Last night was no different than usual. I brushed my teeth, set my alarm, turned on an old George Carlin album and fell asleep.
Unfortunately, I didn't put as much care into setting my alarm as I did into selecting the right bedtime comedy routine. I neglected that little button on the corner of my alarm clock that specifies AM or PM. With a championship game to cover in South Burlington at 10 AM, I had just done a fine job of giving myself an 8 PM wake up.
Cut to 10:27 this morning. Imagine my confusion as I wake up to my father calling me. The plan was for him to bring my sisters to work and meet me at the Division II girls soccer championship at 10:00 in South Burlington. A little before 11, he would head to UVM for the Division III field hockey final and I would remain at SBHS until the end.
"Are you at South Burlington?" he asked me (I think, anyway. Tough to recall a phone conversation as the first act of the day).
"I'm in bed," I replied before looking at my clock and blurting out obscenities a little too racy for the internet.
He suggested I cover field hockey and he would stay at South Burlington, which made the most sense. I raced to get ready and was out the door roughly 90 seconds after waking up. But the ride south was troublesome. I absolutely love the Milton girls soccer team and had planned for a year to be there when they won this season's title. I have nothing against the field hockey squad of my alma mater, but have no connection to it beyond covering a few games here and there. I've covered Milton so much that when coach Cory Payson calls the house to report stats from a game we didn't cover, he asks for me (a reporter) instead of my father (the sports editor and the guy every other coach asks for).
I've probably covered this Milton girls team more than any other in my brief sportswriting career. Aside from being the most talented team in any division I've ever covered, I love the players, coach and parents. In eulogizing the season, I'm obligated to mention the kindness and friendship that Jenna Morrissey, Gina Abbiati and Samantha Rock have treated me with this year. I often talk to players I cover on facebook, at games or via texting; it's helpful to have sources who can help me identify a player in a photo, tell me who made an important pass or just talk about what's going on off the field. Plenty of players in the county are great about this, but since I'm writing about the 2011 Milton girls soccer team, these are the three I'm thanking in this blog. On my way home today I actually felt a little sad about the season ending because I no longer have a reason to chat with them anymore. But that's the job, and next year I'll rely on Wells, Brooke Phillips, Paige Johnson or someone else for my info. I just hope they're ready to fill some big shoes.
I'd promised all three girls, along with a few parents that I would be there this morning to cover the culmination of a great season. And as I drove south on I-89 at unsafe speeds, I got angry with myself for oversleeping and felt terrible about a broken promise. Just past Colchester (around 10:45), I called my dad back.
Before I finished my first sentence. He asked if I wanted to cover the soccer game using his notes from the first half and have him go to field hockey. He knew how badly I wanted to be there and was actually more than happy to go to field hockey himself to make that happen (he covered the heartbreaking loss last year and was hoping to be there for today's redemption just like my situation with Milton). Hell, he even texted me telling me where he'd been parked hoping I could steal his spot (I did!).
I got to the field just a couple of minutes into the second half with Milton holding down a 1-0 lead but apparently dominating play. I had taken all of two pictures when Abbiati volleyed in a Shannon Wells corner kick to make it a 2-0 lead. Suddenly the anger and frustration and sadness I'd felt all morning was going away. I hadn't gotten to see Gina score a goal this year, but made it for probably the biggest one of her career.
Milton rolled through the second half, adding two more goals before game's end. I chatted briefly with Jenna and Samantha on the sidelines late in the half and went on to take some of the most satisfying pictures of my career.
You see, there was a lot at stake for both teams I watched today. One year ago, they both lost on championship Saturday. I drove to Randolph to watch Milton somehow lose to Harwood despite a +19 shots advantage. I raced back to UVM just in time to see MVU's field hockey team lose in penalty strokes (if you're wondering, they're every bit as brutal as soccer penalty kicks). Neither of these squads was going to be content with just a trip to a title game in 2011. Had they both lost, I imagine it would have been my saddest day as a sports writer. Both Milton and MVU expected to win titles this year. Playoff losses are always tough, but for instance, the BFA-St. Albans baseball team in 2010 wasn't all that crushed by a loss in the title game after making such an incredible run as an underdog. Milton made sure I didn't have a bad day despite my rough morning.
I made it to UVM just in time for the end of the game again this year. But this time, MVU had a lead and held on to it. All I was there for were the celebration pictures --the crown jewel for any sports photographer with a soul--, so I felt a little spoiled but oh well. As I mentioned, I don't have the same connection to the field hockey team as the Milton soccer team, but it was a satisfying experience nonetheless. I've seen these players work extremely hard and I know coach Jeanne Rainville has as much passion for her team as any other coach around.
The best part about championship Saturday 2011 is the anticipation of championship Saturday 2012. MVU field hockey will lose ONE player to graduation. That's not a typo, this team which just won a state title did so with ONE senior. That senior is the goalie, but if next year's team is an improvement on this one it may not need a goalie.
Milton loses a few more quality players. Rock, Morrissey, Abbiati, and goalie Bethany Berger among a few others will be tough to replace. But Wells (who has long-passing accuracy that would make David Beckham jealous) is a junior, and the sophomore class is absolutely loaded. I've already written about how much I love watching Phillips play and that won't change as long as I'm not coaching a Yellowjacket opponent. Erin Turner scored today's first goal, Ashley Lauziere has been a playmaker all year, and Addison Wennar/Paige Johnson are one of the best sweeper/stopper combos in the state ----ALL SOPHOMORES! Milton may even be more fun to watch next season. This year's version was so talented that it literally just needed to show up against most Division II opponents. Next year's version will be good, but will need a team game to repeat as champions.
Whatever next year brings, I'm thankful for a great ending to this particular season even though I'll truly miss it.
Now, who's ready for some basketball?
