Sports Are Awesome: Scituate Lacrosse Player Scores Overtime Game Winner To Send Team To State Championship Just Days After Losing His Dad
The best thing about sports aren't about the wins and losses. It's easy to forget about that in the moment because winning always feels so big. But it's about what the game does for you as a person and as a team.
Willy Robinson is a junior on the Scituate boy's lacrosse team who will be heading to West Point after his high school career is over to play for Army. His father was an assistant coach on the team, and unexpectedly passed last week at the age of 50. I can't imagine what it would feel like to lose my father right now at the age of 32, so the fact that this young man has to navigate life without his old man now at the age of 17 is heartbreaking. Unfortunately it's not the most unique situation in the world. Plenty of people have lost a parent while they were young. But there are a million different ways that people deal with that loss--some more destructive than others.
Willy played in a game the day after his father passed, and helped lead Scituate to a win in the quarterfinals with 5 goals that day. I'm sure some people can't understand playing a lacrosse game the day after your dad died, but that's what sports are there for. Your teammates are your family as well. You want to be surrounded by the people you love in a time like that. Maybe it's an "escape", or maybe it's a way to feel even more connected to his father. Either way, the game provides an outlet to handle that loss in a way that a lot of other people don't get. So I'm sure he couldn't wait to get another chance to play in the semifinal where he dropped 6 goals including the OT game winner. And I'm sure he can't wait to get another chance to play in the state final on Friday.
Sports are awesome. Willy Robinson is awesome. And I'm sure his old man was awesome as well. Impossible not to be pulling for these boys on Friday.