Steve Aubrey: 20 years the coach behind the goaltenders
Coach Aubrey - Back in his Rehoboth Beach Patrol days of the 1970s, friends called him “Fatty,” one of those nicknames that doesn’t seem to fit. Cape’s goalie coach over the last two decades is known simply as coach Steve Aubrey. Aubrey was an assistant coach to Jeff “Moose” Mohr, then became head coach of boys for one year - 1998 when the team went 19-0 and won Cape’s first state title - then he stepped back and handed off to Mark D'Ambrogi. He started to help out with the girls' team in 2009, beginning with Leigh Ann Redefer while also leading assistance at Stephen Decatur. The current trio of girls on the Cape team - Sam Broadhurst, Izzy Cryne and Anna Lutz - have all benefited from Aubrey’s goalie expertise. Aubrey is the PhD of the Pipes.
Champions Stadium - Designed for sitting and standing along the fence thanks to Dr. Dave Robinson, a fence hanger from way back, Champions Stadium is the up-close perfect venue to watch a championship game. On May 20, it was the U13 Eastern Shore Youth Lacrosse Association Championship, featuring a game between Atlantic and the visiting Beach team. Atlantic fell behind 3-0 then ran an 8-1 crooked number the rest of the game for an 8-4 championship victory. Carson Kammerer, a Bagel Bomber by day and lacrosse goalie by night, went the distance in goal then sprinted to the scoring table at the final horn to snag the trophy. Goals were scored by Gabe Best, Jaden Davis, Blake Gipko, Hank D'Ambrogi, Brax Medd, Will Bragg, Mason Brown and Mikey Frederick. Atlantic has boys' and girls' teams from U9 up through U15, but freshmen high school players no longer play Atlantic Lacrosse. Cape gets most of the talent pool, but some players also move on to Worcester, Sussex Tech and a few other schools.
Striders and survivors - There are road races every weekend, many with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity that helps fund research for diseases and afflictions from addictions to cancers to multiple sclerosis to leader dogs for the blind. I never thought about the dilemma until a young woman brought it up at the De-Feet Breast Cancer 5K. “I was pushing it, trying to get a good time and maybe place in my age group when I looked to my right and noticed I was racing a woman wearing a survivor banner. I didn’t know if I should back it off or keep pushing hard,” she said. “And so what did you do?” I asked. “I gave it my best,” she said. “We both came across together, but I think she got me.”
Desperadoes Waiting for the Train - Baby James (2 1/2) and I were sitting astride the new and improved boat ramp in Lewes last Wednesday. James was doing play-by-play of everything he was seeing. “My mommy drives a boat.” Me responding, “Is that right?” And he’d answer, “Yeah.” The song “Desperadoes Waiting for the Train” sung by Jerry Jeff Walker and written by Guy Clark came to my mind. “From the time I could walk he’d take me with him. He’d run his hands through 70 years of living. We was friends, me and this old man.” The thing about toddlers and floating docks is you can never relax unless you have them on a harness and chain.
Snippets - Baseball and tournament postseason brackets were not available in time for the Friday paper. The brackets were set to be announced Thursday evening, May 21.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are even money to make the NBA Finals and if they do, and if they meet the Warriors, I like their chances to win the World Championship. They are just thicker and tougher than Golden State. And then fans can restart the “Is LeBron James the best basketball player in NBA history?” debate.
Lincoln Financial Field is the site of the Memorial Day lacrosse jamboree this weekend. This Saturday, Notre Dame will play Denver, and in the other semifinal it is Maryland versus Johns Hopkins. Le Moyne will play Limestone Sunday, May 24, for the Division II title. Tufts will play Lynchburg the same day for the Division III title. The women’s final four is played at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Maryland will play Syracuse Friday, May 22, while Duke plays North Carolina in the other semifinal. The Division III final four is also at PPL with Cortland playing Middlebury Saturday, May 23 and Trinity facing Franklin and Marshall in the other semifinal.
James Cook (Cape) is a goalie on the Lynchburg team while Grace and Aly Saliba (St. Andrew's) are on the F & M women’s team. Lewes in the house! Go on now, git!
