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Fosters and field hockey and tumbling cheerleaders

Big Head Fred has a face made for masking
August 14, 2020

Four Paws and Southern Draw - Cape field hockey coach Kate Windett Austin is a Grass Roots Rescue foster person, as if she doesn’t have enough confusion in her life with Baby Jackson in training to be the next Philly Phanatic. On Tuesday at open fields, she brought the pup I call “Lady Lager” after Foster's, my favorite beer when I was still drinking from a bowl last millennium. Rising freshman Cadence McMahon came through the gate and snatched up the Mississippi mixed breed, turned her upside down and took her to the far sidelines to join the rest of the players. The puppy of the pandemic was straight-up chilled and will make someone a great pet. The most common disqualifier delivered by a would-be adopter is “I’d love to but ...” I was thinking, “I’d love to but Darby would terrorize her.” He not only doesn’t play nice, homey don’t play at all.   

Brooklyn Blackwell - Great name and beautiful smile. She was tumbling down the turf at Legends Stadium at 8 a.m on a Wednesday morning. I thought maybe she was a college girl working out with the high school cheerleaders. I asked Brooklyn, “You may be 27 or a junior in high school, which is it?” She said, “I’m 13 and going into eighth grade at Beacon. My name is Brooklyn Blackwell.” I asked if she was related to Dr. Blackwell, the cardiologist, and she said, “No, my mom is Carman Blackwell.” I was her mom’s teacher back in the day and I’m her principal’s dad. Brooklyn stirred my flashback memory of Tetra Whaley Shockley, who used to pop out of the Cape bleachers at basketball games during timeouts  when her brother Ray Jackson was playing, doing tumbling runs and handsprings up and down the court. Tetra is now an attorney at law. She is an author. She was Mrs. Delaware in 2019.  

Masked Model - I was already wearing a dumb hat to protect my ears from compliments; all that was missing were wraparound fisherman’s sunglasses and a plaid shirt. Hockey booster Joy Sabbagh gave me a hockey mask, then asked if she could take my picture wearing it and post it somewhere that may attract more traffic than the corn man on Friday afternoon. Reminds me of a Sinatra song, “I won’t dance, don't mask me.” But all seriousness aside, masks can be purchased from the Cape field hockey boosters, so go find one. They come in light and dark depending on your moody blue. 

Coach Courtney - Cheerleading coach Courtney Hennessey is relentlessly enthusiastic about her athletes. And so when she messages me at 7 a.m. to let me know her squad will be on the Legends Stadium turf at 7:30 a.m., I laughed to myself, “I must need to get my car inspected.” It reminded me of a desk drawer in my homeroom that was filled with absent notes and excuses back in 1973 before I discovered Lewes. My two favorites were, “Please scuse Lonzo he gettin’ his car spected,” and the other was, “Please excuse Bill, he was ill.'' Those dudes each missed 25 days of school. Courtney called so I came chugging and got lots of great photos of athletes doing backflips before most people get limbered up. The old and tired argument, “Are cheerleaders really athletes?” can be put to rest like a fat lineman dozing in a chair and a half. 

Soccer skills - There are no unskilled positions in soccer and there’s no place to hide in wrestling. The soccer/grappler athlete makes for a good combination. Perhaps Randy Johnson in 1977-78 was the best. I watched a bit of a soccer scrimmage Wednesday night on Bermuda Field 1 and saw some seriously good athletes who can play that game. Gary Hayes, a junior athlete, is ready to rock. He looked quick and hardened after a full season of varsity wrestling last summer. Hope Gary gets to do two sports this school year. 

Mess of people - Forget travel ball and daddy ball, what I’m seeing on my beat are young people who are striving toward fitness and want to compete. Throngs of boys were working on the track and basketball court Wednesday night, and there was soccer and field hockey and the cheerleaders were at it Wednesday morning, and I know the volleyball girls are getting after it somewhere. If all those people are asymptomatic carriers, I am going to ride the pink pony to the rainbow bridge of weightlessness.

Snippets - The seventh annual Breast Fest 5K is this Saturday in Dewey Beach beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Northbeach on McKinley Avenue. You can also register as a virtual runner. The second annual WaterMel Run 5K at Janosik Park in Laurel is set for Sunday, Aug. 30, with an 8:30 a.m. start. That race is a cultural happening; you don’t want to miss it. Go on now, git! 

 

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