Balls To You, Balls To Me
November 18th Saturday
Our ladies' volleyball team won the conference title today. It was the first time the University of Arizona ever won the title. It was also the first time someone else besides the University of Southern California or University of California, LA won the title. They've pretty much dominated it throughout the history of the tournament. Until tonight.
We played our state rivals Arizona State University. The rivalry between our schools is very intense, all the way from the late 1800s. Quite a number of their fans came down to McKale Stadium (our school stadium) and wore their maroon and gold. Some carried plastic pitchforks as their mascot was the Sun Devil. There are even T-shirts that have the "Official Ten Reasons Why I Didn't Go to ASU". Some of them included "I already know the alphabet" to "The Wildcat (Arizona's mascot) is a symbol of peace with nature while the Sun Devil confirms the myth that ASU participates in devil worship".
I enjoyed the game a lot. Not because we won, but because of the attitudes these girls shown on court. When they won a point they didn't jeer at the other team, stare them down or show any sign of putting them down. They simply huddled, hi-fived and carried on. It was a beautiful sight. Sports have become so competitive that these little gestures have been lost, replaced by ones that trample the opponent to bits.
I attended the reception for the volleyball team after the game. It was held because it was the last home game for some of the seniors in the team. I sat in a dark corner observing the surroundings and the people. Little children went up to these girls and asked for autographs. I was particularly touched by this father who had a small boy in a wheelchair. He had made cardboard posters to cheer the team on. I want to be a good father if I ever have a child. The example I had before me was more than exemplary. It was beautiful.
In between the game and the reception I rushed down to the planetarium. I managed to use the telescope and caught glimpses of the Pleides, a group of seven stars also know as the seven sisters. I also saw Orion and the little trapezoid that could be seen only with a telescope. Saturn looked like a little toy, a pale yellow ping pong ball within a ring. Jupiter and her four moons was spectacular. I could see the swirls around her. It's hard to imagine that small ball was so much larger than earth. Utterly amazing.
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