Tuesday, September 28, 2010

I am convinced that one must come close to victory...be able to taste that
palpable nectar and to have it within one's grasp...to label a loss a 'moral
victory'. George Patton famously stated, "Accept the challenges so that you
can feel the exhilaration of victory." In today's match against Council Rock
North, the Abington linksters indeed had victory within reach. And although
the team didn't drink the spoils, they intrinsically understood that they
left Jericho National with a moral victory. In the battle of #1 and #2 in
all of Suburban One, Ben Cooley (34) went shot-for-shot with North's
polished superstar Brandon Delinka (33). Rich Thorpe (40) dropped a close
match to Mr. Chipper Liam Kane (39). Jake Shur (38), in a battle of the
sexes, nearly defeated Erica Herr (36), the top-rated female high school
player in SOL, all the while parrying Herr's attempts at psychological
gamesmanship. And finally, Brandon Caine (43) had sophmore phenom - and #3
in SOL - Zach Herr (39) on the ropes until the final hole, where he yielded
to the pressure of the moment and carded a triple bogey. So, even though the
team lost all these key individual matches and dropped the overall match by
a score of 187-199, the team kept their chins up on the long, long bus ride
home.
Tomorrow, the team accepts the challenges of the battle at HVCC and looks
forward to the possibility of feeling the exhilaration that Rock denied the
Ghosts today.