Mikey’s Goal
With less than ten
Then there was silence.
The silence was finally
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, "It was a tie. Everybody won."
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team.
It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in
the lead. Parents encircled the field, offering encouragement.
seconds remaining, the ball rolled in front of my son’s teammate, one
Mikey O’Donnel. With shouts of "Kick it!" echoing across the field,
Mikey reared back and gave it everything he had. All round me the crowd
erupted. O’Donnel had scored!
Mikey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a
tie. For a moment there was total hush. You see, Mikey has Down’s
syndrome and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals
were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mikey. He had even been known to
hug the opposing players when they scored.
broken when Mikey, his face filled with joy, grabbed my son, hugged him
and yelled, "I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!" For a
moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not
have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in
the classic high-five salute and started chanting, "Way to go Mikey!
Way to go Mikey!" Within moments both teams surrounded Mikey, joining
in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
ONE TEAM ONE VISION I I I
