A Final Walk

At the end of May I had the honor of walking with Paradise Valley High School’s graduating class of 2015.  It was a very special night for each  young adult and their families.  Commencement took place in Trojan Stadium and 400 some students received diplomas that night.  At the time I didn’t realize that brief walk would be my final walk.

The field we walked upon that warm May night was the field Deanna and my kids grew up on.  Our oldest son, Klayton, was a member of the class of 2008.  Though most of his experiences took place on the baseball field next door, he spent a season playing center on the offensive line for the j.v. football team.

Our middle son Skyler, class of 2009, spent four years marching up and down the field playing his sax.

Our daughter Meredith played four years on the field with the Trojan Soccer team before graduating in 2012.

But, their time on the field wasn’t limited to the four years each of them studied, played, made friends, and competed as students.  They grew up on the field in Trojan Stadium.  In 1985, long before the kids were born, even before I had been introduced to Deanna, I went to work coaching on Trojan field.  At first, it was working with the PVHS boys soccer team.  For four seasons the team grew and learned how to win on and off the field.   In 1992, I returned to the field with the task of growing the girls soccer team.

As the soccer seasons came and went, our kids found the field was a great place to play.  They kicked and threw balls and ran around and kept everyone entertained.  It was their playground from age 3 through middle school.  The time flew by.  It wasn’t long before they were enrolled at PVHS, a community that valued, cared for, nurtured, and prepared them for adulthood.

Trojan Field was a second home.  Whether it was the dormant Bermuda grass that turned into a mud pit during the cold, windy, rainy nights when winter storms rolled through or the artificial turf that broiled player’s cleats when the sun was shining, the time spent on the field was magnificent.   Every student-athlete brought something unique and special to our program.

The plan was to spend one more winter on Trojan Field.  However, taking a position on a new campus meant it would simply be impossible to invest the time the Trojan Soccer girls deserved.  It was time to let go.

In a day or two I will be back to clean out my locker.  I’ll put my iPod on and listen to songs the team made their own; songs like “Dream Big,” “Nothing More,” and “I Won’t Back Down.”  On my way out, I will pass through the gate near the home concession stand.  There I will recall the passion and pride of the athletes who competed for the PVHS community.   I will quietly walk across the parking lot, appreciative of the encouragement and support of my fellow coaches, teachers, staff, and administrators.  I will shut the door and start up my Yukon with memories of the Trojan sisters who gave it their all on Trojan Field.  I will head the SUV north on 40th street knowing I have come to the end of a fantastic journey.

Trojans Forever!!!