Besides this blog and my UW Memoir class, I am still writing for my Guided Autobiography group from last summer. If anything, it's closer than before. Our standard are more for ourselves to keep writing and bonding together. We call ourselves "The Inner Circle".
We each write a piece that we read aloud. At the end, we pick a topic for the next meeting two weeks hence. I share lot of things from my Memoir writing class. Bring the books and my pieces. All the members are interested but don't really have the nerve or time to take the class. Last time, I suggested that we write a scene, describing dialogue and an event at a particular time.
I wrote this piece about my interactions with Coach Arendsen (former coach at Oregon) at the 18A Nationals in August 2002. The early recruiting that happens now was not in play at that time. It would not have mattered anyway as these coaches had just been hired and hit the recruiting path hard. The LadyHawks Blue should have played Gold rather than 18A but I guess, in the end, it didn't matter. A lot of major college coaches recruited out of the 18A Nationals back in the day.
Just to cut to the chase, the Oregon coaches picked her out of the field and recruited her on the spot which was very unusual. Always some kismet involved with all of this.
The picture? Pretty unremarkable. Not too visually exciting. But, the context.... This is the beginning of the winners bracket game between the Washington LadyHawks and the California Grapettes. A lot of coaches watching this game and lots more people before it's over late in the night. But this is the beginning, still afternoon.
Only the college coaches are allowed to sit behind the backstop (I found that out the hard way). The person in green is Coach A of the University of Oregon (Pac 10 baby!), she's the important one, I'm going to hope that she's watching my kid (turns out she was). But the people in red? Yup, my dad and mom. My dad's in the wheelchair. He didn't strictly need it. But, even though he let me know at every opportunity that I didn't know what I was talking about, he wanted to be part of this whole process. Usually he loudly absolutely refused to use the walker or a wheelchair. But that day, he announced he was going to the games and he would use the wheelchair. We couldn't believe it but we went along with it. Great that we would not have to worry about him falling. I tried out various places for him to watch. No, no, he didn't like them, he didn't want to sit there. The only place he would accept was behind the catcher.
Q: Where does the crotchety old guy in the wheelchair get to sit?
A: Wherever he wants.
So there is he is practically on Coach A's lap. We're not supposed to talk to her. I know that my father is not going to believe a thing I say. So not only is this a huge game, closely fought, clearly could be very important for her college recruitment, but my unpredictable father is sitting right next to the most important coach, he couldn't be any closer. So I'm real worried about what he may or may not say.
No stress here. In fact Gin (who is internationally famous for her stressing when Kristina's pitching) and I are power-stressing pacing back and forth together mumbling and moaning. Hey, it's a great time!!
I'm not going to include the piece (maybe I will another day) but I will let you know that Susanna had some snazzy very visible plays in this game which went into many extra innings with the LadyHawks losing. The next day, Coach A came again and watched Susanna and made a recruiting contact after the team lost out of the tournament. Which started the whole process of her being a scholarship player for the Oregon Ducks.
Do you have a snapshot that has tremendous contextual impact???
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