So tonight a final whistle from the center referee blows, and at the end the shrill noise, the soccer season of 2010 for a group of young men at CU and their coaches is done...it still feels unexpected and sudden although you know that only one team in the country will end their season with a win and you've come to the point in the schedule where you won't be favored to win in any game you play from now on...and even though I've had many, many years of this particular moment, it still affected me tonight as I stood on the sidelines after our match against Davenport...
And here are some pictures of the feelings and emotions and experiences of a group of guys that have spent almost every single day together for the last three months...
*You see a senior guy with tears streaming down his face proudly telling the rest of the guys that he loves them and loves being part of this CU team...and that love is returned back to him...
*A freshman sits on the bench quietly amazed that his first semester of college is moving so quickly...and wondering how the next three years of soccer will be different than this year a of huge transitions and adjustments...
*A few players refuse to talk to anyone because they really thought they were primed to win and are left wondering if they could have done more…
*A sophomore guy wipes away tears because he just isn't ready for this season to end...and for the unique experiences the soccer season offers for his life and make it the best time of the year...
*A captain who tore his ACL weeks before the season was to begin embraces his brother with frustration over what he imagines he could have done to help the season go longer and looks forward to next August more than anyone can imagine..
*Several guys slowly unwrap tape from their legs with their bodies bumped and bruised and beat up from 3 months of intense physical work and contact...
*Players who have played few if any minutes on the field this year still mourn the end of this season where they have practiced and competed and made memories and friendships even if they haven't scored any goals or made spectacular saves...
*The coaching staff picks up litter and packs up the ball bag one last time feeling unfulfilled and yet incredibly proud of the growth of the players and men they've invested their lives deeply into at the expense of family time, other career opportunities, and daily contentment...
*A group of fans mourns the loss of one of their centerpiece social activities...including the girlfriends and roommates and family members who cried and cheered with all the good and the bad moments...
*And I walked away with one of our senior captains and leading scorer this year talking about what in the world you do when soccer stops after more than a decade of being focused on it as your job, your passion, your calling...
The end comes so very quickly...and with the ending comes a bit of sadness, shock, and strangely a bit of relief from the stress of games and performance expectations...but in the midst of the end comes a new season of life and soccer we now look ahead to...and that forward glance is filled with optimism at all the players returning, the gratefulness for having people to live all of life with from the this community, and the challenge of making oneself more equipped as a person and player to excel in the next season to come...
It is now past midnight and I know my son Trey went to bed sad tonight that he and I won't be standing on the sidelines of the WHAC Championship Game Saturday afternoon...and I'll feel a little lost tomorrow as I drive on to campus not being able to look forward to games on the weekends and being able to swing by practice and share my heart with these guys on my way home...but more than anything, I am filled and blessed to be part of a group and season that gives life to me and all who are part of the soccer program at CU...and I'll smile thinking how in 2 months many of us will be playing soccer with kids and teams in the Dominican Republic doing something we love in order to serve the poor in our world and experience Jesus and His love in a fresh way as a team...the end has come far too quickly...but for this team of followers of Jesus who come together to try and play the beautiful game in a most beautiful way the best seasons are still to come...morning will come after this night where the season ended...and the God who invited us and brought us together to play on His behalf has even more to come in the future than we can ask or imagine because His power and love resides in us...
With Thanks for this Season and Hope for the Seasons to Come...
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