This spring season, Jay's soccer team is finally playing in Division 1 of NCSL. NCSL is the top travel league for teams from central Virginia up to Baltimore. There are 6 divisions in Jay's age group. Just like in European soccer, at the end of each season the top 2 teams in the division move up and the bottom 2 teams move down.
It's been a long slow slog for Jay's team to finally get to Division 1. They started in Division 4 way back when the team first joined the league when the boys were 10 or 11 years old. Slowly, they climbed to Division 2. They stayed there a while but then fell back to Division 3. Eventually, they climbed back to Division 2 and, last fall, they finished second in Division 2. That got them promoted to Division 1.
As you might expect, the first season in Division 1 has been a tough one. It hasn't helped that, of the 18 boys on the roster, 5 are injured. That's left the team with just 13 healthy players. After winning their first game, they lost 3 in a row. That put them ahead of just 2 teams with 5 games remaining.
Jay's team had two games this weekend. Saturday, they fought to a 2-2 tie. Sunday, they pulled out a 1-0 win on a goal with just 2 minutes remaining in the game. Jay's team had dominated the entire game and had come close several times, including hitting the cross bar with about 15 minutes left in the game. It was an exciting and well-deserved win.
Watching the game on the sideline, I was pretty happy when the team finally scored. I'm one of those parents who probably gets a little too excited at moments like that, acting as if I was a real member of the team and had contributed to the win. It's just something I do as I grow older and get further and further away from the emotions of playing team sports.
At the dinner table last night, I asked Jay what he felt like when the goal went in so late in the game. I told him that it had been so long since I'd competed in a sporting event of any real significance that I'd forgotten the feeling that a player gets when his team pulls one out at the last minute. I wanted him to describe to me what it felt like so that I could experience it myself one more time. Jay didn't give the question a moment's thought. His immediate response was "I don't know."
He's only 14. I get a lot of short answers from him and that's fine. I'm certain that he felt something so I didn't press him on his answer. After all, it was his winning moment -- not mine. Having him describe it for me wouldn't have made it my accomplishment. I hope, though, that it was a good feeling for him and that he's able to hold on to it for a long time.