Take it to the House of Spirits and remember them all

House of Spirits - Magic Mikey Fred played for a state championship in lacrosse Thursday night, with Cape losing to Salesianum 12-10. Mikey’s uncles Tom and Jack were on the first Cape team to reach the state championship game in 1995 and lost to Salesianum 12-5. I snapped a great picture of Mikey last week and didn’t notice until the next day he had the name “TOM”  taped to his helmet. We lost Tom, Mikey’s uncle, in the fall of 2017. Mikey told me Tom’s name was first taped to his helmet three years ago and has been there ever since. “The House of the Spirits” is a novel by Isabelle Allende. The genre is magical realism, a place where fantasy and reality intersect. In my House of Spirits – mostly fields, tracks and gyms – all the people who were close to me in the past are players in the present. Forty years as a Cape community columnist and storyteller, I remember them all. I can recall the triumphs and the pain. Sports lays down final results etched in wins and losses, but the storyline is one of continuity and a sense of purpose and sharing, graciousness and awareness, and names taped to helmets. 

Hometown roster - Known colloquially as “Where you stay at?” The Cape boys won Division I state championships this school year in cross country and wrestling. Salesianum placed second in both competitions. Salesianum beat Cape in the state championship of boys’ lacrosse and eliminated the Vikings from the baseball tournament. There is always chatter: “Sallies recruits. They have an unfair advantage.” Trust me, they don’t need to recruit; families find them all on their own. Delaware is small enough to be incredibly complicated, from private schools to tech and charter schools, not to mention school choice. I’m for keeping it the way it is, but on published sports rosters, just list the public school district (mothership) and state of residence. What’s the difference between the Catholic all-boys school Salesianum and Malvern? About double the price, and on the sports side, Malvern is top tier in every sport as in, “They bad; they nationwide.” 

Girl power - A Cape condensed chapter: The Vikings girls have won 23 state championships since 2009, including 12 for lacrosse, nine for field hockey and two for Division I track and field. The challenge is to keep it going. I told girls’ basketball coach Pat Woods before the state championship lacrosse game, “The Cape girls are protecting a 152-game in-state winning streak and have won every state title since 2009. They are facing an undefeated team with some stud players. But trust me, they ain’t nervous and feel no pressure. They will play whatever type of game emerges. If it’s close, they won’t tense up; they will just keep battling.” Less than five minutes into the game, it was 5-0 with four different players scoring goals. The Vikings thread passes into traffic where cutters catch and shoot the ball. Defenders dog the ball and a goalie aptly named Destiny can see it. “Impressive,” Woods said at halftime. “I coach many of them, so I know what they’re all about.”    

Running hard and put away wet - Runners are social animals before and after races. They eat bagels and banana nubs and talk about all kinds of stuff, from training to school to how glad they are that the virtual runs are over. The 28th annual Masser 5 Miler staged at Cape High was wet and windy, and in some cases slippery, but 157 runners showed up, then subsequently hung out like laundry on a clothesline.      

Orange Boy - Skip “Slip” Kiefer, 80, was escorted and supported to the Masser 5 Miler finish line by Magic Jack Noel, 82, and Allyssa Simon, 47. The trio crossed in 1:31. Keiffer reportedly slipped on the race course, but told Tim Bamforth he just decided to sit down for a minute. A young boy dressed completely in orange joined the escort service. I told Mike Richardson working the finish line, “Looks like Big Orange Boy joined the party,” and Mike said, “That’s Bennett [Brumbley, 13],” and I said, “No way,” but when Bennett crossed, I just rocked stupid. “Damn, boy, how much do you weigh?” He laughed and said, “150.” I know when Bennett escorts me to my car, it’s time to retire. 

Snippets - I’ve been a player and coach, sportswriter and sports photographer. I’ve been a dad and grandpa of athletes. If I could choose one I liked best, it would be the player. Lost in the game with adrenaline surging through my veins, the crowd cheering for me – seriously, how is that not the best? But it’s gone like a 14-cent Jewish pickle and 10-cent Sugar Daddy. Go on now, git!