Good Riddance 2013/Top 10 Moments

We're hours away from the end of 2013 and for me this year could not end soon enough.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of good happened in this year and let's touch on a few of those moments, which are all covered in the Top 10 moments of 2013 video below.

For me, the rankings of the video pretty much sum up how I would order them, but that countdown just represents numbers. Each moment captured so much more than a digit.

The one obvious one is the volleyball championship. I recounted at Awards Night last year I teared up a bit when the girls had won it last year because it was the first one ever for the school, at least in my time. This year was different. Not to say either year was better, but that win on 11/11 made a statement

Win or lose, it felt like our volleyball program had finally made it. I was there with Tiff Ye when she was in 8th grade, faulting on her serves. She'll get mad that I mentioned it, but oh well...

But the point is it was like pulling teeth to get even half the girls to consistently serve the ball over the net and that was all grades.

Time and patience, and now we have back to back volleyball championships.

I don't like talking too much about individual efforts, but how can I not acknowledge how good Edwena is at volleyball. Without her, there's no way our school has even one title. It helps that she plays almost year round, but she was also a beginner when she first started playing in 4th grade. It's been five years and she's the best player we've had at St. Mary's. Even though it looks like she's made it, she'll be the first one to tell you she has a lot to work on, and that's great, because we should all strive to get better every day.

Two other girls on the team I want to recognize are Fiona and Victoria, both have played every single sport we've had to offer since 3rd grade.

In 2013, we also said goodbye to Kaela, at least from St. Mary's. In two years, Kaela won two basketball championships and is an incredibly gifted athlete. It's too bad she couldn't finish her CYO career wearing a Saints jersey.

I think one thing sports has to offer are moments, memories, special places in our hearts that we will never forget. Hopefully most of them are good, but there are also some bad, those painful losses.

Ones that will live with me forever from 2013 is the excitement and sense of accomplishment following some great moments. The 5th/6th graders making the playoffs when they were a point away from being eliminated, Justin's buzzer beater a few weeks ago, Jackie scoring a goal all come to mind right away.

Your first made basket, first base hit, first catch, first goal, first wins, a lot of you either accomplished or witnessed these moments.

And last but not least, it's been a very rough year for me and I wanted to thank all of you who have provided a temporary distraction or relief. That's the great thing about athletics, it is an escape and a world you can live in where the worst thing that could happen is you lose a game.

It's no secret that even this sports program is not what it used to be in terms of participation and excitement. Every now and then I get asked how come I don't do Epic Video anymore? Honestly, I feel the energy and enthusiasm as a whole is not there anymore.

I don't want to sound needy or upset, although I may be a bit of both, but even video hits are far down from what they were before. I looked back at the video from 2010 documenting the best moments and it had 250 views. This one below will be lucky to get 100.

Maybe we take things for granted, or maybe highlights of games or blogs or Warriors games aren't good enough anymore because it's all been done. I still feel like our program has so much more to offer. What other school has video highlights???

I may not have as much time as I once did, but if I sense the energy and excitement, I'd be a little more inclined to do more.

There are those who are dedicated to this program and I thank you for that, but those numbers are dwindling unfortunately. I remember walking into classrooms back from 2008-2011 and I'd get a round of applause every time I entered a classroom. Sometimes now, it's like I'm not even there.

Maybe it's time I stop reliving the glory days and accept the fact that it's not 2011 anymore.

So for you who continues to come back here, daily, or even every few days, maybe spread the word around a little more to other people.

Thank you to all of you for your support and Happy New Year.

And in the words of Counting Crow, "Maybe this year will be better than the last..."