Dancing queens and Cape dance a basketball big house party
"Dancing Queen" - The song by ABBA was released in 1976 and is still considered by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the greatest songs of all time. I was covering the Atlantic Cup Rugby tournament in the 1980s when the winning team, slimed in sweat and streaks of mud across their faces, put arms over each other’s brawny shoulders and like a snaking chorus line started singing in strong masculine voices, “Ooh see that girl, watch that scene, diggin’ the dancing queen.” At that moment I knew I should have been a rugger. At Friday night’s Cape boys' basketball big house party I snapped halftime photos of dancing queens from the Cape Dance Team and they are so good, professionally coached by Autumn Schneider; it made me want to be a dancing queen and rugby player - I’m conflicted.
Chopping wood - A college football coach once asked me if I worked in the summertime, joking "Frederick thinks Manual Labor is a Mexican.” Whatever, but I never thought playing a sport was work and still don’t think working out remotely resembles work. Paint your neighbor's house or cut the grass and I will gladly recognize you for your hard work. Playing a sport and putting everything into it, that’s what your supposed to do. It’s called pride, and if you get recognized, great, play it off and get ready for the flip side - from champion to chump happens in a moment, it’s the price you pay for the recognition you deserve. Note: what am I talking about? I have no idea.
Book in progress - “Getting home. How can I screw this up?” I’ve been working on this concept for a long time, and I could teach a class on it. Why do some programs close out games while others let fortune flitter away like lottery winnings? The Ravens led the Patriots by 14 twice, and New England laughed at the tired axiom, “You’ve got to establish the run,” and got the win with a quarterback lacking mobility and a bunch of possession receivers. Dallas was close to getting home, leading at halftime, but couldn’t do much with Aaron Rodgers, a one-legged quarterback. Poor Peyton Manning could throw a football into a flock of brown ducks and they’d follow it (imprinting joke). Luck is goofy good and so is Russell Wilson. Someone wrote on Facebook that those quarterbacks appear high in interviews; no, it's just the look of self-satisfaction and self-actualization.
Top dogs defending turf - Ever since Cape went on an improbable run of six straight lacrosse state titles and another four in field hockey, I have developed a respect for top dogs every where, because it is just so hard to stay out there defending your reputation by winning championships. North Dakota State beat Illinois State Saturday 29-27 for their fourth straight FCS football title. The Redbirds took the lead 27-22 with 1:37 to go, but the Bison did what champions do and went down the field and won the game. I watched Cape field hockey get off the deck twice in last year's tournament and girls' lacrosse get behind Charter in the state title game before calmly taking control. New England is the NFL version of a targeted champion.
One hero to go - There was a book "A Hero Ain’t Nothing But A Sandwich” except if you hit the winning basketball in double overtime in your home gym then everybody be snapping. I caught this photo after the regular crowd shuffled off for subs of Jordan Howell flanked by his mom Carla Cannon Ennols, sister Mikiyah Ennols and girlfriend Jessyca Norwood.
Snippets - Cape’s undefeated girls' swim team will host Sussex Tech at the Sussex Family YMCA at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13. The Ravens, coached by Michele Thomas, are also undefeated. The meet will come down to depth, as we say in the swimming pool business. The Ravens have lost two meets over the last three years, both to Cape. The Sussex Central girls' basketball team will host Milford Tuesday at 6:15. The Bucs have enough size and power to stay with the Golden Knights, maybe. My nephew Mike Frederick resigned as head coach of Neshaminy football in Pennsylvania to re-enter the world of high finance. The Sunday Bucks County Courier Times in a splash of sophomoric stupidity wrote, “Several unnamed sources reporting on the condition of anonymity that Mike Frederick has resigned as head football coach of Neshaminy." I’ve reported that Bill Collick will not leave Cape and go back to Delaware State as football coach, but I can’t remember who told me. It may have been him. Go on now, git!
