The luxury of retirement and watching grandchildren compete and have fun
Long ago, Longo - I’ve known young Johnny Longo a long time, since he wrestled for Cape back in his high school days. And I’ve known his dad John Longo, who was always about supporting his son. They were both at the UD College of Earth, Ocean and Environment Sept. 23 to support the next generation, Alivia Longo, a Mariner sixth-grader who’s running cross country for the first time. Grandpa John just retired after working 20 years at Stevenson House Detention Center, a juvenile lock-secure facility near Milford housing 55 pre-adjudicated males and females under 18 years old. No, it doesn’t sound like much fun, and no one could blame Grandpa John if he was jaded with enthusiasm for kids faded, but he’s not that guy. Grandpa John agreed to a photo with his granddaughter and insisted the Blue Chair be in the photo as a symbol of “making it” in a small town. Liv Longo ran 17:37 over the 3K. No novice fans had any idea how far that is.
Coach Beth Bozman - I met college field hockey coach Beth Bozman years ago when she was working out at Gold’s Gym in Rehoboth. I interrupted and introduced myself and said, “I don’t know who you are, but I can tell by the way you approach your workout that you are somebody.” I approached my own workout by either interrupting others or standing still in one spot assessing my injuries. Beth is an understated personality, but I knew she liked me. Beth spent 15 years as head coach at Princeton and another seven at Duke. She recruited Cape’s Maren Ford to Princeton. Beth has won more than 310 games as a Division I head coach. In 1998, her Princeton team made the national championship game. Beth has a place here in Sesame Street by the Sea and enjoys honorary muppet status.
Head on a swivel, camera on a pole - Grandmom Rose: “Act like you see the world beyond the autofocus point.” I focused on 10th-grade Delmar forward Ella Shockey Sept. 24 as she was camped on the stoop of the Cape goal line already with a goal in her pocket, the Cats with a 3-0 lead, and searching for another score. I knew if the ball found her stick, it would be in the cage. She scored with 7:32 left. I swiveled to the sidelines and snapped a photo of Costen Shockey, Ella’s grandfather. The facial resemblance was uncanny. Costen, a star athlete out of Georgetown, played for the Phillies and Angels back in the day and was traded by the Phils in 1964 to the Angels for Bo Belinski. Costen was inducted into the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.
Branding - It’s ironic that the Mooo Run 5K, held the Sunday before the Dogfish Dash 8K, attracts less than a hundred runners while Dogfish cuts it off at a couple of thousand. Burli don’t brand no cows; the computer names them all, except for a few inside-joke names conferred by employees. Many runners at Dogfish rep the brand. The costumes are clever, the runners aren’t hipsters, but they are all hip, and it’s all good.
Free agent freewheeling talent - The Cape girls, when combining the sports of field hockey and lacrosse, have won 18 state titles since 2009. Pundits (they’re everywhere) postulate it’s because of the feeder programs and the number of girls who are field hockey/lacrosse athletes. But I see a shift where blue-chip athletes elect to play one sport year-round or pick a less-stressful sport in their off-season, evidently not motivated by the chance to win another state championship. Smart people follow their passion. I remember last year in preseason football, coach J.D. Maull said, “Man, what’s up with this place? I lost a linebacker to the cross country team and a tackle to the band. C’mon, man!”
Snippets - About 25 members of the 1979 state championship football team will meet in the Cape cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. before Friday night’s Dover game. Stop by, you’re all invited. Tell them Fredman sent you. A special honoring will take place at halftime. The Cape and Dover bands are both awesome. It should be a great night out, and hopefully the game is good. Go on now, git!
