People from my time sharing present time with teens

Anachrophobia - A neurotic disorder I invented: “the fear that no one will know what I’m talking about.” A language anachronism or subreference simply belongs to an earlier time, and when you mix it with the modem lexicon, especially when talking to teenagers, they look at you quizzically, then look at each other like they got pulled into a “Back to the Future" movie. For some unknown reason, I was talking with Cape cross country runners Ally Miller, Maya Yngve and Allaire Burton about the Philly expression, “Forget you and the rhino you rode in on.” Back before peeps, road dogs and OGs, there were rhino references. I relayed a story of a recent rhino attack on a zookeeper in Austria that turned deadly when a rhino went ballistic while being “creamed with an insect repellent stick.” It was a beautiful day for a cross country race at Sandhill Fields in Sussex County, then the sports photographer from Philly rocks rhino references. Seems a little nearsighted, if you ask me. 

Cartographers - I’m not talking map makers, but rather people who roll in electric golf carts telling stories. I covered the Paradise Grill Stop, Drop & Run 5K Sept. 17 in Pot-Nets and told Seashore Striders volunteer Victoria Miller, “Never marry a guy with his own golf cart or you will become part of cart culture just riding around visiting neighbors.” Victoria said, “Sure, Fredman, I’ll remember that.” And let's face it, most modern-day athletic administrators and trainers roll from pitch to pitch before parking on the sidelines to check out games. Twenty years ago when my 4Runner was brand new, I was covering a late-afternoon Cape field hockey away game. I walked on the sacrosanct player side of the field past a cart carrying a young principal and athletic director. They did not say hello or even nod; they were chillin’ like Cheech and Chong in a “Low Rider” movie. I messed with their minds: “Gentlemen, the cart is where you end up, not where you start up. You are young guns – break on through to the other side, get over there and schmooze with the fan base. They are your job security.”     

High tide - Supper time is always high tide on Route 9 rolling west, a single line of cars that seems to extend from The Circle in Georgetown to Lewes Beach. Back in the summer of ‘75, a Lewes woman consoled me: “If you're not from here, you’ll always be an outsider. I’m not from here either.” “And where are you from?” I asked. “Georgetown,” she said. I discovered Georgetown for one reason, the DMV, which was a cultural experience back in the day of my 1970 khaki-colored, three-door Suburban.     

Game night - Compare scores, share game film, develop a game plan, wear headphones. Football is the most over-prepared of all sports. It is also the game with the most moving parts, the most officials, and it’s full contact. And pundits are predicting outcomes, which all coaches will tell you is a distraction. The only way to assess an opponent is from the sidelines on game night. There is always something about size and speed that doesn’t come through on film. Cape at Lake Forest Friday, Sept. 22, is an athletic matchup between two well-coached teams. I see it coming down to the defenses and linemen who can think inside the box. Lake rocks the triple option, so when in doubt, tackle all the fast people, and if you are Lake Forest, get Maurki James on the ground before he gets to the second level.

Snippets - Grappling a go-go: Alex Taylor is a freshman at Roanoke, Luke Bender at Franklin & Marshall, and Andrew Shaen at Ursinus. Cape state wrestling champions doing other sports are Mikey Frederick, lacrosse at Mercer; Lucas Ruppert, football at Hobart; and C.J. Fritchman, lacrosse at Salisbury. Mariner Middle School field hockey opened the season with a 3-1 win at Georgetown Middle School. Beacon field hockey blasted Millsboro 13-0. A new talent wave of field hockey players is cresting off the shores of Cape Henlopen. The Newberry College Wolves field hockey team of the South Atlantic Conference is 7-0, so what is the local connection? Emma Westbrook (Sussex Academy), Hailey Moore (Lake Forest), Payton Keeler (Woodbridge) and Parker Keeler (Woodbridge). In a recent 6- 2 win over Wingate, both Westbrook and Parker Keeler had hat tricks. Located in South Carolina, Newberry is ranked No. 9 in Division II and has 12 foreign players on the roster. And in a recent 2-1 win over Belmont Abbey, Emma Westbrook had a goal while Abby Kane (Cape) had a shot on goal for Belmont Abbey and played goalie the last 1:39 in the game. I’m seeing a WDW weather forecast for Saturday – what I call Wet Dog Windy – for the Delaware State Police 100th Anniversary 5K. The race starts at 9 a.m.; The Starboard in Dewey is the staging area. Races2run.com describes the course as a fast, flat, out-and-back starting on Saulsbury Street (beach side) and continuing on King Charles to Silver Lake Bridge and via Queen Street onto the Rehoboth Boardwalk with turnaround at New Castle Street. I’ll be hanging with my camera by the Silver Lake Bridge like a concrete carp in a gazebo. Go on now, git!