Pentagonal cross country meet at Sandhill Fields

Euclidean geometry - Ptolemy and gone tomorrow. Teach for transfer, don’t bother reluctant learners with exotic drivel they will never use. I covered a cross country quadrangular meet Sept. 14 at Sandhill Fields, but there were five teams. I was told, “It’s Cape plus four other teams.” That’s called “making the math work, and who cares anyway?” The progression is triangular, quadrangular then pentagonal. Then it gets more complicated with the meet scored multiple ways, from invitational to head-to-head dual-angular. A running race is just the purest of sports: low score wins and runners six and seven don’t count, but they can displace runners who do count, knocking them back to a higher number. And when did a PR (personal record) become a PB (personal best)?

What day is it? Still the funniest Geico commercial was from 2013 – happier than a camel on Wednesday. Caleb the Camel, voiced by Chris Sullivan, walks by office cubicles repeatedly asking,“What day is it? What day is it? Hump day!” I was photographing a cross country meet at Sandhill Fields Wednesday. It was Hump Day and also National Field Hockey Day. I am sometimes jokingly referred to as Mr. Field Hockey, but did anyone sing “Oh Happy Day” to me? The day before was National Grandparents Day. Who knew? None of my grandchildren knew; just too many days of celebration, and most people don’t pay attention to any of them. Sept. 17 is the birthday of Sweet Baby James Fred. He is No. 9 in the lineup and will land at 10 years old. Birthdays are most enjoyed by kids. I’m still looking for the cake batter and a big spoon. 

Pull-back zone - College freshman orientation crews know their first mission is to separate young adults from hovering parents. There are some high school parents who are just way over the top every day. I have seen it in sports and other performance activities like theater and band. The zest to pave the road, the thirst for wanting to know how things are going can get in the way of the social development of the very person you are trying to help. And the kids know it, and it is a bit of a stressor. “Hey, little buddy, we are going to visit 10 colleges this spring vacation!” “But Mom, I'm still in middle school, and all I want to do is learn how to clean a tuna fish.”  

Human touch - On Tuesday at a state park playground, Susan and I had Davey the Inclusion Kid. We walked onto the court and grandmom hit a three from the corner. Davey goes with underhanded Rick Barry foul shot and nothing but chain. “Yeah, buddy,” he says, nodding his head. The ball comes to me, Mr. “All Philly” 1964. The form is still there, but the hops are gone like a rabbit in witness protection. I shoot consecutive air balls so low they graze the bottom of the net. Davey, pretending his water bottle is a microphone, goes public address announcer Dave Zinkoff, “Chubby Bunny in the houuuse!” He razzed me all the way home. I retaliated, “Back off, Chunky Monkey!” “Oh yeah,” Davey said. “Chubby Bunny in the houuuse!”

Snippets - The participation list generated by college box scores shows who played and who did not, but it doesn't answer the playing time question, “Why didn't your dog get in the game?” And that question is better left unasked – never ask the coach – and better not ask the athlete unless they volunteer. I remember asking a student, “Vanessa, how come you’re late?” She said, “Because I wasn’t here on time.” Don’t ask an athlete, “How come you're not playing?” They may answer, “Because I’m on the bench.” Cape football is at William Penn for a Saturday afternoon game. Both teams are 1-1. Looks like a great matchup. Nahseem Cosme, a junior and son of Cape grad Luis, who works for Cape as head of student services, is the starting quarterback at Dover and rushed for 199 yards last week in a 34-7 win over Hodgson. Dover hosts St. Georges this Friday night. The Tunnel to Towers 3.43-mile run is Sunday, Sept. 18, at Cape Henlopen State Park beginning at 9 a.m. Go to seashorestriders.com for a course map. Go on now, git!