The Thrill of Victory

Experiences of extreme accomplishment (and relief). In order by date.

My 8th grade touchdown in 1972. I played end on offense and defense. We didn’t pass much, but when they ran the halfback pass to my side of the field, I ran the deep flag route. The pass was perfect. I caught it near the sideline and turned upfield. I started running and looked at my bench, right next to me. The coaches were yelling at me to run. I did – all the way to the end zone. The field was 80 yards long, and the play coved 66 yards. This at Porter Stadium, where years later we would play our high school games. I had all these plans of what cool things to do should I score a touchdown, but I was so excited and relieved that I just held both arms up in the air, as my teammates hugged me. It was the only TD that I scored in tackle football, and only one of two passes I caught that year. The other was a ten yard “dump” pass that was called back because someone jumped offsides. It was my only offsides penalty called on me.

Winning 1975 state championship game. It had been a long season, from the first of August almost all the way until Christmas. Lots of practices, most either brutally hot or frigid cold. We were ready for a break. But when the buzzer sounded, signifying our championship, I joined a few of my teammates, climbing into the stands to hug on classmates (okay, mostly girls). For the record, in the game I made a good block on our failed fake PAT, did a decent job of kicking off four times, and connected on my only extra point attempt. The only game we played on Astroturf, at Lakewood Stadium in south Atlanta, near the old fairgrounds.

Finishing the underwater swim in the GT drownproofing class, back and forth two lengths in the Olympic-sized pool. To pass the test you had to swim one length of the pool, and turn around. I did this, and decided to keep swimming for as ling as I could. I made it all the way to the end of the pool – better than I had expected. February 1979.

The three SPdL choir tours were unforgettable as well: singing deep inside Mammoth Cave, in the Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado Springs, the Flying W Ranch, Niagara Falls, and on and on. Much more so: the experience of spending time with great of group of friends, creating great memories. 1980 1981 1982. Also all the summers spent at Camp SPdL. 

Graduating from GT in August 1982. Five long years of hard work. I went to the college of hard knocks, so I did learn a lot during those years. GT and playing football taught me about hard work, though I rarely work as hard as I used to. Learned a lot during my single years. Also during the years of 2000-2010.

Finishing the Atlanta half marathon in 1993. I trained and trained, running further and further up Peachtree from SPdL. Past Lenox. Past Phipps. Past Brookhaven. Past Oglethorpe. To Chamblee, where the race started. I had made it up to ten or eleven miles. When race day game (Thanksgiving Day) I settled into a good pace, following the same little pack of runners. Ran all the way up the hill past Piedmont Hospital. I knew it was pretty flat after that. Made it up the hill from 10th Street past FBC. Just kept on going. Into downtown. When I passed the state capitol and crossed I-20, I had such a feeling of accomplishment that carried over to when I crossed the finish line, next to old Atlanta Stadium.

Carrying the 1996 Olympic torch, first in Gary Indiana, then later in Winston Salem NC. Huge crowds cheering us all along the way in Gary, where the afternoon turned to night – making all the flashing lights and approaching torch glowing in the night. At Wake Forest University my route was from the bottom of a hill near campus where relatively few people watched, around a corner up the hill to downtown, where hundreds were lining the streets in the bright mid-day sun, all cheering me on. No way I was going to walk while holding that lit torch, though others did. I ran all the way up that hill. Both times, both before and after my turn to carry the torch, I was so thrilled to be part of the multi-vehicle torch relay caravan, waving and talking to spectators at every stop.

In 1982 I ran with the Salt Lake torch relay caravan in Hickory NC, another unforgettable experience.

God has been teaching me and molding me these past two years as well. Often a struggle, but treasures come from experiences both good and bad.

Note: my email pal has been sending me key stories from his life, stoking my own memories – like yesterday’s stories of churches I’d attended.

Shoe of the day: wore my adidas Propheres to work, though they didn't really blend in with my outfit.