Jet-lagged, virtually sleepless, wind and sun-burned, I returned tonight after watching my 17-year-old play soccer in a tournament that included three games yesterday and today.
As always, he played every minute of every game out there on defense, now with his short hair, which he thinks makes him look tougher. (You know teenaged boys, especially athletes.) In the process, he took some monster hits, including a foul from a bigger kid who drove him to the turf with an illegal elbow to his back.
As he went down, Aidan bruised a bone in his chest that he had injured earlier, and for the rest of the day, he kept raising a hand there, against the pain, but he played on well.
As for his hairstyle, naturally, I've explained to him my bias, and why I have never had short hair myself since the 50s. There is some history here. In my era, it was a military look to have shaved hair. Indeed, as I and my peers protested war, we grew our hair long in the 60s.
So I continue to favor longer hair in boys.
But I am hardly lost in the 60s.
Then was then. Now is now. Styles move in cycles.
He played great. His team had mixed results, but he played great.
But I am so exhausted tonight that I cannot tell the whole story, which is actually quite interesting, about what happened out there in the valley. It turns out the home team cheated, but that's quite American as well.
Maybe another day.
Meanwhile, courtesy of Advil and ice, our center back prepares to get ready to return to the pitch. Bruised bones or no, there are more games to be played.
-30-
1 comment:
Oh my- I do hope his bruises get better. It is so sad when others play in an unsportsman manner. I will look forward to the longer tale when you are more rested up.
It was interesting your 'take' on the hair cut issue. Of course, having grown up in Singapore, short hair was always a 'must' = in fact, I can remember standing in line at a post office in the early 70's & the sign bearing the pic of a long haired male saying, "You will be served last" and true to form- if someone walked in with long hair- and someone with short hair walked in- they would serve the short hair person first. Oh yes- the 'very' socialist democratic government of Singapore ;)
Of course, for athletes, it would make sense to have shorter hair- as it wouldn't get in your eyes- or make you more sweaty, etc.
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