The tale of two Zebras

Zebra - a striped, 4 legged animal that lives in the wild...also...sports slang for a referee...

It's been a while since I've seen Marlee this upset.  This wasn't your normal, 11 year old, my brother is annoying me upset...this was much deeper.  I knew we were in for some tears and hugs.

She had just finished playing a really tough basketball game in which her team came up just two points short.  Her team has both won and lost this season but this loss hurt.  Their team had a number of rather questionable calls go against them and it made the game feel very much out of balance.  It created a tense situation for both teams along with the audience that was watching it all go down.  The zebras were showing their stripes tonight in full force.

After the game, you could see it in our players faces.  I think for some of them it was maybe the first time they felt that the world could be unfair...the calls sometimes don't go your way...the best effort can be undone by the perceived unbalance of others.  That's a hard lesson to learn and even more difficult to sit from a distance and watch it happen to your 11 year old daughter. 

I tend to try and give all refs the benefit of the doubt and as much grace as I can.  I umpired little league some years ago and I've had a taste of what it's like to be judge and jury.  To get it right and to get it wrong.  It can be a rather thankless job especially when you have someone come across the fence on you when you called their little Johnny out on a close call at home.  Even with my prior experience, it was hard to keep my own comments and emotions in check...and I'm not even the one out on the court... 

We all have some zebras in our lives.  I'm sure you can think of a few.  Some call the game as fairly as they can, others...not so much.  The unbalance of some can very much undo your best efforts.  In that though, we have to somehow learn to adapt, adjust, and persevere.  It is not easy to rise above the hurt, the pain, and the injustice we feel but in order to grow, it's not a suggestion, it's a requirement.

Tonight, Marlee's team had practice.  To my surprise, not a single girl was down and out about the game they had lost just the night before.  They were back, playing like it had never happened.  It was amazing to see and quite humbling.  It took some of my own feelings and put them right in front of my face.

Sometimes the world will drop some zebras in your life...when the calls don't seem go your way...regardless if you're 11 years old or 43...it's up to us to learn ways to adapt, adjust, and persevere.  

1, 2, 3...dream!!!