Our granddaughter Emma started playing American/Canadian style Football. Yep. Helmet and all. Sweaty and hot, red faced, puffing and stinky – down on the ground and messing with other bigger guys as they rush to put their best into plays that move a silly ball down field for points!
Her brother Clifford has taken part in the Kinsmen Summer Football Camp for a couple of years now. At 13 this is his last year to play – next year he will be able to be an assistant coach. When he first started he was little in comparison to others – now he is one of the tallest.In the fall, beginning in September, the Kinsmen organize and support a full contact football league that is full contact. This week’s camp has been “flag football” only…but you still have the potential of falling, being trampled, and getting something broken or deeply bruised. Flying and excited bodies don’t wait or care for you if you are a “wuss”.
Well Emma is not a “wuss”, still a girl, but not a “wuss”. She lasted the whole week including a big game yesterday – playing on the opposite team to her brother Clifford.
From the coaches reports to Dad and Mom, Emma was not a “wuss” at all but a real joy to have in the camp all week. They loved her! Imagine someone putting a whole lot of stuff into the game that makes all the “coaches love you”!?
That ‘loving part’ is pretty easy to do when you are the ONLY GIRL that tried out! That says it all actually – when you consider Conquering the Non Traditional as being a boundary challenging effort.
The photo tells you how many kids there were, the newspaper said there were numerous kids enrolled… in fact there were almost 70 players. (Emma is sixth from the left in the front row)Emma played on the Red Squad and Clifford on the White. Rivalry was great but camaraderie was greater. And that is what each one felt.
Something that should be noted, some of the boys dropped out by the second day. It was too hard to do all the stuff. Not Emma… she is a stick-in-there-to-the-end person.
Oh – did I mention she is NINE YEARS OLD? She is not a “wuss”.
The dictionary says…
wuss Anoun1 weakling, doormat, wuss a person who is physically weak and ineffectual Category Tree: entity
- object; physical object
- living thing; animate thing
- organism; being
- person; individual; someone; somebody; mortal; human; soul
- weakling, doormat, wuss
- wimp; chicken; crybaby
- softy; softie
- namby-pamby
Nope Emma is not a Wuss!
Another article says…Professor Crystal - UK
'He's a wuss.' 'She's a wuss.' It means ineffectual person, indecisive, weak. It's from the United States; it came in in the 1980s. To be honest, I didn't think it would last, but it's still here. It has a very unclear etymology. It may be from 'wussy' - that is from pussy wussy, you know, the pussy cat. It's a kind of talking down about a cat. Or it might be a blend of 'wimp' - that is an ineffectual person - plus 'pussy': wimp/pussy, wussy, wuss. 'Stop being a wuss!' - that's the usage you hear a lot these days. Anyway, whatever the etymology, a politician was said to be 'a liberal wuss' - that is a coward. And there are even Wuss Awards now. I saw on the web the other day, 'Who was the biggest Wuss of 2005?' - with a capital W - this is obviously something very attractive to be. The word seems to be developing. It's become a verb - 'Stop wussing!' 'Ah! He's wussing around!' And I've even seen a new noun, wusser, wussers - 'We're all wussers now!' 'We've all become a complete pack of complete wussers,' says somebody on a website.
Definitely not Emma!
But she is pretty. Someday if she tries to continue in Football – the distraction for other players will be too great. She is all GIRL and budding beautifully to eventually become a gorgeous ROSE – which will be another kind of problem – oh boy!The point is – in today’s generation conquering the non traditional is getting on with life. It is selecting a job that will work for you – maybe not falling within the norm of society around your.
The new movie entitled “The Longshots” is now out. Last night after the Big Week of Football – we sat together in the theater and enjoyed it. The plot is simple“When Curtis Plummer, a down on his luck former high school football star, takes the only job he can find--babysitting his misfit niece Jasmine--he discovers that she has the skills that once made him a great quarterback. The only place these two opposites get along is on the field, so Curtis is determined to turn Jasmine into the star of the local team, The Minden Browns, and get his own stride back by becoming the coach. The boys on the team don’t want her but when this girl quarterback shows them she’s got the skills, she’ll turn their whole world upside down.”
“The Longshots” is based on a true story and it is inspiring.
I felt that way yesterday as I was a wee bit proud because of Emma. There is a YouTube Video now out entitled “Girls Don’t Play Football!”. The producer is Grandpa Lincoln and it now stands as a monument to Emma. I hope some day to see it played as a trailer at her wedding reception.
The powerful part about yesterday happened at the very end…
The White Squad had won. The two squads lined up to do the pass by slapping each other’s hands. Her Big Brother was at the front of the White Squad’s slap through – Emma on the Red Squad was near the end. When the two met – their dad caught a classic shot that should last a lifetime. Look closely at Clifford’s face and see the grin on his sister’s face. Priceless – simply priceless!
When you conquer the non traditional – there is a whole new world waiting. What out guys – Emma is about to…. turn the world up side down!Oh – one other part that is important – riding home in the car one night Emma said, “Mom, I want to have a bath so I can feel like a girl again.”
~ Murray Lincoln ~
Girls Don’t Play Football – YouTube Video
The Longshots Movie Trailer
Galaxy Theaters info
Professor Crystal from the UK – on the word WUSS
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