Easter in Newark

This past weekend, which happened to be Easter weekend, I travelled to Newark, Delaware for the National Championships of Team Handball. My Atlanta Club, the Condors, didn't make the trip, because A) it was pricey and B) many of our better players and our coach were in Chile with the National team, competing for the last slot in the Pan Am Games. I was elected as an alternate for the Chile trip, which means I would fill a void if another player had to drop out before the trip. No one did. The coaches wanted me to play in the national championships to add to my experience, and Coach Cappelman set me up to play with the two time defending national champion NYAC team, aka Garden City, aka The Evil Empire.

On the court, Garden City has the reputation of being the meanest team in the nation, measured largely by penalty minutes and red cards received. They are also a very veteran team, anchored by a number of former olympians, and the only team to my knowledge, with a full blown sponsor. The New York Athletic Club sponsors the team, and gives them a budget for tournaments. This allowed them to pay for my travel costs and for team hotel and entry fees. That was a great blessing, because airplane tickets can be expensive.
We got to the semi finals, and found ourselves down three goals with four minutes left when I got into the game against New York City, a largely foreign-born team, and in three minutes I managed to score three consecutive goals to tie the game. We ended up losing by one in the closing seconds, but it felt good to make an impact for a veteran team. We ended up taking fourth place overall, referred to as "the wood" as opposed to Gold, Silver or Bronze, but it was a fun tournament.

I spent some time alone Sunday in reflection. I don't really enjoy missing Easter with my wife. Ultimately, it is most important that we are aware of the great gift given to us all, a gift that is worth more than anything we could attain ourselves. It is moments like this, during opportunities to live fully and richly, to play a game I love, that I'm so thankful for all the blessings in my life, and for my Lord, who died for me.