Early sports practices are innovative, creative or possibly silly
Moments of zen - Over the last week, as I dragged the river of sports-related venues for photos, I came upon the pattern where the very thing needed to play the game, or play the song, was missing from the workout. It took me awhile as I wandered in and out of moving formations at band camp to realize they were playing air instruments. I felt like such a Contra-Buffone (Bassone joke book) but it was logical. I mean, it’s easier to learn the timing of where you are going without a big freaking tuba wearing you down or with multiple drums harnessed to your torso. Soccer practice with no balls is really strange;I mean how many donkey kicks and diamond push-ups can a stopper or sweeper handle? What is the difference, by the way? The field hockey team ran a timed two miles on the track because you never know when a 5K race is going to break out in the middle of a game. Cross country stayed on the track because no one wanted them clogging up the bike trails on an August weekend. I never made it to volleyball practice, which to me is like watching tall girls play ping-pong with a giant white ball and no paddles. I photographed football guys in tandem being timed in the 40-yard dash. It was a stupid place to stand, like a matador dropping the red cape and snapping photos of a charging bull. Just one heavy-duty player forgetting I was standing there would send me to the Lewes Body Shop where Richard Perez would total me after deducting for age and mileage, then send me to the salvage yard on a rollback.
Young guns of golf - I watched Jason Day win the PGA Championship on the Whistling Straits golf course in Sheboygan, Wis., by shooting 20-under par over four days. I couldn’t get around the course once in four days and I’m sure if I had a caddie to catch me cheating that I couldn’t break 400. Plus, I’d be orthopedically disabled, climbing in and out of traps and trying to scale cliff faces. Amazingly, the sport of golf has exploded worldwide by riding the wave of Tiger Woods not being good anymore. But there are so many great players under 30, which is how it should be if golf is to lay claim to being a real sport.
Eagles fans about to get crazy - Much ballyhooed as the worst fans in professional football, Eagles fans were OK with Mike Vick and now have bought into Tim Tebow, which I completely didn’t expect. After one preseason game, a 36-10 win over the Colts, a poll on Philly.com had fans preferring Tebow over Matt Barkley as the third quarterback, even though Barkley threw 12-for-20 for 192 yards versus the Colts while Tebow was 6-for-15 for 69 yards. Tebow rushed four times for 15 yards and a touchdown. I think Barkley will be traded because he is better than a lot of backups in the league, including Mark Sanchez.
What do you think? Local fans sometimes come up to me and ask, “Have you see the football team?” I tell them “Yes, I’ve seen them but they’re not doing much right now.” “So what do you think?” “What do I think about what?” “Do you think they’re going to be any good?” So far I have seen most of them running full speed at my camera and it was moderately frightening. Yes, I expect Cape football to be better than .500, but there are so many intangibles, like the guys from the other teams who are also trying to win.
Snippets - The Cape field hockey team is 55-1-1 with three state championships since Kate Windett Austin took over the team three years ago. Both the loss and tie came to Severna Park of Maryland, which Cape beat last year. The Vikings have several hot spots on this year's schedule including Severna Park at UD Saturday, Sept. 26; at Delmar Thursday, Oct. 1; at South River Saturday, Oct. 10; home against Sussex Tech Thursday, Oct. 15; and home against Polytech in a rematch of last year's state championship game Thursday, Oct. 22.
Cape soccer over the last two seasons is 30-4, including two one-goal losses in the state semifinals.
Best way to lose weight is to go to the gym at dinnertime in place of dinner. Dinner is the dumbest meal anyway, elect the Irish breakfast and spend the rest of the day burning calories.
Happy 60th Anniversary to Jackie and Don Burton, Legends of Lewes.
Go on now, git!
