Memorial Day Weekend

This Memorial day was a great weekend—If you ask Sandy what she thinks about to stay positive and motivated, she would tell you that she thinks about doing things like this with the girls.

I told you it was a good weekend… The four of us drove up to Philadelphia along with the Youngs to see the NCAA Women’s Div. 1 lacrosse Championship game. National powerhouse and heavy favorite Northwestern University (Wildcats) met the University of Virginia (Cavaliers) in a game that started with a forgone conclusion—that NU would deliver a solid beating of UVA. It turned out to be a very close game that either team could have won right up until the end. It was tight for those of us cheering for Northwestern, and the good guys won 15-13.

This is the second chapter in a weekend that started for me and Hannah on Friday. Hannah’s 12th birthday was on Thursday, 5/24, and the NCAA semi-finals were at U Penn (Philadelphia) on Friday night. She skipped school (bad kid) and we drove to Philly to meet Sandy’s brother, Bobby, for lunch downtown. Hannah and I later walked over to Liberty Field and saw the Liberty Bell, walked through the visitors’ center and exhibits there, and so on. For those of you who don’t know, Hannah is kind of a history buff. She loves history and particularly historic novels. Of course, this is not surprising since there is the family connection to the Patriotic movement and signing of the Declaration of Independence (Oliver Wolcott- great friend to John Adams and the gang). Enough of my snotty attitude… Back to our day trip.

After the Bell, we drove over to U Penn to catch the two semi final games. The first was Northwestern vs U Penn, followed by Duke vs Virginia. U Penn made the first 15 minutes interesting, but then Northwestern schooled them for the rest of the game. In fact, U Penn did not score until ¾ of the way through the game, an NCAA semifinal record. In the second game, Duke led UVA easily (8-2), so we left at halftime. By this time, it was past ten o’clock and we still had a 90 minute drive home. UVA did not appear to be in the game, so imagine our surprise when we learned the next day that they came back to win 13-12.

And so the stage was set for Northwestern to meet U VA in the championship game on Sunday. This would be Northwestern’s 3rd straight national championship. What a thrill for Hannah and Haley to watch, knowing that a handful of the girls on Northwestern (and UVA) are former Sky Walkers (the club program where Hannah plays). The girls have met many of the NU players and feel a real connection to them. The players have been incredibly gracious and kind to both Hannah and Haley, so their allegiance has never been in question….GO WILDCATS.

Add to this the fact that the coaches and team were among the early contributors to the STAY STRONG SANDY collection, and you might understand why we like this team. Hannah wakes up each morning to look at a photo of the last Northwestern National Championship team, signed by the players and coaches, with the heading “Stay Strong Sandy.”

Sandy and I both really appreciate what sports does for our girls. I won't go on about it, but I am grateful that our girls have the same opportunities that I had and that they thrive in competitive, team oriented environments.

So, thank you, Michael, Molly, and Acacia for the team photo and shirt for Sandy. Thank you Morgan for taking a young goalie under your wing, even just for a short while. You made Haley's day. Thank you Hannah Nielson for asking where Hannah was that day in the tent after the ALC Championship. Thank you Hannah Whitman for recognizing Hannah at every turn and for the high fives after the games (I never realized what a mouth your Aunt Meg had...). Thank you Casey Donohoe and Aly Josephs, Sky Walkers who showed our girls that anything is possible.

Congratulations on the hat trick, girls!