Memories

Yesterday I was rather shocked by the most recent post on coach's blog. He's not going to be coaching soccer at MBBC anymore. At first I was swept with a wave of sadness, but that was quickly followed with a sense of gratitude that I had the privilege of being on his team for four years. He mentioned in his blog that he wants to take the next few days to reminisce a bit about his years as Maranatha's soccer coach. I was inspired to do some remembering of my own. My four years at Maranatha were some of the best in my life, and the four soccer seasons were the highlight of those years. Here are some of my favorite personal memories

- Preseason, freshman year, coach asked if I was related to Lenny Dykstra. Regardless of the fact that I was neither related to him nor even knew who he was, coach decided that I was to be called Lenny from then on. It stuck, big time.

-Preseason, sophomore year, coach had written on the board "How to Survive at Maranatha" with the "survive" crossed out and replaced with "thrive." I was thoroughly challenged with that, and it has stuck with me ever since.

- My first or second year we were running before practice (which I hated) and I was in the middle of the line. I also hated being in the middle because that meant I actually had to keep up with everyone else, which wasn't easy for me. I must have said something about it because KJ said that if I didn't push myself I would never get any faster. I have thought about that and carried it over into other areas of life as well.

- One year our team verse was about loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, etc. I couldn't remember the reference in the locker room one day, and the one I said was to a verse about not knowing the Word of God. Doh!

- Freshman year (I think it was) when I was actually playing in a game, coach told someone (Sandy?) that he had a three day old niece who could run faster than me. Unfortunately, it was probably true... =)

- At an indoor tournament some of us played in, we were resting outside between games and some of the girls got it in their heads to spell MBBC on the grass. Laura hollered up the hill to me, "Hey, Lenny, wanna play?".

- Once coach and I predicted what time we would get back to campus. He saw that I was going to be dead on so when I wasn't looking he changed the clock in the van so it read the time, or close to the time, that he'd predicted. Cheater!

- Senior year there were three RA's on the team and several PC's. Good for us!

- Senior year, last home game, Parents' Day...I scored my first and last goal on a free kick. That was fun. Later I was given the Goal of the Year award. Won't be forgetting that anytime soon.



This is all I can think of for now, but maybe I'll post some more memories as I think of them.