Warrand

Take Me to the Promised Land

by niCholAs WArrAnD

The season of sport has just begun. Doesn’t matter what sport: cricket, hockey, footy – all that matters is that it’s begun. Oranges have been sliced, water bottles filled, parents gossiping away, and you’re raring to go.

That first game back takes a while to get into: passes aren’t connecting, people don’t communicate properly – it’s a mess. Training next week is gonna be hell. But hey, you’ve somehow scraped away with the win!

Trainings are in full swing - maybe an extra one here and there just to get the team going. Your Dad takes you down to the park to work on some things. You both know you’re shit but that’s okay, you can get better.

Midway through the season and your team’s not looking too bad: won a few then lost that one because Erin went down south for no good reason. But overall, your team’s in a good position and you’re playing better each week.

You’ve now dropped a few games. One team demolished you because they were just way too big and strong and should never have been in this division – at least that’s what Mum says. There are a few games left in the season. You can still make it; you can still get there.

One round left - win this game and you’re into the semis, lose and the season ends here. You’re not even at the big dance yet but boy, it sure feels like it. A good pass here, great defence there, and all of a sudden, you’re through!

You’re calmer now for semis; there’s less pressure and this game is somehow the easiest of the season – it’s like they didn’t even want to be there, but you do. You can taste it. You can feel it.

Game day. For some reason your parents have bought your grandma down to watch. Your stomach does backflips. It’s that team: that one team you’ve struggled with all year, all past years, and you’ve been playing them every year now without a break.

The whistle blows and you’re off. The pace is faster, the team is meaner, your friends are

more competitive but more selfish. It’s neck and neck for the first half, both teams making mistakes and both teams taking the lead.

At half-time your mum gives you a smile and a wave from the stands. You don’t wave back, you’re in the zone. Your coach says all they can to get you motivated, trying to keep the team up – but the umpire has other ideas. The second half is underway. And you’re benched.

It’s bullshit, it’s not fair! You should be out there, not them. You can win this game, not them. You’re the best player on this team, and still, you sit. Five minutes go by and all of a sudden your coach calls your name again. It is your time.

The rest of the game goes by as a blur. Players go this way and that and then… the whistle blows, the sirens sound, the game ends. Did you make it?

Did you make it to the promised land?