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2012 Middle School Softball Champs!

With apologies to Queen:  We are the champions, my friends.  We kept on fighting ’til the end.  We are the Champions.  We are the Cham….” Well, you get the picture.

2012 is a banner year for the Burke Middle School Softball Team!  Last year, this scrappy team came in a promising second place in what turned out to be a harbinger (AP English word) for this year’s run through the playoffs.  From spring training, until the final out on a long throw from Valerie to Sophia filling in for Esme, this team and this season has been special.  So special, in fact, that Sports historians, softball sabermatricians, and Burke graybeards are all looking into whether this is the first Sports Banner ever for a Burke Middle School team.

Final out on a long throw from short to first!

The wind-up… and the pitch…

With seven strong innings by pitcher, Catherine W…. and

She’s in 6th grade?!?!

Patient, solid hitting against a very strong Sandy Spring pitcher…and

Clockwork-like fielding, Burke played it calm and cool, like it has all season, to bring home the win, 6-1.

The season-capping win came before an SRO crowd comprised of parents, friends, many alums, and a bleacher-full of softball-loving faculty fans, including Bob K., Ginger, Monica, Susan, Guy, Judith, Michelle (and Chase), Wendell, and Daniel (channeling Casey Stengel).

Special thanks for such a special season go to all the coaches:  JD, Sam, Shala, and, of course, coach/team mascot Adam K.

Last, but not least, thanks for all the great action photos go to Holly Johnson!

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Your humble blogger has been awol – or more appropriately for this post – on the DL – for a while.  But I stumbled upon this video re-cap of the Burke 2012 Sports Season (scroll down).  Can one become nostalgic after only a few weeks?

Growing up I heard Jim McKay’s voice every saturday repeat the global sports clarion, like a prayer or haiku:

After watching so many practices and games at Burke, and knowing the players and the coaches, I’ve come to see that the ‘thrill’ is not just in the victory (though, don’t get me wrong, that ain’t so bad).  “Thrill” is defined, in part, as a sudden wave of keen emotion.  What is the feeling that comes from watching the players grow over the years; pick themselves up off the turf; summon the courage or effort or love to make the attempt?  Seems “thrilling” to me.

As you watch the Winter Sports video, don’t despair that the season’s over… Spring MS Softball began yesterday with a 14-9 victory!  Come on out for the rest of the games – and feel the thrill of the grass!

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Joanna, Nora & Emma

It was in the middle of a beautiful Sunday afternoon, but all the stars were arrayed in a diamond shaped constellation across an emerald field.  Three points of Burke Softball light sparkled at the last week’s PVAC Allstar Game at Sandy Spring.  Joanna H. (’12), Emma G. (’11) and Nora S. (’11) anchored the infield as steadfast as the corner stars of the Big Dipper.  Joanna also pitched comets past opposing batters for a couple of key innings.  Each of the players sent shooting stars from the plate to get on base – one of them even shot two blazing meteors into the deep outfield – enabling her to make partial orbits around the bases.

It was a great sight to behold.  No one kept score, everyone had a ball, and the players lit up the field like an aurora.

Thanks to sports photog, Diane Dewhirst, for the great photos.  You can see them all at BurkePix.

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PVAC MS 2nd Place!

The word “champion” gets used mostly on ESPN or the World Wrestling Federation about one or another World Champion who has defeated all opponents to take first place.  But the making of a champion goes far beyond coming in first.  The word derives, in part, from the Latin, “campus” which referred to a “field” – as in a field of battle.  Later, in Old English, it came to mean to fight for, protect and defend.  Today the word can refer to one who stands up for and fights to defend another person or cause.

Last Thursday, the Burke Middle School Softball team took to the “field” in the PVAC Finals – for the first time in 21 years!  The opposing team from Covenant Life played a great game and came away with a well deserved win and first place.  But, the Burke girls fought as champions; they never gave up on trying.  They protected their enjoyment and love of the game, and defended their appreciation of the team and their teammates.

Please take a look at the great photos below taken by softball dad, Danny Weiss – and you’ll see what I mean.  An outfield-sized thank you goes to Coaches JD, Pam, Adam K., and Mike for championing these young Burke Champions.

Make sure you go see all of Danny’s photos at BurkePix – including an action photo of Adam re-enacting “I’m a little teapot.“

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The Girls Middle School Softball team heads deeper into the playoffs today with what is sure to be a tough face-off against Grace Brethren.  Whatever the outcome, this game, like the entire season, will be fun to watch.  If you haven’t seen the mighty MS Bengals this season here’s a quick ESPN breakdown:

This team has improved with each at-bat, pitch, grounder, throw-to-first and put-out — game by game.

They also really like to play the game!

Both of the above are due in large measure to the coaches who have done a great job helping the kids compete and have fun and respect the game.

Aw shucks...

You could go this way... then again you could go that way

We also have the best managers in the league!

Managers Harry W and Adam K

Sarah B explains the situation...

And our fans aren’t so bad either!

Bleacher bums

7th Inning Stretch

So get out to the ol’ ballyard at Forest Hills today at 3:30pm for the last home game of the season. Please check out more great photos at BurkePix – courtesy of season ticket holders, Danny & Harry Weiss (and their walker Anne Stewart).

Picture Speaks 1000 Words

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