World Masters

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”
1 Samuel 17:33 (New Living Translation)

The World Masters

I was on a team earlier this year. A great team in fact. I was on a team of ten to twelve athletes planning to compete in the 2005 World Masters Games in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We all live in Edmonton and recognized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a worldwide event hosted in our hometown.

There were several sports being entered into by our teammates – badminton, decathlon, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and triathlon. I was involved in tennis, at least for a while.

We began intensely (for us) training in January by participating in a sort of round-robin league every Saturday morning from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. It was a great way to spend Saturday mornings during the cold Edmonton winter months. After just a couple of practices, my right knee experienced a significant enough problem that I knew I’d not be able to play for a while, and not seriously until my weight is significantly reduced. So I withdrew from competing in The Games.

But I was not inclined to withdraw from the team. The people on our team were training for a significant event in their lives and were willing to commit time, resources and effort, to put forth their best and compete with other recreational athletes from around the globe. And just being around them was inspiring and motivating. Added to that, I thought I might bring some experience to bear given a past of some teaching, coaching and playing the game of tennis.

So, I hung with the team. Some time was focused on learning how to stretch and on learning exercises specifically helpful for those in racquet sports. A ball machine and a tennis lesson came in handy. The members of this team were willing to stretch themselves in a variety of ways to improve their performance and increase their capabilities in their sport(s). Their heart for the game of tennis and for The World Masters Games was beginning to grow and to show.

After all the work and all the training, it was finally time to compete. Here is where the rubber meets the road for sure – competition. The stakes were high: coveted medals of gold, silver and bronze.

I ate lunch with one of the doubles teams (Bob Jones and Bruce Neuman, a.k.a. B&B, a.k.a. B-squared) one day early on in the tournament, and much to my surprise, learned that they had never played an official tennis tournament. That is quite amazing in my view. I am quite sure that if I was a 45- to 50-year-old athlete entering my first tennis tournament, it would not be in the World Masters Games! Their courage and, well, their audacity, touched my heart – I knew I was sitting with two winners.

Sure enough, B&B ended up competing for a bronze medal in the 30- to 39- year old category for doubles. In their first match, they worked very hard to prevail over a team they had played all year in the Saturday morning league – in fact, they were two of our own team members. Calculated strategy and persistence won out over the youthful exuberance of their competitors, but the fight was a valiant one.

In the next round, B&B actually had to play against the brother-in-law of another of our teammates who was competing in badminton. Early in the match, we saw Bob get injured as he stretched to return a ball. They split sets, and then in the third set, got an early lead of 4-0. We could see they were quite weary, though, and we ached for them as they dropped the next two games to bring the score to 4-2. But, we were needlessly empathetic as they dug deep and won the next two games to take the match with a 6-2 score in the third set.

That match lasted about 2½ hours and was one of the finest examples I have seen of determination. Afterwards, while B&B were showering and nursing their injuries and/or sore muscles, we spoke to some Australian players that had been playing on a neighboring court, and they said they followed B&B’s match and were “so glad to see the redbacks win!” Injured and older (by 15 or 20 years) than their opponents, B&B were definitely the underdogs in this match – and most people really can relate to being the underdog at one time or another.

The win put them in the semi-finals against the predicted winners of the tournament. Their opponents were seasoned tournament players and though B&B won two games, they had played quite a few matches in other divisions as well, and injuries and fatigue were taking their toll. So, they were fairly handily beaten by two quite a bit younger and less weary opponents.

That put them in the 3rd place / 4th place playoff for the bronze medal. They played a team that had also had a very good tournament, and had suffered less injuries and most likely played less matches. It was a good match, although B&B took 4th place.

How do you tell a team how much you appreciated their efforts? How do you tell them how much it means to support a team that is willing to play with all their heart, even when they are not expected to win and are the underdogs in all of their matches?

How many times did God back the underdogs? How many battles were won “against the odds” with God’s support? There are so many examples in the Bible of people emerging triumphant when it would seem there was no hope. Why? I believe that God looks for those against whom the odds are stacked and reveals himself in those circumstances, so that you and I begin to see how all things are possible with Him. He knows when we are digging deep and he fortifies us in many different ways so we keep playing the game.

Who do you choose to be? The one the world favored – Goliath? Or the underdog – David? David may not have won every battle he faced, but he dug deep and God was there -- every time -- to encourage him to become a World Masters Champion.