Ethan loved playing for the Pirates, and when the season had ended, it was almost as if, he didn't know what to do with himself. After losing districts, in which he played the best game of his entire high school career, he came to me very emotional, almost crumbling in my arms, and told me it was over. Expressing emotions was not an easy thing for him, much less any teenage boy to do, especially to me his mother, no doubt. But at that moment, I realized how vital my response was. I knew it had to be brief yet encouraging, so I simply told him, “It wasn't over. He was just entering a different phase of his life, and whatever he set his mind to, he could do.”
And that is what he did.
Almost immediately, E turned his attention, to the indoor season. The Burg team he had always played with didn't have enough spots for the seniors. Since he wanted to play in some of the tournaments at Quantum, he decided to create his own team. Little to my knowledge at the time, he contacted players he knew around the tri-state of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. These were teenagers around the same age group, that he felt were competitive on the field. The fact that he was able to make friends and recruit those he played with and against from such a widespread area, is a testament to the importance he put into developing and maintaining relationships throughout the years.
The first indoor tournament would be the Gobbler Classic. I recall the day he showed me the schedule was when I first learned of their team name. The Walmart Tees. Both perplexed and amused, I asked him how they came about choosing it. He replied, “Because that is where we are buying our team shirts.” Then I asked him who the coach was. “As of now, we don't really have one,” he said. I asked him if he thought he should. He replied, “No. We don't want a real coach.”
So on Saturday, December 5th, the Walmart Tees entered their first official tournament. The competition were long-time, established teams that had experienced coaches, team moms, and some even had secretaries. Teams with uniforms, and printed rosters.
And here was Ethan and the Walmart Tees. Submitting a hand written roster merely scratched on paper, shirts from Walmart with their team name stenciled in black sharpie and members that never once practiced together prior to the tournament. Since they had to list a coach, and the one friend they had in mind could not attend that weekend, they asked one of the player's older cousins to fill that role. Who, as only as they would have it, had no previous soccer coaching experience.
And guess what? They played against those teams. In all their sweaty, stinky glory with sharpie ink running down their shirts, they won the Gobbler Classic.
As I mentioned before, most of this was unknown to me while it was all transpiring. I found out when one of the mothers of E's teammates approached me. She told me how glad she was that Ethan contacted her son with this opportunity and how fond they were of him. She said they didn't hesitate in agreeing to play. I think back at that moment, and how proud I was of him.
It was one of those little things I learned about my own son that day.
Because as a parent, you are always worrying about your children. That doesn't stop when they become young adults. It deepens. They become their own person with their own relationships, activities, and dreams. They grow to be..independent. They aren't always open with you while establishing this independence. And sometimes it is hard to connect with them. So you try and guide them the best you possibly can. It seemed I did more guiding though, when I really should have taken some of that time to get to know him better. It is through those little things, you get a glimpse into the person they're becoming.
A month later, the Walmart Tees played another tournament at Quantum that was to determine their ability to qualify to enter the National Indoor Championship hosted in Cleveland. This tournament had even more teams competing, but they pulled it off, winning that one as well.
I wasn't able to attend because family had arrived in from Michigan and we just couldn't get there on time. Missing that tournament is something I will always regret.
Now that E is gone, the Walmart Tees have decided to go on to play this tournament in his memory as they know it is what he would have wanted. They will be playing the National Indoor Soccer Championship in Cleveland this Saturday and Sunday. These boys will need extra support. Playing without E on this particular team will be one of the hardest things for them to do. The bonds that develop on the field grow deep throughout the years of playing with someone. The loss of their friend, teammate and player will truly be felt by this team.
I have made the choice to go. Though hard as it will be not watching as my beloved E is cherishing the fruits of his labor while playing on that field, I know with certainty, that his spirit will.
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar like wings on eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk, and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31
Posted on Facebook 2/23/16
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