Rich Wallace's Blog - Posts Tagged "keene-state-basketball"
why sports matter
I’ve written a number of novels about gritty, underdog athletes who usually have more heart than talent (and often not a lot of size). That never-say-die attitude is one I greatly value, and it’s one of the reasons I love the NCAA basketball tournament. Seeing a little team like Bucknell knock off a powerhouse like Kansas can’t be beat for sports thrills.
The college across the street from us has a pretty good basketball team, and has been on a winning streak this month. So tonight, when the top-ranked Division 3 team in the country came to visit, we went to watch. We’ve seen Keene State play a number of times; they’re very athletic and had been inconsistent. When they fell behind by 10 with five minutes to play, we figured Middlebury would remain undefeated and leave with its No.1 ranking intact. Then the smallest guy on the floor took over, and the tallest guy on the floor found the confidence he seemed to be lacking. Heart won out, and Keene State scored a one-point victory. The classic college basketball scene ensued—the full bleachers emptying out, the point guard held aloft, mosh-pit style, and no one wanting to leave the gym. It's the type of moment an athlete never forgets.
There are no small-time sports. For every 40 minutes of game action, there are hours and hours of practice and free-throws and visualization and frustration. When I race for half a minute, it’s the result of a hundred hours of solitary workouts. No one sees any of that, and I rarely talk about it with anyone. But after I raced this past Sunday, I had the experience of a little bit of notoriety as a result of my wife Sandra’s blog. A national track and field website spotlighted her post, and suddenly there I was, the lead article. You can read it here (scroll back to Feb.1 when you get to the site):
www.masterstrack.com/
The college across the street from us has a pretty good basketball team, and has been on a winning streak this month. So tonight, when the top-ranked Division 3 team in the country came to visit, we went to watch. We’ve seen Keene State play a number of times; they’re very athletic and had been inconsistent. When they fell behind by 10 with five minutes to play, we figured Middlebury would remain undefeated and leave with its No.1 ranking intact. Then the smallest guy on the floor took over, and the tallest guy on the floor found the confidence he seemed to be lacking. Heart won out, and Keene State scored a one-point victory. The classic college basketball scene ensued—the full bleachers emptying out, the point guard held aloft, mosh-pit style, and no one wanting to leave the gym. It's the type of moment an athlete never forgets.
There are no small-time sports. For every 40 minutes of game action, there are hours and hours of practice and free-throws and visualization and frustration. When I race for half a minute, it’s the result of a hundred hours of solitary workouts. No one sees any of that, and I rarely talk about it with anyone. But after I raced this past Sunday, I had the experience of a little bit of notoriety as a result of my wife Sandra’s blog. A national track and field website spotlighted her post, and suddenly there I was, the lead article. You can read it here (scroll back to Feb.1 when you get to the site):
www.masterstrack.com/
