This is the busy season for me. Last week, I was fortunate enough to be one of the public address announcers for the state girls' high school hockey tournament during the day and some terrific college playoff games at night. This week, the focus turns to boys' sectional play at Warner Coliseum.
In one sense, it is the best week of the year. The winner of the sections head to the state boys' tournament next week. They will play in front of huge crowds (Xcel will be packed to capacity for the AA games. The Class A games are now filling up the lower bowl of the building -- 7-9,000 seats.) Even after doing this 25 years, the vigor and excitement of a section final still amazes me. I will work a section final doubleheader Friday night at Warner Coliseum and the place will absolutely rock.
It's a wonderful sight.
The flip side, however, is the loss in a section final is the hardest thing to watch.
If you get to the state tournament and lose, it stings. But you got there. You had your TV moment. You got your name announced over the p.a. system. You heard the roar of the crowd. You are often playing a school you know little about. You know only one team gets to win the whole thing. Oh, it hurts but you an usually deal with it.
But the section tournament is different. Often, you are playing a team that is a season-long rival. Most of the time, you played during the regular season. Or, at the very least, you know who your opponent is. When you lose in the section final, you often feel as if all that effort you put in went for naught. It is the hardest loss to handle.
I feel badly for the coaches and the players on the losing side. I have been doing this long enough now that I know several of these coaches well. I went to college with some of them. I like a lot of them personally. I can see the hurt in their eyes when I hand them the scoresheet. I also know they have the tough job of walking in and comforting their kids. I usually make a quick exit and let them do what they need to.
The flip side, however, is the unbridled joy you see in the winners. It never gets old for coaches. Each team has a different personality to it. Even for schools like Hill-Murray, each title represents a conquest of a different type of challenge. And when you see a team that has come close in the past finally get to the top of the mountain, it is a beautiful sight, indeed.
I have been working section games for more than two decades now. It never gets old. When this week approaches, I always recall a happenstance that occurred a few years ago. It reminds me why this is the best week of the year.
I was sitting at a bar at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas about 2 a.m. A guy comes up to me and says, "You are the p.a. announcer at the Coliseum, right?" I was a bit taken aback but said it was so.
"You did my game when I played for Harding," he said.
I looked up surprised. "Harding? They didn't come in very often."
He quickly came back to me, saying, "We played in the section final against South St. Paul."
"I remember that. You lost 2-1, right? The only thing I can remember about the game is a Harding guy got a breakaway late and the goalie stopped him cold."
The fellow brightened up more. "That was me who had the breakaway," he said.
I felt about six inches tall but tried to recover. "Goalie made a helluva save," I lamely offered in rebuttal.
The guy kept smiling, though. "I guess so but it doesn't matter much. It was just a blast being there. I'll never forget it. Thanks for being part of it." And then he went on his way, happy at the memory.
Since then, I have probably had another half dozen similar meetings. In talking to these folks, I have tried not to stick my foot down my throat again. But I have discovered that even if I do, the person who initiated the conversation doesn't seem to care. No, all he remembers is playing in a section game in front of a big crowd. If his team lost, he's over it. It is now a great memory for him. (The fact that he remembers a voice always amazes me. But isn't that the way it is with flashbacks? You recall the damnedest things sometimes.)
This is Christmas in March for a lot of people this week. The list includes those of us who are lucky enough to work the games, too.
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2 comments:
The last one hurts no matter what. For some of the guys, their careers are over. It hurts when it's over. Lacing up the skates or sneakers (on my end) for the last time is never easy.
Very true. As they say, however, time heals all wounds. Many people remember their last game. My hope is they will smile at the memory.
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