Michael Castro
Chapter #17
SEVENTEEN
The Family Athlete
August 18, 2008
You sounded a little down in the last letter you sent me, Big Brother, so I’m going to start writing you at least two letters a week to entertain and better prepared for what’s out here. In this chapter I want to share with you something I’ve never shared with anyone else up to this point. While you hear “preach” It’s because I’m trying to explain what my “My Soul Has Witnessed.” Many other people have “Witnessed” similar experiences during lives.
Let me remind of a time when I was considered “The Family Athlete.” When our family moved and purchased our Grape Vineyard Ranch, I continued my involvement in Schools Sports Activities. My “Big Illustrious Sports Career” began when I switched from Flag Football to the Full Contact Pop Warner Football Program at Washington Union High School.
I was in the Seventh Grade attending Pacific Union Elementary when I started experiencing “Many Distinctive Instances” where I felt God’s Presence with me out there on the football field. You may have heard Sports Commentators referred to Professional Athletes as “Being in the Zone.” When someone makes that One Handed Touchdown Catch or a Basketball Player scores 40-50 points so effortlessly it sometimes seems to happen in this “Slow Motion Mode.”
Back then still in my “Prime Athlete Years,” I wasn’t considered tall, or a big kid for my age. But I’d still walk around the playground strutting my stocky 5ft. 5in. frame with Giant Confidence. I wasn’t tall but God had blessed me with quickness. This talent was the main reason why I’d managed to making our teams. Besides, I was a “Good Team Player” with a “Warm Heart.” Granted I wasn’t the fastest person on our Football Team, but I always played giving 110%. That’s what Coach Pestridge and Kito always ask of us players back then. They’d shout, “I don’t want you to give me 100%; I want you to show me 110% out on that Football Field!” So I did.
On our Pop Warner Team I played multiple positions like the Kicker, Offensive Guard, Defensive End, and Linebacker because I was told my skills were “Highly Versatile.” Funny thing is I didn’t know exactly what that meant at the time, but I knew they were always pleased by my performance on the Football Field.
Playing Right Defensive End without a doubt my favorite. Our Coaches would Scout our next opponent, and our Defensive Team would be drilled over and over again by the Offensive Plays they’d run. Running Plays that were “Sweeps” or “Reverses” towards the right side prepared me for what was to be expected come game day.
There were many instances during the game when I the Quarterback decided to keep the football on some “Sweep Play” my direction. When the two big Running Backs quickly pulled in front to block while I timed my fall just right, I’d take-out both of them leaving the Quarterback confused which direction he should run without protection.
Each time I made a “Big Play” like that, or leaped-up and intercepted the football that was thrown my way I knew I was only able to do these things with the help of God. So when you see a High School or Professional Athlete giving “Praise to God” after making a “Big Play” it’s nice to know can relate to the exciting feeling they just experienced. There’s nothing like “Being in the Zone with God.”
I made lots of lasting friends through my “Elementary and the Pop Warner Years,” and would actually windup going to High School with many of them. To this very day when I’ll bump into some of my Old Teammates “The Majority” of us are no longer involved in Physical Sports. That doesn’t mean we still can’t be “Versatile in Our Way of Thinking” because life goes on.
I remember how it gave me such a good feel when you and our family would come out a see me play my Pop Warner Football Games, Big Brother. When I made certain plays that caused my name to be mentioned over the Loud Speakers I could hear you all cheering for me amongst the crowd. My Teammates would “Raze Me” because they knew how embarrassed I’d get when receiving any attention. All I wanted to do is Play Football.
I remember playing Pop Warner Football with my friends Bernie Franco and Cruz Sanchez from Pacific Union Elementary, and made friends with Darin Pickens and Bobby Hightower from American Union Elementary. Pickens and Hightower were the two fastest guys on our team, and when we’d run sprints at the beginning and end of football practice. When those two would quickly break out of their “3-point Stance” just ahead of me, I could never catch them.
I’d try different tactics to improve my quickness by jumping out of my stance right after hearing our coach’s whistle blow. But if anyone on our team jumped before, they’d have to run extra laps because that was like jumping off-sides during the Football Game. I always gave my best effort running those drills while Bernie and Cruz were always on my tail.
We won and lost many football games back then, but it was being a part of something bigger than just myself that made things exciting. I’d never traveled like that before to so many different school both near and far. Some of them small school out there in the “Country Stick,” while others were bigger schools that look like Colleges. Good times, and nice memories.
In the picture I’ve provided at the beginning of this chapter, it shows Carlos Esquada, Anthony Encinas, Bernie Franco, Cruz Sanchez and myself who were the starters of our “A” Basketball Team while we were in the Eighth Grade at Pacific Union Elementary. Do you remember what our School Mascot use to be? It was a Black and White Skunk that looked like the one from the Bambi Movie who loved to smell flowers! Yes, we were the Pacific Union Skunkers!
Anthony played Point Guard because he had these “Mad Basketball Skills,” and would past the ball like Magic Johnson without looking our way. Cruz and Bernie alternated between Shooting Guard and Small Forward because of their quickness and shooting capabilities. Back then I was the second tallest on our team, so I always played in the “Strong Forward.” Carlos was our Center on the team because he was well over six feet tall with his “Large Full Afro” he proudly wore. Man, I still remember how Carlos’s always seemed to be combing-out his hair with his Hair Pick during practice, and at even during the breaks of our basketball games. Carlos also had the darkest complexion of our “Mexican American Five Amigos” Basketball Team, and was always entertaining us with his dancing. He always seemed to be laughing and smiling for no apparent reason.
I remember this one time Anthony asked Carlos during practice, “Carlos, why are you always in such a good mood?” By the end of “Carlos’s Explanation” that made no sense at all, he had everyone else laughing on our team with him. You just never forget your close friends like Carlos.
While at P.U. I honestly tell you that I experienced God Presence many times while playing Basketball making that “Winning Shot.” Our Team didn’t win many tournaments back then but there were many instances I felt being assisted by this “Sixth Player.” When I’d jump higher than an opposing player to rebound the ball, or at times when I’d shot, it was though my actions were being aided by this “Invisible Powerful Force.”
In Track when running the “Third Leg” of our 4x4 Relay Team at P. U., after our race I was told that I ran noticeably faster that the people I’d just run against. When I started attending Washington Union High School I actually caught “A few long Football Passes” while jumping high in the air like those NFL Receivers we’d watch together on TV. It didn’t matter that I was “3rd String Tight End” on our Football Team and was outsized by everyone else except the kicker. When I got my chance to play in the game all of my accomplishments were only possible by “God’s Divine Intervention.”
Now let me share with you one of my “Funny Football Experiences” that happened in my Junior Year. Although they weren’t in our division, Bullard High School was the first Pre-Season Opponent on our schedule. Back then “Certain City High Schools” had a reputation of having some very “Tuff Football Players” on their team. Bullard was one of the top three.
When their School Buses reached our Football Stadium in Easton while we’d already started our “Pre-game Drills,” we couldn’t help but notice how they look much bigger they as they exited their Buses. Someone from our team made the mistake of saying our loud, “They look like an NFL Players!” Our Coach just happened to hear this and said, “Never mind that! Just pay attention to your warm-up!”
Their uniforms looked brand-new, with blue and white colors, and shiny helmets that matched. When they approached us on our Football Field they only seemed to get bigger and bigger as they were line-up shortest to the tallest. We found their Pre-game Drills to be “Very Intimidating” as all were in complete unison as they made the ground quake all around us! No joke.
Of course at game time Bullard won the coin-toss, and elected to receive the kickoff. This meant I’d be involve in the first play of the game because I was on the “Kick-off Team.” Yes, we might have been outsized by Bullard” in their new uniforms, but none of that was going to make us throw-in the “Game Towel.”
When we lined-up for the Kick-off, I was the last player on our team at the very end by the right sidelines. My job was to hold my position by the sidelines incase Bullard tried a Reverse Play. With the ball finally kicked, many nerves littler bodies started running down field towards this “Massive Blue & White Wall.”
I managed to dodge a couple of their players who tried to decapitate me with “Clothes Hangers” because I was much shorter. As I continued trying to make my way safely down field while holding my position on the sidelines, something happened to me that I’ll never forget. Just when I thought I’d finally reached the Kick-off Receiver and was trying to line him up to make a tackle, I was suddenly “Sideswiped by this Mack Truck!”
That “Collision” caused me to spin around in midair making this “Backwards Cartwheel” that’s still part of our school Highlight Film after 30 years. While in the air I felt like I’d been knocked Simi-unconscious, but by the time my feet finally hit the ground again I’d become totally conscious once again. I looked around to see exactly what hit me, but when I looked up-field, I could see the Bullard Player “I was about to tackle a second ago” was now running over the last 5-yards before making a Touchdown.
I felt bad because that was the side I’d been assigned to protect. When Bullard scored on us so quickly it did make “My Teammates” a little discouraged. Our Head Coach told us, “Hold your heads high! This game is far from over! It’s only the beginning!”
One of our Assistant Coaches found me sitting on the bench with my head hanging down low, while I was holding my helmet in my left hand. He first asked me, “Are you alright!” because he’d witnessed that loud helmet to helmet hit on me that caused me to flip-over like a pancake. While I sat there thinking of a response, “Chirping Birds” were still flying around my head. He then said, “Follow my finger with your eyes only and don’t turn your head!”
After I’d checked-out to be okay, he then told me to “Standup!” When I did he slapped down on my Football Pads really hard. He encouraged me, “Now you know what it feels like to be hit out there, so you shouldn’t be scared anymore! Let’s go out there and show them were not intimidated by their size!”
After that hard hit and “Pep Talk” I was more alert of my surrounding the next time I went back on the Football Field. Our team was down 21 – 0 at halftime. Our Head Coach surprised us not yelling, but instead telling us how proud he was of our playing out on the field. With encouragement our team reached deep down and scored 17 points before losing 21-17 that night. But it was that “first hit of the first play of the first game of the season” I learned from for the rest of the season. I was more aware of my surrounding, and played without fear that 2nd Half as did the rest of our team. We’d actually “Faced the Giant,” and didn’t run away when challenged. You really learn a lot about yourself when you’re put to the test of life.
The lessons I’ve learned from all of my Sports Activities applies to everyone. Anyone can be caught off-guard, and knock-off their feet at anytime. But a “True Player” finds the power within to once again stand-up and face their “Giant Challenges.” I believe this fact to be true no matter where we presently find ourselves.
If we both still want to be true players in the “Game of Life,” Big Brother, we have to remember that “Our Faith in God All Mighty” keeps us strong. Let’s keep moving forward from here and never quit until God decides it’s time to retire us from the “Game He wants us to win!” I believe having this “Mentality of Faith” will slowly change us from the people we use to be. Yes, old habits are hard to break, but if you really want change you first must harness “The Power Within.” Remember change is never ending. Just believe in yourself as I still believe in you.
“As he thinks within himself, so he is.”
PROVERBS 23:7 NASB