My son Teddy plays AFL. This stands for Aussie Rules Football. Don't ask, we've decided to find it amusing. It's an Aussie only game involving throwing, kicking and running. And a ball. Some hitting comes into play as well. I like that. Of course I think I like it most because I can follow the rules so much easier than Cricket. My needs are simple. Cricket is anything but.
Today Teddy played the Under 12's Grand Final championship against one of the greatest teams in the league. Kellyville is an incredible team that takes winning very seriously. They treat training and games as though their very life's existence depends on them. A team that wears matching rugby scrum caps to intimidate their opponents. Kellyville's coach is famous for his open disdain for minor mistakes made by his team. This Kellyville team who sent a scout to watch our game last week to learn weeknesses for out team. This awesome AFL team has been undefeated this season and was a shoe in to waffle stomp our lowly Hornsby Bewora Eagles into the ground.
Only...they didn't. Our guys came out charging and won the day 40-30. We led for the entire game, save about 5 minutes when Kellyville came back up and pulled ahead and then the lead returned to the Eagles. My Teddy scored the last goal. Our guys who spent 1/2 of their last training session eating pizza and the rest running in the rain...playing tag I think, they beat this war machine of rabid Under 12's. Beaten by a team made up of several players who are ambivalent about AFL. Including my son, who announced this morning that AFL is over, Cricket is starting soon. When I reminded him that the season was still on until the end of today's game, he responded with the clever, "whatever"
Our boys have lost several games this year. These losses all left Teddy consumed with burning desire to...well, I can't even finish that, he didn't care one whit. Serioiusly, he'd pop-in with a "we won or we lost", and then charge head first into the xbox. He would go to training on Thursday, play the game on Sunday and not care at all about it the rest of the week.
So for all you parents and coaches that think that military-style training, abusive team pep-talks and stalking your opponents is the sure fire track to success you couldn't be more wrong. Kellyville, keep your undefeated season, your iron-cold rules of perfection and your need to win. I'll keep my son. My son and his equally-loved AFL, Cricket, video games and his torturing if his sisters. I'll keep them and of course his
GRAND FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
am.
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