The Greatest of These (Sequel to Kansas Summer) -- Faith

April 17, 2004

--Colin

                Despite the almost impossible odds, the Goodland Cowboy Ultimate Frisbee team made it to the championship game of the state finals.  The road to get here, as I expected, was not easy.  Our first game was against Liberal, which I expected that we would win cleanly.  The boys were a little cocky that first match though, but we won, although not by as much as I expected.  I didn’t say anything to them, but I probably should have, because the very next match against Overland Park, they were beaten 30-5.  I was disappointed; even though that team was pretty good, we had no excuses to lose that badly.

                “Did you not see the way that they were making long throws?  You guys should’ve played a little deeper than you did.  They tired you out because you were running back and forth so much.”  I sigh and put my hands on my hips, looking downcast at the tired, ragged group of boys in front of me, who looked even more downcast and disappointed than I am.

                “Sorry, coach,” one of them mutters.

                “I’m not mad at ya,” I reply, “And I’m not gonna chew ya out, I’m just saying that I think you have more potential than this.  And I’m gonna tell you that out there sitting in those stands are college recruiters from all around the country, looking for talent like you guys.  I have no doubt that every single one of you has the potential to play on the college level.  The way you play this weekend could very well predict your future.  I know many of you dream of leaving Goodland.  This is your ticket.  And it’s not just about you guys, but your school and your town is depending on you.  Do you realize that some people back home look forward to the Ultimate season more than they do Christmas or Thanksgiving?  I don’t want you to win for me.  Win for yourselves.  Win for your school.  Win for your home.”

                I’m not one for inspiring speeches, but I can tell by the gleam in everyone’s eyes that my words have awakened something in them.  I just hope that it is enough; I have every confidence in these boys.

                “Alright,” I begin again, getting down on one knee as everyone huddles around, “we are now in the loser’s bracket: one more loss and we go home.  But I think this is just where we need to be.  We need to build momentum, and this is how we do it.  I know that we can play better than these teams.  I’m not saying that it will be easy, but it will be good for you.  Tiring, but good.  Now, our first opponent is Hays.  We’ve played them before, you know.  They can be a challenge when they can pass.  I want to play man-on-man defense this game.  Break up their passes.  No bone-headed plays from you guys either, and especially no dirty playing.  Now, let’s get ‘em!”

               

                From then on, we played our hardest Frisbee of the season.  We were focused, made our throws, played good defense.  I was proud of my boys, indeed I was.  I had several coaches of the teams that we beat tell me that they had never seen a more organized team before.  I treasured these compliments, thanking God that he had given me the opportunity to give back. 

                We beat the smaller teams like Hays, and Independence, and then the larger teams like Topeka and Junction City, and before we knew it, we were in the quarterfinals.  Three matches stood between us and a championship.  The team was tired and exhausted; they had been playing Frisbee almost all day, but I tried to keep them in good spirits with lots of positive encouragement. 

The first match against Derby was not as interesting as I hoped it would be; we won by ten points, which raised the morale of the team, though I cautioned them strongly not to let it go to their heads.  The semi-final match was against another Wichita team, , which proved to be a much more decisive match: the score was 15 to 17 at the end; good defense was played by both teams.  I shook hands with the other coach afterwards, and he told me that I was a very thoughtful coach and was impressed with how well I handled the team, adding that he would be honored if I coached for his school.  I thanked him for his kind words before I sat down to pray before the next match against Overland Park: the only team that we had lost against.