A week ago tonight, we were at Disney's Animal Kingdom for the MAAC Awards Banquet. It was a nice, cool night in Florida. Father LaMorte asked me, Coach Chuck, Will Griffin and Brie Vess to help out with the Mass in the Auditorium. Afterwards, we had a nice outdoor dinner in Animal Kingdom. While our athletes ran around like kids riding the rollercoasters, I sat quietly with Padre, munching on cookies and having some late-night coffee. Our teams had performed well. All was good. And then ...
I fell asleep in my hotel room, book on my chest and TV on in the background. I was wiped out and I passed out mid-page in a book I am currently enjoying. The urgent rapping on the hotel room door signaled the end of a pleasant night and the beginning of -- with apologies to Jerry Garcia -- a long, strange week. The team's flight had been canceled. You know the rest:
--Part of the team "stranded" in Disney ...
--SuperStorm Sandy hits. When will get them home?
--How will we get them home?
--No major issues at Marist -- no power lost, little damage.
--BUT ... NYC is devastated! New Jersey is crushed!
--Team arrives home via bus on Wednesday afternoon, the best trick on trick-or-treat day, after 22 hours on a coach bus.
--NYC Marathon debate rages. Should we run? Should we cancel?
--NYC burns and floods.
--NYC Marathon debate rages on some more. Runners are caught in the middle. Who's the bad guy here?
--Marathon gets canceled; the whole deal is bungled. Hurt feelings abound.
--The Poughkeepsie area is suddenly hit with a full-fledged Gas Crisis, as everyone freaks out about gas for their cars.
Can I just have a calm cup of coffee in the Florida evening with Padre again? Geez. What a week!
Now, it's Saturday night. Our marathon-less weekend suddenly got less complicated. Other runners are scrambling to find a replacement marathon for Sunday. The rest of us are just trying to find a gas station without a long line.
Who knows what the next week will bring?
Through it all, our athletes at Marist handled themselves with class and diligence every step of the way -- on the bus ride home, at practice every day, and everywhere in between. We continue to be proud of them.
Through it all, our athletes have continued to train, fighting the good fight, with two big championship meets on the horizon.
Through it all, in a few hours I will tuck in my children, safe and warm on a cold autumn's night.
Throught it all, it was a long and strange and stressful week.
But through it all, we have so much for which to be thankful.
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