The Challenge

　

A young man walked onto the tennis court with a big grin and little else to impress. He wasn't tall or athletic, in fact he was somewhat overweight, and extremely nervous, laughing and cutting up. Today was tryouts for the team, and newcomers had shown up in more numbers than usual. None owned a racquet, nor had ever had one in their hands before, but they all deserved a chance to try in the eyes of the coach.

One coach happened to be the Athletic Director, having all the credentials needed to coach and some actual experience at playing the game, but not enough to teach and bring a team to the point of winning in tennis. Most of his coaching experience had been in basketball and football, and he was quite good at both.
Joe had played tennis with his buds over the years, just for fun, with a less than fundamental style to his game. Having become friends with a woman, that happened to teach and coach, and that had a passion for both tennis and kids, he had learned a few things and knew that this was the way to teach the kids, the right way. The school wasn't the least bit interested in the tennis team, and had very little support or money for it, but they let it go along anyway, without paying much attention to it at all. Most of the funds and energy was applied to the football team, the athletes.

The athletes stood tall over the poor little tennis team kids, as they walked by in their cleats that made all they noise they needed, but they still hooted and laughed at the boys on the court, trying to make them feel as though they didn't count. The other coach, a woman about five foot one didn't mind so much, for now. Until the day, one of the football coaches, a teacher at the school walked by laughing and calling the boys ballerinas. For some reason that day, she minded. She minded a lot! Turning to the football coach she said, "So you think this is a game for sissy's, huh?" The coach laughed even harder and replied, "Yea it is, anybody can hit that little old ball." "Fine, then come on out here and see if you can beat me." she challenged. He laughed even harder as she stood on the court spinning her racquet to quiet the dragon within and staying calm, waiting for him to answer. The whole football team had witnessed the challenge and egged him on to take care of this little chick that had dared to challenge an athlete.

Joe stood by the gate with his arms crossed over his chest, grinning and rocking back and fourth on his heels. Finally the football coach had to save face and walked onto the court, sure that he would make quick work of this and stand taller in the eyes of his boys. Kids and coaches came in droves to see the match between the little chick and the coach. Joe still stood grinning, not saying a word to anyone. One of the tennis boys handed him a racquet, he twirled it and admired it, still laughing as though this was so silly he would surely beat this little woman, he was a man. Stronger and smarter...he thought.
The match began and the coach was running for all he was worth to try and get a point. The little chick barely moving as she maneuvered the ball and the coach all over the court, waiting for just the right moment to send it slamming onto the pavement for the point, leaving the coach out of breath and sweating profusely. They had agreed on one set to settle the point of sissy or not, and coach hadn't won a point yet, as the match proceeded. Unable to stop herself on the last point, she drove the ball home hard enough that it got stuck in the fence behind the coach. Dragging himself to the net to shake hands, he had stopped laughing.
"I apologize." he said. "I was wrong to make fun of this, it truly does take an athlete to play this game and you have taught me a valuable lesson today." She reached out her hand, "Thank you." Joe came over laughing hard, as the kids and coaches applauded loudly, "I should have told you, she taught me everything I know, and I knew she would wipe you off the court, but I needed the laugh today." He slapped the other coach on the back, turning to wink at the little chick. As they walked off the court, the team rushed to congratulate her. The crowd had learned a lesson that day that stayed with the school from then on, tennis was indeed a sport.

 "Did you guys learn anything today?" she asked the team somberly. They all looked at each other as if to say they didn't know they would be tested on this. Finally one of the boys stepped forward, "It's knowing how to play, not how big you are." She smiled as Joe stepped forward, "If you can listen, you can learn. I did and I still learn from her every time I play. Now I am playing tennis tournaments instead of softball, it gets in your blood."
The young man that had come to tryouts just to be able to stay after school, came forward. "I think I want to be able to do that." He had originally thought that it would just be fun and he could just hang out with the guys, he had no idea of the work that he would soon be doing. But at least after the demonstration, he had a goal now. He too had viewed tennis as the sissy sport, until today.

In the weeks that followed they all worked hard, with good days and bad days. As it turned out the young man that had come for the wrong reasons that day, wasn't eligible to play the matches because of his grades. He had worked hard at learning to play, but not hard enough on his grades and was sorely disappointed as he sat on the bench an cheered his teamates on. The little coach begged Joe to let him stay on the team, even though it wasn't supposed to be allowed. She knew that this young man needed the confidence he had gained through the sport to know that he had value and still he had a ways to go. Joe agreed to let him stay, knowing that tennis was the only thing keeping him in school.

On this particular year, tennis was the only sport that made it all the way to the State Finals. The whole school had a new found respect for the sport they had ignored and looked down on for so long every time they passed by the case that held the tall trophy.
The next year the young man came back to play again, with the grades to allow him to belong and play matches. He had found value in himself. This young man had been high on the list of At Risk Kids, but through the sport of tennis he graduated with a Most Improved Tennis trophy in his hands too. He had earned it and it felt good to succeed. Through the years he always had a special hug for that little chick that showed him how and allowed him the time to find out that he could win, not only in tennis, but in school.
He wasn't the first or the last kid that found their way through the game of tennis on those courts, but he was one of the special ones. Oh, and by the way, the basketball team had a newfound respect for tennis and several of them joined the team to prepare for basketball, with the encouragement from the football coach that had lost.

Coaching has it's own set of rules sometimes, winning. For others the win isn't so important, it's how to teach kids to find themselves in anything. A life lesson learned, is the real win.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

My Name Is Sam

My name is Sam, hello!

Sometimes, life on the farm, includes losing a life too, while bringing new ones into the world. It's sad, but nature must have her way from time to time. There seems to be a lesson in this I'm sure, although at times the lesson seems to be just out of reach...

During the time of year that the cattle are having their calves, it's usually cold and uncomfortable for us, the humans that believe we are taking care of them. Safe and warm in our homes, with the fires burning for warmth, we can't fully understand how animals can stand the cold nights. We try hard, by giving them the food to burn as fuel, in the same way we burn wood or use electricity to keep them warm. They have their own furnace, but it must be maintained by food, much the same as ours is maintained by stoking the fire, and covering ourselves with blankets and fleece, they must have fuel for energy to build warmth.

Sometimes, without rhyme or reason, an animal doesn't make it through the night. This time, when the mother died giving birth, she made sure her calf was born into the night before quietly taking her last breath. The calf was healthy and as black as the night she was born into. Her instincts for food kept her near her mother, until the farmer sadly picked her up and took her to the barn, leaving her mother, that she had yearned to know, forever. The calf had not even had the chance to suckle the first, and much needed mother's milk. The little infant calf was frightened to begin with, being left so suddenly into the cold night and the ground that was hard and cold too, from the warm safe place it had been snuggled in for nine months. The mother's body no longer warm as the calf tries to nuzzle against it for warmth and comfort.

Calfs, much like babies, are instinctivly drawn closer to their mothers, searching for the warmth and love they are born to need. Being taken from a mother is an experience for the calf that is frightening, even more than a baby's would be. A calf comes into the world only knowing it's mother, with an innate sense of belonging, to that one cow. The field it was born in, can be filled with other cows and calves, but only one mother. It's mother is no longer near, and the calf has no other sense of belonging in the world, only fear. The other calves have their own mothers and those mother's are not interested in the newest addition to the herd, without it's mother. They ignore it and move their own calves further from the nuisance that has appeared among them.


Cows are a funny animal, it is rare that one would take to an orphan among them.
The group of mothers allow their calves to run and play together, even nap in the sunshine, cuddled close together not far from the grazing herd of mother cows. Should one of the calves get too close though, they are booted away by the cow as she herds her own child away for a quiet moment of nursing. The mother moves her calf away from the other playful children among them, in order for her calf to nurse and be sure that he is nourished. When school is done, she allows him to go off to play and nibble at the grass like the adults and older children, to chase a butterfly or just jump in the air for joy. When the calf gets too far away for the mother's comfort, she calls to him and he runs to mother, as she nuzzles him close to her side, as if talking to him, telling him not to go so far away, there could be danger over the hillside.


The little black calf tonight, will be fed from a bottle, by the hands of the farmer. The calf knows that this is not her mother, the smell is wrong and sends the calf into frightened bawling, calling for it's mother, with no answer, and backing into the corner of the pen, desperately searching for saftey. When there is no where else to go, the calf tries to climb the wooden fence, it's slippery hooves splaying outward and sending her falling to the ground. Almost spent of energy, the calf heaves with every breath, but can't give up it's struggle for freedom. Her eyes are wide with fright and she backs up until her body hits the wall of the pen, sending more waves of fright through her. Finally, she is held tight by the human, as he tries to get the calf to take the bottle of warm milk, while the calf turns her head away from this foriegn object and grits her teeth together with a fierceness that seems impossible for such a newly born animal.

As the warm milk trickles around her mouth and a little tiny bit is tasted, her eyes seem to take on a look of wonderment. She is not through with her fight though, and tries again to take flight, little legs scrambling on the hay to get a foothold. She is held tightly and finally, the nipple is in her mouth. She stops fighting as the farmer squeezes the milk into her mouth, slowly letting her recieve the warmth of the milk, trickling down to warm her tummy. Her strong little body relaxes as she begins to nurse, and leans against the leg of the farmer, as she would her mother. The farmer rubs her in the same way her mother would have licked her, letting her know she didn't need to fear anymore. Her eyes are still wide with fear, but her need for nourishment is greater, and she continues to nurse.

Finishing the entire bottle and reaching for more, she is no longer frightened of this human in the pen with her. She follows and nuzzles his leg, searching for milk, as he pulls down the straw for her to sleep in. As the farmer stands outside of the pen and watches, the calf lies down in the fresh straw and sleeps. The calf is spent, with no more energy for escape, not even enough to miss her mother, she sleeps, dreaming I'm sure, of the other warm and safe place she arrived from, only a few hours before.

For the next few months this little girl was fed a bottle throughout the day and night, learning to depend on and look forward to the human that had taken the place of her mother. Sadly, she peers through the fence at the other calves as they follow their mothers to the water each day. She instinctively wants to join them and be with the herd, playing with the other calves. One calf comes to her fence and puts his head close to hers, as if asking her to come and play. Soon, it follows the others and is gone from her sight again. She stretches her head as high as she can, to watch them until they are out of sight. Soon, she lies down and puts her head in the straw...was that a tear slowly building in those soft brown eyes?

I think so...sadly knowing she wouldn't survive if she went to play, but still...