‘Smile for the camera’ not what finishing runners want to hear

Smile on request - I don’t smile and I don’t take requests. But that's just me. Jackie Rams, a smiling somebody, as is her daughter Kerin, handed out water at the finish line during Saturday's Seashore Classic Half Marathon and 5K. Jackie kept encouraging finishers to smile at the end of their race. Giddiness wins over grimness at the finish; perhaps frowners are downers, but it is alright to be morose when your body feels like burnt toast.  Aaron Ritter, 52 ran the 5K in 51:47. He was the sleeveless-shirt, happy, tattooed guy. I barely noticed he was a blade runner with a prosthetic leg. Right behind Aaron was Carl Kennard of Dover, who managed a pleasant wave after hearing the ”smile” request; then I heard him mumble, “You have no idea.” I looked up the results and saw that Carl is 80 years old, and yes, I do have an idea. Aaron Ritter survived two tours in Iraq, but lost his leg as a result of a motorcycle accident. Aaron is a marathoner and ultra marathoner. Read his story on onelifefitness.com. Carl Kennard is a track guy; you can tell by the NCAA Track & Field hat and the classy way he carried himself.

Mom-Moms and Pop-Pops - “Go where you wanna go. Do what you wanna do. With whoever you wanna do it with, baby.” -  The Mamas & The Papas (1966).  I often grab a camera and big old lens – because I own them – and go out the door to some sporting event I’m not covering for the Cape Gazette. Blood in the game is the motivator, and like all of us, the game is defined not by the school but by the name of the family person in the game. I go to a James, Meredith, Will or Lina game and catch Mikey games on ESPN+. Last Thursday, it was a Meredith game with Fred Thomas playing Beacon, both unbeaten, in girls’ lacrosse. A great storyline with former Beacon coach Lynn Richardson and Sam Purple leading Fred Thomas against Beacon, coached by first-year lacrosse coach Sean O’Grady and Lee Lee Wilson. The Freds ground down Beacon 13-4 behind eight goals from Mia Pettengell. I asked to take Mia’s photo afterward, and she asked “Why?”  Middle school athletes are just the best. The same goes for JV teams.  Gotta love the undercard games. 

Stupid money - What is it like for a young man to get paid stupid and ridiculous money to play a sport? It is non-relatable and incomprehensible to the fan base. I read a story on philly.com about how the 76ers dumped Al Holford's contract that involved draft choices that were conditioned to about 14 other things. Quite frankly, I got lost, which happens when a fan is no longer into the economic management of putting a team on the floor. NBA fans are more likely to skewer players for being too old or just having a lame game, and no one is immune.

Snippets - The three officials working the Cape girls’ lacrosse game last Saturday went into so many conclaves, I expected them to name the new pope by the end of the game. Air Force beat Utah 11-10 in men’s lacrosse to win the ASUN Conference and a bid to the NCAA tournament. Junior Caelan Driggs (Salesianum) led the Falcons with four goals. Driggs has 49 goals on the season. Salisbury men’s lacrosse (18-0) beat Christopher Newport 13-12 in overtime. CJ Fritchman (Cape) had a goal for the Gulls. Jack Schell (Cape), a freshman on the Syracuse lacrosse roster, was part of a 9-8 win over Duke in the ACC championship game. Mason Fluharty (Cape) has pitched 13 innings of relief for the Toronto Blue Jays with a 2.08 ERA and a record of 2-0. Local baseball writers are calling Mason a breakout star. Jamie Wollard from Rockville, Md., completed the Seashore Striders 5K classic and crossed the finish line in 59:53, saying, “It doesn’t get any easier.” Jamie is 86 years old and won her age group. Go on now, git!