his squad and the Athletic Trainers waving him back frantically. Just as we began to think he was serious, you could see he was laughing. "He's playing with them," we realized. Toying with them, even. Yet somehow, in the 4th quarter there he was...really out on the field...playing free safety. A position the Hub assures me is one the coaches knew would amount to nothing for him, at this stage of the game. His determination was to get in one play...and one play he did get in.

We started out Saturday morning with a lovely, long baseball game. It was hotter than late September should ever be, without a drop of shade. Two long hours to watch this:

Miss Baseball Chick played a fabulous game; gave us some catchy, clever winks and waves as she smacked that ball sweetly. I believe she had two singles and a nice play at pitcher.

And then on to soccer. Miss Soccer Chick is still recoving from her plaguing cough so she did her best not to get winded and stay well hydrated. They did, unfortunately, lose 2-1. But, I'm happy to say the 1 goal scored was by none other than Soccer Chick. I only caught 15 minutes of the game as I had to usher Youngest to his game. I was there to catch the pop up tent being ripped up from the ground in a gust of wind, fly over the girls and land on the field, during the game. Even the pre-teen referees were stunned. It was a miracle that a girl wasn't clobbered with is. Baseball Chick was aghast, "You only see that kind of stuff on TV! And we're not even on TV!" Thankfully, no one was hurt and they figured out it wasn't such a good idea to have them up on a windy day any longer.

Now Youngest...he's an event to watch all by himself. When I tell you the boy's hips were shaking and moving as he ran after the ball, it doesn't even begin to capture the reality of what this looks like. How can a boy dance and play soccer at the same time? I think it's that he truly has rhythm and movement in every inch of his body so he just moves constantly. And boy, does he move. He didn't get any goals this time, but watching him play was probably better than several goals. His expression here says it all: