In mid-December the Raptors head to the Area Q tournament in Lompoc. It’s exciting because we never expected to be here and we’re out in the world, and it’s the first tournament experience for most of our team.
The fields of Lompoc are gopher nirvana. There are holes and mounds and beach-sized patches of sand everywhere. Our lady ref literally falls in a hole during one game, twists her ankle, and disappears for fifteen minutes. Til she claws her way back to the surface.
We win our first game against 5 Cities. We win our second game against the Unripe Tomahtoes. We win our third game against Santa Ynez. Nate scores eight goals across three games. Arie scores. I think Isaac scores. They give us wrestling-belt sized medals in purple and gold and the first place Unripe Tomahtoes feign happiness that they’re not going to Bakersfield. The last goal Nate scores was this weird swooping shot from outside the box where the ball rolls down his leg like a ski-ball chute and then plummets down into the net from outer space. It’s like his boots have been kissed by the Elon gopher gods.
He comes off the field and I’m like, “That was weird.” And he’s like, “What was that?” And then Alexis’ dad comes over and asks Nate to sign his jersey. It was hilarious but Nate didn’t get the joke.
Nate and I arrive home and we’re walking on air. We open the front door and see Jacob and proudly show him our medals and our pins and he says, “What? The Raptors won the tournament?” Nate is technically on three teams– CCU, the Raptors, and the All Stars so I can see why he might get confused.
“Yes! The Raptors! We won first place!”
“What? The Raptors? Are you sure?”
Bakersfield, here we come.