School ended at the end of June for the kids. I went in for the last time for the talent show on the penultimate day of school. It was great. They did all range of things from telling jokes, and rocking out to their favourite songs to performing choregraphed dances and singing, playing piano or guitar.

I can’t remember all the fun or amusing things that happened over the year, but there were plenty:

• Field trip to the conservation area. We learned about soil (not dirt)
• Pyjama day.
• Rehearsing their buying skits.
• “That song is inappropriate for our age group”
• “Hi, Mr. Chen-Wing-no-name” (for some reason kids in the neighbouring class called me by my name, but said I had no name, at the same time)
• Are you going to read with me today?
• “Hi Mr. … chicken wing!”
• “I am boss #1 he is boss #2 and you are a worker.”
• They had a public works project to make a channel in the snow and slush to drain the school yard of snowmelt.
• Trying to show the kids how the phases of the moon work with an apple and my electric torch (flashlight)

We played the last match of the season on Wednesday. The match was scheduled for the second of the season, but rescheduled to this week because of rain.

Several of our guys were late and we started with nine men against eleven. Near the beginning we were near their box and the ball went high into the air. I ran in to head it. I headed the ball— one of their defenders ran in and bashed me with his head. He totally missed the ball, which I had gotten.

I reeled and my eyebrow swelled up. Blood slowly started to drip. I ran in to the rec building to see campus response team. In my absence my team was down by three players.

“Steve!” I called out to one of the responders at their station. “Is there a reason you’re running?” he called back. He soon saw the blood and they got started cleaning me up and taping some gauze on me. Jordan walked in then. We would only be down by one.

I ran back out and waited for a stoppage and the ref to call me on. I rejoined my team.

A little bit later they scored. We were down by one.

At half time I told the guys that this was a challenge we had been looking for. Down by a goal and outnumbered, we had to comeback. We had to hit the back of the net.

Part way through the match a beautiful girl, whom I had invited, came to watch us play.

We had several chances in the second half. I put a high volley into the box over the keeper’s head and it fell down towards the net, but he punched it away in time. Darcy put a hard shot in, but the keeper dove and tipped it — he was good. We had other headers and shots, but no point yet.

At one point Darcy rolled the ball ahead to me at the top of the box. I trapped it with the right; shot it with the left to the far left and opposite side of the goal. I curved it around the defender and, goal, we were tied.

I dedicated it to the lady on the sideline (I have guests at my matches even less than I get goals).

We pressed hard and attacked more and more, but the score unchanged gave us our first draw.

With two goals, I think I am our team’s leading goal scorer, tied with two others.

Marek, Christian, the lady, and I went to Grad house after. After that she took me to the hospital where nurse Rhonda told me to use steri-strips to keep the cut closed.

Playoffs start next week.