Backpedaling, Part II
 

Several weeks back, I posted how I learned my lesson about backpedaling, and how it resulted in a lengthy fall on my back that I'm sure witnesses are still talking about. I said I'd never backpedal again.

Let's qualify that, though. That doesn't count the endline, when moving from B to A. It's okay to backpedal there, right? Maybe not.

Saturday, girls' tournament at a university rec center, three courts side-by-side. The only bleachers are 2-3 deep behind one end line. I'm the L, holding firm at the B position, then suddenly needing to widen my cone, I backpedal to A, only to feel my feet come out from under me.

I start to realize that I'm being tripped up by some sprawling kindergarteners working on their coloring books! I don't know where they came from, but they were within two feet of the endline when my feet made contact. I somehow managed to hit the deck without flattening the poor kids, and after making sure they were all right, I popped up and continued. The embarrassed parents were more concerned about getting their kids out of there than responding to my queries of their well-being.

My partner had a good laugh, anyway.

I think you answered your own question, although I'm only slightly sure what you mean by "A" and "B" positions here. While I will step backwards to get wide, I won't do that more than a step or two before turning and walking.

Our local kids rec league has a similar problem at one of our middle school gyms on Friday nights. Apparently, there's an ethnic group that holds workshops and services in the main "common area" of the school three nights a week, Friday being one of them. They enter and exit through the gym. There's usually about 30 of them, including about 10 kids. They pay no attention to our game situation when they leave and walk along the sideline where the benches and score table are. They not only block the view of the court from the benches and table, they actually walk a few feet onto the court and can interfere with the game. Most times, we have to stop to let them go by. We've asked the school monitor to speak with them about it but to no avail. Apparently, very few of them speak English. And yes - we have had some collisions, including some involving referees.

That reminds me......
 

A few weeks ago, my mentor and I were working one of the last games of our Rec Season. As we were observing the players prior to game two, a young lady (maybe three or four) runs onto the court and gives him a coloring book page she had been working on. He shows it to me as if to say, nyah, nyah, nyah.

I feign that I am hurt and show a pouty lip to the little girl as my P got one and not me. She ran over to her mommy.......(mean Ref).

Wouldn't ya know during half time, the little girl runs over to me to present me her latest art work! She asked if I was happy now?! :p

I told her I was, as my picture was MUCH better than my partners. Nyah, nyah, nyah! ;)

+1

That is cute, grune. I love interacting with the little kids during games like this. Becoming a father has really softened my heart towards the little ones and it was already just a little north of mush. :o

Yeah, just wait until, when you're daughter is older, you have a girls game and the little <strike>turds</strike> princesses start crying on you after an injury.

At a school that I work very often,I know the AD pretty well,but had just met his little daughter minutes before for the first JHG game. Somehow it came up that I love popcorn. Later I was in the lead position under the basket with not much happening in the front court to speak of. Now here comes the AD's little girl behind me carrying a bag of popcorn and asks if I'd like some. I blew my whistle,got down on a knee and took a few kernals and said thanks. Everybody was laughing. Told my partner POI and lets go.