Happy Wednesday Cards fans!
WSOC travels to Ohio State for this scrimmage. The women's and men's teams will participate in a double-header scrimmage at Lynn Stadium Saturday....as Paulie informed us yesterday. Free admission. DePaul (women) and Lipscomb (men) visit.
Being down in Charlotte, N.C. currently for a visit, I watched former Cardinals Zack Burdi (baseball) and Paola DelPiccolo (soccer) play recently in contests and that was definitely fun but it is no UofL game. My trip has also included some great food as well as a trip to Carowinds Amusement Park...which is where I got my idea for today's article -- comparing women's soccer positions to types of roller coasters.
When you visit an amusement park you find all sorts of roller coasters. Some are fast, some bumpy, some take you upside down so many times that losing your lunch is a distinct possibility. How does all this compare and relate to positions on a soccer pitch?
Midfielders.
Wooden roller coasters have been around for quite some time. It seems every park has one. They aren't usually the reason one goes to an amusement park, but not something you overlook. Midfielders might not have the most exciting job or role on a team, but it can be a difficult and rough one. They may not be the reason that you come to watch a soccer match but you can't overlook their importance and role in the game.Forwards
Parks get a new roller coaster every once in a while. This is something that is usually flashy and stands out. New rides like this are typically the highlight of a visit to a park -- much like seeing a flashy forward score a goal to give your team the win. They're the center of attention for most soccer fans and when one gets on a breakaway...the crowd gets noisy...like people do on a roller coaster. Goalkeepers
They "strap in" around the goal area and keep the goal safe from the attackers.
Defenders
Every park seems to have a coaster or two that have been there for a few years. It may not be a classic, flashy or most popular ride but they're ones that you must do while in the park. They're the backbone of the park because, without them, the park only has one or two coasters remaining. Once the big coaster has been ridden, these are the coasters that keep guests in the park with something exciting to ride. Defenders are the backbone to any soccer team. Defense wins championships, right? So, as you pass the hours before game starts and kickoffs -- ponder the question:
Where is the best place to sit on a roller coaster? The front or back? And, where is the best place to sit at a sporting event? Front row or "in the back" up high?
Jared Anderson
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REMEMBERING FARMER JBB
Louisville women's basketball lost a huge fan Sunday when Farmer "JBB" (Jim Winstead) passed away. As he is laid to rest today, I'll share a few stories.
...Jim did love his WBB Cards but he also loved to fish. When we spoke at a Cardinal WBB contest last season...we were going to get together this summer and hit some of his favorite farm ponds around the Sonora/Hodgenville area. I admitted to him that my fishing skills weren't quite up to par recently and I wasn't sure what kind of shape my rods and reels were in. I also asked if I could bring Sonja. His response was classic..."As long as she can bait her own hook."
Sadly, we never made that date.
...What's up with the hat? Jim loved to wear an old farmer's hat to games...both home and away and it's rumored he gave one of his trademark hats to one of the graduating seniors at the end of the season. He had a hat with him when he came down to say "Hi" to me, A.J and Nick at the UT Martin game last year. As always, he was full of stories and had hugs for everyone. After he left, a journalist from another city...who was sitting next to me asked about the hat.
"It's so the group he's here with can track him at all times. Sometimes he likes to charge the court and get an explanation from the refs on a call." I kidded.
Except the journalist wasn't sure I was kidding.
"Seriously?" he asked. "For sure...he once told Dee Kanter to go have a seat and he'd call the second half." I solemnly intoned. Later, I told the guy I was just funning him. I got one of those looks a disapproving schoolmarm might give a mis-behaving pupil. Jim and the hat.
The legend lives on.
Jim was a regular reader here and occasionally left comments. He and I exchanged regular e-mails until a couple of months ago. I wasn't sure why the exchange stopped...I figured it was because basketball season was in hiatus. Sadly, I knew nothing of the illness nor his passing until another reader sent me the link below.
LINK: Jim's obituary
Rest well, my buddy. You will be missed.
paulie
xxxxx
What did he die of?
ReplyDeleteEsophageal cancer.
DeletePaulie