My Super Bowl

As most of you know, I have played volleyball for over 15 years. It started at the good old family picnics and specifically Nace Family Camp. In 9th grade, I wanted to try out for the high school team. I convinced a few friends to try out as well. As it turned out, our high school had been (and still is) one of the best teams in the state with a coach who is considered a volleyball legend in PA.

After four years of high school volleyball, I played club ball at Taylor. Our club team had a blast traveling to different colleges and playing in tournaments. We even won a few. I also played intramural volleyball. I have two championship t-shirts (both won after I graduated but worked at TU) and a permanently dislocated finger to show for that.

After college, all that was left for me was a local volleyball league. I don't remember when I started playing in the league and I don't remember how I got hooked up with my team but I do know that I have been playing with this team (with a few changes here and there) for several years. We get along great. We have a lot of fun but Team USA we are not.

Our setter is approaching 60. Our middle hitter (who looks eerily like the killer from "Fargo") is more oak tree than athlete. The rest of the guys are younger (35 and under) but they can be inconsistent and that DEFINITELY includes me.

We approached these playoffs like we have every other year. As the 4th seed. We are better than most of the teams in our league. However, there are a few teams - two in particular - who are better than us. They are younger, more athletic, taller, everything. In short, we usually qualify for the playoffs but are gone by the end of the semis.

So last night were the semis and for those who won, the finals. My parents came but I told them to keep the car running because we would be done pretty quickly. The first game made me look like a prophet. We lost 15-7 to the #1 seed - the dreaded team "Duck or Bleed". Then it was as if a ray of light from heaven shone down on us. All of sudden, we were playing at a level that I had never seen before. We won the second game 15-1. The third game was rough be we prevailed. We were going to the finals!

Now, I am very aware that this is just a local volleyball league. There were no reporters there. Heck, there were no fans there. Our cheering section, which consisted of my parents and my teammate's fiancee and her mom, left after the first match. But to me, this was my Super Bowl. The only thing waiting for me at the end of this if we won was a lousy T-shirt. But if we won, it would become my favorite T-shirt if only because we had never won it before.

So the finals came and I was giddy. It may have been the Lemon/Lime Gatorade I had before the match. We had never been this far before. However, we were playing the OTHER team we could never beat - the juggernaut that is "Big Dawgs". We won the first game 15-10. We were one game away from the coveted T-shirt. They came back in game 2. We didn't play well - our typical playoff performance - and lost 15-8.

The third game came and everyone was exhausted. It was more of a grind than a game. We went back and forth. Both teams led by a few at some point in the match. Finally, they wore out and put three consecutive shots in the net. We were victorious 15-13.

Sure it was 10:15 at night but I was on cloud 9. We had gone further than we ever had before. Not only did we get past the semis but we WON the finals against the two teams we could never beat (we went 1-5 against them during the regular season). And now I had my coveted T-shirt.

I got home and proudly displayed my champion T-shirt to Missy. She shared in my excitement for a little bit then went to bed. I decided that, after a shower, I would celebrate myself. So I poured myself a vodka tonic (4 ice cubes, 40%-60% vodka-tonic, stirred with the knife I used to cut the lime - just like I have right now) and watched the Phillies.

Sure it wasn't the Super Bowl but for me it might as well have been.

Congratulations Team "All In", you are the champions of the Souderton Community Volleyball Mens BB-B League.

I'm going to Disney World!