Colin's 9th Game, Unicorns vs. Seguin Matadors, Oct. 29, 2010

Unicorns vs. Seguin Matadors, Oct. 29, 2010

As I was looking at Colin's Marching Band Year blog, attempting to finish it now that it’s February 2011 and one project is out of the way as well as the fall semester, I realized I’d written about the game after this, but not this game.

So this post will be as short as I can bear it, and utilize what we--us “old folk/a.k.a. ‘spry’ folk”--are learning is the preferred manner of presenting written information "nowadays," using the hallowed bullets.

·         The game was at the Unicorn Stadium in New Braunfels (and we went here first, instead of to another city looking for the game, as we have two other times—but that’s buried in the other blog entries)

·         It was Seniors’ night for New Braunfels.  All Unicorn alumni who’d achieved community awards (or any awards—some for simple longevity, it seemed) were recognized on the field first (a.k.a, oldest local football team member, old this, that and the other)

·         Mrs. Renkin, Colin’s elementary school resource teacher who’d been fantastically devoted to him, got one of two awards for NBISD teacher of the year.  Yey, Norma!  She was always super fond of him, which in turn, caused him to dislike her quite a bit at the time because along with her fondness came the belief (in Norma) that he could do well academically—and a corresponding belief that he should work hard that Colin, strangely, felt was not pleasant.

·         PS: When the NBSID school board tried to cut positions, including Mrs. Renkin's, at the elementary level, I’d prepared and read aloud a speech supporting her, which I almost finished before getting cut off for exceeding my allotted time.  Did my impassioned, curtailed speech do anything?  Who knows.  But Norma kept her job and even got promoted.

·         Lots of other kids got awards.  When Colin gets to their age, I expect to feel bitter about that, too.  As in, this autism thing isn’t fair.  But those worries and their corresponding lack of grace involve projecting into the future.  Next slide please.  I mean, next PowerPoint, please.

·         Did we win or lose the Seguin game?  I think we won.

·         Colin’s writing about the game, unlike my memories, is accurately recorded here:

[The] only thing I didn’t like was the fact that when I was being nice to only 1 girl named [C.], she was rude to me.  [L]isten to the quotes:

Colin:  hey just in case you might know, you’re cheering for another football team.

C.: (in a rude tone) I KNOW!!!

That really p[scratched out by Colin] ticked me off and made me think that she was a brat!!!

One of the other things I liked [interesting illogical transition, writes Mom, intrusive, non-omniscient narrator] was the fact that some of my friends were very talkative.  Also dancing was very fun as well until the end of the game which was when I got tired.  rather than that my day was regular.

We resolved the next problem in Colin's band life, the question about whether he should go to the USSBA contest in the Woodlands in Houston the weekend of this game, was resolved by emails to band leaders after Roger and I did a bit of psychological math:  High Functioning Autistic kid on bus for 6 hours to practice in Houston all day + one parent doggedly following in car + HFA kid in Houston High School stadium all day to stand on sidelines during performance again + HFA kid on bus back for 6 hour trip to New Braunfels (followed by dogged and wiped out parent) = awful experience for HFA kid and everyone nearby him and a long recovery time he didn’t need to expend the energy on. 

So, on to the next game, which strangely, I already did write about.  And a few more pictures from this one, soon to come, here. 

Blue Unicorn Man. Senior's night affects some seniors more than others . . . and there wasn't even a full moon.  I don't think.

Yes, the photo is too dark. But there, second from the right is Norma Renkin, Colin's longtime teacher and advocate. _And_ his current English teacher, Mrs. Zilliman, bless her soul, is seond from left. I couldn't NOT show them, even in this nauseating half light.

In another strange, football-related tradition, the dance team officers' dads, called this night the "Manoceras" in honor of the dance team's name, the Monoceros, must not only dance on field with their daughters, but also form a kickline at the end of the game with their daughters kick once for each score the Unicorns made in the game.  It was a high number this year.  I predicted injury for those dads starting the morning after this game, if not before.  That one on the left, in particular, is a bit too ambitious with his high kicks.  Ouch.

The Seguin Matador Band.

Perhaps this is perverse.  I'm showing the New Braunfels "Best Seniors" (academically or otherwise awardically) to prepare myself for my son not being one of them.  Colin probably won't be out there for a Normal Kid Award, and I don't remember awards being given to Un-Normal Kids.  This is life, Rene',  Deal with it.  Or maybe, just, get over it.  Or not.  How about an award for most "addled" parents?