Personal Top Five Sports and Spirituality Moments of the Summer

Labor Day weekend marks the official close of summer. Many rituals and traditions help us wrap up the best season of the year. Your community pool will close its doors while every school across the country officially opens their own. Weekends down the Shore don't have the same (local) star power. There was a time when it was taboo to wear white outside of the Memorial to Labor Day confines. So, why not wrap up June, July, and August and honor summer with an official list: top five memories?! Or, for the purpose of this blog, top five Sports and Spirituality moments of the summer. Done and done. Here goes.

#5: Speaking to the 2017-2018 coaching staff at Carondelet High School, Concord, CA

For the past five years, I have been speaking to the coaching staffs at a number of Catholic secondary schools throughout the country. To be invited to address a school community is an honor and a privilege; it might be what I love most in the discipline of teaching, reading and writing about Sports and Spirituality. 

On Sunday, August 6 I returned to my alma mater where I was able to share ideas, ways and means that any coach of every sport can spiritually form their athletes...and why. To draw from my own experiences as a student athlete and share that among the people who know those that did, in the same places and spaces, with the same traditions was super special. I felt as though I were able to go deeper and challenge these coaches more because we had a shared understanding of what Carondelet is and aims to be.

I always look at athletes from Carondelet with a discerning eye...and a warm smile. I guess I am looking to see part of myself, my teammates and close friends reflected in the young women who represent CHS. Being with their coaches, I feel confident I can.

4. Co-hosting a crew of 12 for a round of Golf at the Olympic Club, San Francisco
Lou Holtz, ever the wonderful and popular speaker as said the following on happiness.

If you want to be happy for a day, go out and play golf. If you want to be happy for a week, go on a cruise. If you want to be happy for a month, get a new car. If you want to be happy for a year, win the lottery. But if you want to be happy for a lifetime, make sure you add value to everyone you come in contact with.  NB: I have also seen a version of this talk that includes the advice to follow Jesus Christ.

With all due respect to Coach Holtz, I politely disagree. A round of golf has kept me happy for a full week, plus. Case in point: this day; it could not have been scripted better. My friend Chris and I were able to host a great crew affiliated with our respective alma mater, the University of Notre Dame for 18 holes on the Ocean Course. 

One never knows how thick the marine layer will be out at the O Club. It may sound almost shallow, but when it's in the mid-50s, foggy and cold in the summer, I'm not the happiest camper, er golfer. But on this day, my foursome included three friends—who are great athletes and worthy golfers. On the back nine, one of them was cheering for me as though we were in the final four of Bookstore Basketball. C'mon Anne....you got this.....

We started the day by eating one of the best sandwiches in all of golf. The leader of this 12-pack took my advice and went back to make sure they red relish completed the famous Bill's Burger Dog and he made quite the impression on the staff. They wanted to know where he was from. I wish I could tell you it was somewhere exotic or far, far away. Try Holmdel, NJ. That's John. He told me "we always make an impression." I believe it. We concluded the day with a group dinner, which was awesome, but even better was the group dynamic, the stories, shenanigans, personalities, and people. I hope we can do it again next year. 

3. Bank of the West Tennis Classic, Stanford University. Palo Alto, CA

I went to Stanford to watch Maria Sharpova play for the first time in person. I arrived at the ticket booth only to see she had withdrawn from the tourney, due to an injury (forearm). What was initially a bummer, turned out to be a great opportunity to see a fun doubles' match featuring Coco Vandeweghe and even more importantly spend the afternoon with a tennis fan to rival all others.

John McEnroe who played a great deal of Doubles' tennis in his historic career has said that "Doubles' is on life support." For example, the Bryan Brothers are the most successful men's doubles' duo in the history of the game and they get little to no sports coverage. I have always thought this to be an unfortunate reality as I enjoy watching Doubles' tennis in person—immensely. For whatever reason, the luster of the sport does get lost of television, but in person, the viewer follows not only the tennis but the team dynamics. 

I loved the day because this tourney has a great history. I couldn't ask for a better location or weather. My former student truly was my teacher. I always enjoy watching athletic contests with someone who knows a lot about a sport; I have a feeling I could have watched the entire tourney with him and still there would be more to learn. Impressive, inspiring and fun.

One of the reasons I wanted to see Coco play is because her coach happens to be one of my favorite players from when I started playing tennis. As we exited the Taube Family Pavilion I saw him. No checkered headband, no Prince tennis wear, sans mullet and earring...but Pat Cash still looks great. 

2. Baseball Greatest Hits Exhibit at the Library of Congress, Washington DC
My brother lives in Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. I love this historic, charming neighborhood for many reasons. Chief among them is the access to the Capitol, the National Mall, and Library of Congress free of charge. Thanks, America. 

As someone who loves music, baseball, American Studies and time with my nieces, how could attending the exhibit "Baseball's Greatest Hits: The Music of Our National Game" not rank #2?! 

I learned that "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is the third most popular song in the US today—after "Happy Birthday" and the national anthem. I discovered that Jackie Robinson's achievement of breaking the color barrier and his remarkable rookie season (1947) inspired numerous singers and songwriters to compose in his honor. Who knew that in 1920 Babe Ruth and the Yankees were accompanied by a 50-piece band; one that played both before and after each home game? 

I was out of the country (see #1) for this 4th of July but spending time in our nation's capital and learning about the music of America's pastime made it one of the most memorable yet.

1. Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center, Jerusalem, Israel
This is my favorite photo from the summer for it captures the spirit and the faces of the 30 educators I was lucky enough to spend three weeks with in Israel—a place, an opportunity and an experience of a lifetime. 

A day didn't go by that I wasn't given the chance to talk Sports and Spirituality with someone in this talented, intelligent, dynamic and warm group of teachers from Canada, Serbia, Italy, Isreal and the US. They love much more than the Blue Jays, hockey, the Raptors and Novak Djokovic. I befriended Giants and Warrior fans, golf enthusiasts and people who wanted to know what was happening at Wimbledon as much as I did. One of my only regrets is that I didn't attend any of the events of the Maccabiah Games 2017 (think Jewish Olympics) together. We have already discussed the idea of a reunion. I'm pulling for Washington DC in 2018, host city of the 2018 MLB All Star Game (at Nationals Park).

There are many more than five great moments from the summer, but the wide world of sports asks fans to rank them. While the experiences have all been remarkable, it's the people who made them the memories that they all. Thanks for sharing the time, showing up, playing ball and making the summer of 2017 one to remember. Now go out and make your own list and your own memories...I'd love to see the list.

Photo Credits
Hot Dog Bill's