Hat Trick Overtime: Summer Camp by Jeff Adams-7
1396 Words
Our cabin ended up winning the silver medal in the finals. It was a satisfying wrap up to the four weeks. Winning the gold would’ve been better, but I was proud of the way our guys played. Leo and Kieran’s crew, once again, played just a bit better.
After the game, and before the farewell lunch, Alex and I gave final evaluations to our campers and their parents. I was glad we had nothing but positives to say about everyone. All of our guys showed improvement in all areas of play, and exceeded their stated goals. We also provided notes for each player on what they should work on once they were back home.
We saved Dylan for last on our appointment list. He’d been nervous about his dad coming to watch. He wanted to show off how much he’d improved, but was worried he’d mess up. Luckily he made some great plays and I was sure his dad would be proud.
“You ready for this?” Alex asked, before he went out to get them. We were in the small counselor’s office in the rear of the cabin, which provided a nice private space to perform the evals. The desk and four chairs in the small space very nearly made the office claustrophobic, which is why we rarely used it.
“Yup. Dylan seemed happy after the game, so this should go well.”
“He should be happy. He scored two goals and played great on offense and defense.” He stood up and went out to find Dylan and his dad.
I skimmed what we’d written on the evaluation form one more time so I wouldn’t have to look at it too much.
Alex returned quickly, followed by Dylan and his dad.
“Mr. Paul,” I stood and shook his hand. “Good to see you again.”
“Please, call me Robert,” he said, smiling. Dylan’s father seemed to be in a great mood. “Simon, good to see you. Outstanding game this afternoon. You and Alex have done some great work.” Dylan looked incredibly nervous, like he was about to be sick. “I’m so proud of this one,” his dad said, putting his hands on Dylan’s shoulders. “He was spectacular.”
“We think so, too,” Alex said. “He had a list of things he wanted to improve and he’s done just that.”
Dylan didn’t look any more confident, despite the praise being heaped upon him.
“Please take a seat,” I said as Alex and I sat down behind the small desk. Dylan and his dad sat across from us.
“His offense was good, and there was a lot of improvement in his passing game,” his dad continued. “What really impressed me, though, was the defense. He’s always done his job in the winger position, but he’s more aggressive and really successful.”
“We noticed he has an uncanny ability to forecheck and have worked with him to enhance that skill,” I said. “He even picks the puck off us occasionally, too. One of our recommendations is that he consider moving to center. His offensive game’s improved a lot during camp, and with the flair for defense he could make for a dangerous center.”
Dylan’s dad beamed. I loved seeing parents excited and proud by what their kids accomplished.
“What do you think about center, Dylan?” his dad asked.
Dylan shrugged. “Sure,” he said. “Taking the puck off the other team is fun and now that I can pass and shoot better I can do something with it.” He paused, the idea of changing positions obviously growing on him. “Center could be very cool. I’ll talk to coach when I get home and see if that’s possible for this year.” He was smiling by the time he finished.
“The position’s a blast,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“Did you get to try it out here?” Robert asked.
Dylan shook his head.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that,” Alex said. “With everyone slotted into specific positions during registration, we couldn’t just move people around. We’re making the recommendation for future sessions that there’s some flexibility with that.”
“If you get in some pickup games over the summer, maybe you could try it out,” Robert said.
Dylan nodded. “That’d be cool.”
“There’s something else we wanted to discuss that’s not on the evaluation sheet,” I said. “Dylan gets in his head a lot. He beats himself up when plays don’t go right and sometimes overthinks things. We’ve talked about it a few times, and he’s gotten better about it, but I think an ongoing dialogue would be helpful and allow him to continue to improve his game.” I looked at Dylan. “Maybe talk it over with your coach at home, too, so he can be on the lookout for it.”
Dylan seemed to shrink into the chair. It reminded me of the first night he tried to sneak out for more practice.
“I’ve noticed that, too,” his dad said, sounding slightly sad. “Sometimes it’s like he doesn’t hear the encouragement and positive comments he gets.”
“I need to always be the best,” Dylan said, quietly.
“You are always the best,” Robert said. “The drive to improve is great, but it can’t be all consuming.”
“I’m only two years away from college. I need to be the best, better than now, to snag a scholarship. You know that.” Dylan’s voice was filled with frustration.
“A scholarship isn’t the only way to get into college,” Robert said, putting his arm around his son’s shoulders. “There are options. There are always options. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.” Robert sighed.
The room was quiet for a moment. I didn’t say anything for fear of ending our meeting on a sour note. Alex stayed quiet, following my lead since this had taken a more somber tone than either of us expected.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Robert finally said. “My wife, his mom, has battled cancer for over a year now. Among other things, it’s a financial struggle that I haven’t been able to hide from him as much as I’d like.”
Alex and I nodded.
“I hope I’m not overstepping by asking this, but are you all talking to counselors to help you through this?” I said. “It can help so much when someone in the family is sick.”
Father and son looked at each other for a moment. Dylan gave a nod to his father and then looked down at his lap.
“His mother and I attend a support group at church. I also go to a spouse’s group on my own. Dylan went to a youth group for a while, but it wasn’t for him.” I nodded. I knew that groups weren’t necessarily for everyone. “I know he’s looking for anything he can do to take some of the burden away from his mom and I, like making sure he can pay for college on his own so that we can focus on medical bills. We’ve both assured him that for college we’re all in it together, but he’s a little stubborn.”
“It’s a common reaction,” I said. I looked briefly down at Dylan’s information sheet. “You’re up in Traverse City. If you’d like I can put out some feelers when I get back to work next week and see what kinds of youth support services are available there and maybe make some recommendations?”
“You’d do that?” Dylan asked.
“Yup. Remember, I told you that I knew what it was like to need the scholarship. So I’d like to help.”
“That would be great,” Robert said. “We haven’t really known where to go.”
“Thank you, Simon,” Dylan said. “Thank you both. You guys have been so great.” He looked to his dad. “They’ve coached me more than most of the other players.”
“You’re welcome,” Alex said. “You’ll have to let us know how your season goes.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” Robert said. “He was good before he came here, but, like I said, the improvements are obvious. I think his coaches are going to be impressed when he gets to training camp in August.”
“Can we go see one of their games this fall?” Dylan asked, looking at his father.
“Maybe. We’ll check the schedule when it’s out and see if we can get down there for a weekend.”
“If you come, let us know and we can arrange tickets,” Alex said. “It’d be great to have you as our guests.”
“I’ll make sure you have our email addresses when I send the information to you about groups,” I added. “I’ve got yours here in the file.”
“Will you be back next summer?” Dylan asked.
Alex and I looked at each other and we shrugged at the same time.
“It’s hard to say,” Alex said. “This camp was an experiment. If everybody agrees it’s a success it should be back for a second year. But even if it does, we graduate in May, so it’s hard to say what next summer holds for us.”
“It’d be great if we could,” I said. “It’s a great way to start the summer.” I checked the clock near the door, it was nearly time for the final banquet.
“I hope all three of us are here next summer,” Dylan said.
“Me, too,” I said. “We should get going. It’s almost time for the official farewell to begin.”
“Thank you both, for everything,” Dylan’s dad said, shaking our hands.
“Our pleasure,” Alex said.
“Dylan, hope you have a great season,” I said, extending a fist for him to bump.
“You too,” he said, bumping my fist. “Both of you.” Alex and him bumped, too.
- Writer
