I walked my customary South Park route yesterday in the beautiful fall weather. Heading back north along 12th, I noticed the Quincy Notre Dame cross country team coming the other way.
Up the street came a familiar figure, still a whispy willow of a thing, still slightly hunched forward with her face glazed in concentration.
Alexis Coleman.
She played on my daughter's Quinsippi Soccer League Tiramisu team that David Adam and I coached. She was whispy back then, could run like the wind, and we put her at back or in the midfield, or if we needed a goal at forward.
Alexis had the hardest shot of any girl in the league. When she wound up the other players would scatter. They knew. She'd usually injure a hapless teammate or two in practice. You never knew quite where it was going to go, but it was always a bullet.
Those are good memories, car bumper pool in the Paul Dennis parking lot, Sunday afternoons in the late summer sun or huddled in the fall cold.
So here she came, and I could hear us yelling, "CLEAR IT ALEX! OUTSIDE! TO THE OUTSIDE!"
She passed and recognized me and I gave her an "Atta girl Alex" and she grinned that beautiful shy smile.
And she was gone, steadily and surely down 12th Street.
It's funny how seeing a face brings back memories.
I miss the days of little girls and soccer, of Silver Shoes and showdowns with the really good Knapheide team and, of course, the only thing that really mattered. After the game, the chorus was unanimous .... "Who brought treats?"
Thank you, Alexis, for bringing it back, and good luck in your running.
12 comments:
I take my sister in law to her games every other week .
1. It's soccer and a loath it
2. she plays for I.E.C. , which for good damn reasons I loath far more
I tend to get the song & words from "The Silence of the Lambs "
stuck in my head as my MANHOOD "tucks itself"
It puts the lotion on it's skin .......
But now my daughter & I throw a nerf football during the big game of"team kick ball" ......and like a shot of demerol .....
It eases the pain.
p.s. : My 7 yr old has an arm and a tight throw to about 45 yrds dead on thread the neeedle accurate.
She wants to play flag football next year .
I am so F***ing into that .
The questions that BEGS to be asked is ...........
Did you and Big Sexy aka Biggy Smalls aka Big Poppa ..
HOLD HANDS on the Sidelines and wear silky PANTY material shorts .
You are wrong with a capital R, Tookie.
Speaking of memories - I was watching the Leafs tonight, and this came to mind:
"One shot, two shots, where the hell is Salming? Palmateer's (sp?) not god!!"
Remember that one? Howie Meeker... memories...
Later,
Ken
VA .... you just made me laugh out loud for the first time in a while .... Good grief do I miss Hockey NIght in Canada. Where's Danny Gallivan? Dick Irvine? Peter Freaking Puck?
Remember when a guy would crumple into the corner and Howie Meeker would say ... "Let's watch the replay, there he goes, there's the leg and .... OH OH RIGHT THERE and .... it's broken, Bob."
Or, "How are we going to beat the Russians if we can't control the puck?"
Gotta get to Hoser land one of these days, VA. We'd laugh the whole time!
oo oo right there. unnatural bend of the knee.
Now Jimminy cricket, why is he looking at the puck? He's gotta play the man!!
Or Danny G "The galvinized rubber cannonades off the back board" or "Savard, with the spinorama move"
That Peter Puck thing was kid of odd...
Sens just tied it. Figures. Crap. K
Wow, Kenny VA, a Leafs fan .... but we can still pine for our Habs of old! - Big Bird ....
Rick Viave was the Leaf's BEST playoff man ever !
( p.s. I still have the blood soaked jersey from him )
Also why does every Blues fan say "Tony Twist"..... TT was a 1 trick pony The Great one had REAL enforcers when at the Oilers
ok. in this chain of post - i got three autographs.
Can you pick em?
KVA
Salming, Robinson (big bird), Gallivan ....
Am I even close?
Salming, Wayner and Viave.
.333. If you were in the nlcs, that would be pretty good.
Rod-knee I may have to Drop off the Rick Viave Jersey @ the Front Desk .
You can send it to your worthy friend .
( With Old blood to boot --I bet he could ebay it for 1 Moulson )
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