Sports, Life, Injury

Trying or crying, where is our focus?

I thought it would be the same.

It started off the same, with the same, "Hey," "How yah been," "What’s going on?"
It started with same need to make adjustments, which we all did. It started with the same people telling other people how good they are.

To contact me:

E-mail: pbj323@mail.Mc.maricopa.edu

It’s a wonder that more people don’t join sports leagues. I know that there is always that feeling of uneasiness before a game. You meet new people, you wonder about the other teams and how well certain people might play. The thought runs through your head, “That guy [that girl] looks like they will be a threat.” But isn’t that part of the fun. Then all your thoughts just fade away because now it’s time to perform.

“Mental toughness is Spartan-ism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love. [It] is a state of mind. You might call it, ‘character in action’” ~ Vince Lombardi

The first match, Don's Spank-n-Span would compete against Nate's Unknowns. The match was slow moving at first with neither side wanting to give the other an advantage; however it ended with the Unknowns spanking the span out of Don's brave troops.

Next, Annette’s Ninja Explosion would go on to drop the Red Rockets "...like its hot" And many in the room thought, "Could Annette’s team win back to back?" The focused quickly changed to catching the ball and there was less emphasis on throwing. But I was different. It was all about winning. Being the best on the court was all that mattered.

Only someone who competes knows the thrill of it all. Only someone who truly competes knows real pain. People have said that sports like dodgeball are all about the belittling of the weak and the less apt to put themselves into harm’s way. In fact, the University of Berkley California has some tough sportsmanship rules in place that can result in a loss for the team who is participating in poor judgment.

“One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than fifty preaching it.” ~Knute Rockne

The next bracket was to take care of the consolation match. One of these teams would be done for the evening. One of these teams would find new life. The two teams looking at a perfect loss for the evening are racing mentally trying to perfect what they failed at in their previous match. The first game of the match was a complete blow out with the Spank-N-Spans trouncing the Red Rockets. With a daunting effort in what many thought would be the end of the Rockets, but they would blast off in the second two games to keep themselves in contention and to eliminate those Spank-N-Spans.

What more can I say; getting out and participating to get your bodies moving is an essential part of life that when people are not afraid they can enjoy all of its benefits. Good health can be fun.

“Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.” ~ Earl of Derby

Now on to the winner’s bracket. The stand in, patch work kid, Shane Keller who was just there to watch had been added to a team as part of the adjustments that were made to make sure everyone had at least a 6 person team..Well he played phenomenal. He single handedly decimated my team, the Ninjas, for the first loss catching nearly everything thrown at him. This sent the ninjas back to face the rivals whom they had just defeated. This was especially a hard loss for me. As captain of my team I tried to instruct my team to throw low. Unfortunately I was suffering from a pulled shoulder and so all my instruction was lost when my own ball was caught.

Now I was forced to play the team we had previously defeated, our rivals, The Red Rockets. With an adjustment in their approach to playing, the game quickly turned in to an event where no one wanted to throw. My arm felt like someone had jabbed a shoe horn between the muscles of my back and my shoulder blade. But I pressed on. I was determined to win. I caught 2 balls in a row and threw one to get on more of my rivals out. But, the rockets won a 2 and out victory by the sheer ability of my team to throw perfectly catchable balls. This was the end of the evening for me and my team. I still could not help but want to be out there on the court.

It is interesting that when you are winning, you feel no pain. Injuries even occur less frequently when you feel good about yourself. A quarter of all people who played sports suffer from a reported injury because of the games they play. This was reported by the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation in 1998. How many of those players choose one of the following: to play through the pain; to refuse treatment; to leave the game.

“No pain, no palm…no thorns, no throne…no gall, no glory…no cross, no crown.” ~ William Penn

Now to the final match. The underdogs would have to be the Unknowns, after all the patch work that was done; they had 3 guys and 3 girls clearly a disadvantage to a team that played 5 guys and 1 girl...OR WOULD IT?

In the first of 3 matches, Aaron Sloan (Zone Staff) would be crushed when Sam the destroyer caught a speed ball from Aaron, Cheryl made a catch and Justin just rocked the rockets. All this seemed to motivate the Red Rockets. The rockets were only one loss away from seeing the trophy slip through their grasps then, something came alive in them. They fought back from a 1 game deficit to give the unknowns their first reason to doubt themselves. And as Justin and Shane were the 2 big targets on their team, it wasn’t long before all the Red Rockets in the world were pointed in their direction, and what can you do? You fight! You fight till you can’t fight no more, and as the sweat poured from those 12 players...it was the Rockets’ red glare that sent bombs bursting in air. Justin clearly agitated picked up a spectators chair and heaved it across the room as the cursing went forth.

Congratulations Patty, Rick, and to all the Champion Red Rockets, we will be back next year.

It is clear that there is a risk to playing any sport, however in March of 2005, several researchers confirmed, as reported by CNN and the Associated Press that, Obesity [brought on by a lack of activity] will lower life expectancy by as much as 5 years or more. This is a greater life expectancy reduction than cancer or heart disease. Even U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin chimed in saying, “a need for action” in our lives should be our focus to counteract the rising health issues.

“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.” ~Marcus Aurelius