Provincial Championships

This past week in town in was all about Basketball!!  For two reasons:

1)  Our varsity boys AND girls teams were competing in provincials

2) The local High School was HOSTING provincials this year!!!!

Now that's a pretty big deal!

I started to get a sense for just how big of a deal it was going to be earlier in the week, when John came home from work, and over dinner, shared with Max and I all the details and planning that was going into it.   The high school staff were definitely gearing up to make it a great event.  However, nothing prepared me for how big it really would be until John and I arrived for the championship game, AN HOUR EARLY, and found the gym absolutely completely packed!!!

This is pretty much the closest I got to the game!   lol.    

Here is what I learned this weekend:  

When I arrive at church 3 minutes before it begins- I am still totally early.  

However, arriving at a championship basketball game ONE HOUR before it begins - is much MUCH too late;)   

Oh, did I mention that the girls team won the consolation game earlier on Saturday, and that the BOYS team actually made it to the FINAL!!!!   Hence the crowds eh;)    No joke, I think the entire town came out to watch them play.

Despite our tardiness,  there was actually a giant screen set up in the gathering area where we could watch the game.   John set up a bunch of soft comfy chairs and oi la we had a snazzy dazzy overflow area.  We were close enough to the gym that we could still hear every sound live and the energy throughout the entire school was palpable.    Peoples faces were painted blue and white, pom poms were for sale, white balloons were being waved everywhere, and every child under the age 7 seemed to have strayed from their parents and were happily running around together um...celebrating?   

... or just playing one massive game of tag;)

One of the perks to being too wimpy to fight our way into the gym was that we had backstage access to hang with the school mascot;)   haha.    I don't know- I think John probably taught this cougar at some point.   He did a great job with the crowd, that's for sure!    (I  personally think it'd be a lot fun to be a mascot;)

Another perk to being in the over flow is that I got to watch these young men wait in the hallway before the game began.   They were all sorts of nervous and excited - these boys, and it was sort of moving to watch them sort through their emotions as they prepared to enter the gym.   

This was a big night for them!

Here is a shot of the fans, as well as some of the super fantastic cheerleaders!    (I'm talking about YOU Abbey;)   Perhaps you can see the large projection screens hanging down from the ceiling?    That's where they broadcast replays and highlights.    Oh and in every corner of the gym high in the rafters there were large flash cameras set up, that occasionally went off during the game, whenever an action photo was being taken.     Yeah....we're pretty much as cool as the NBA in these parts;)   

After snapping these photos- the game began, so I went back to my soft cushy seat, put my legs up on the empty chair in front of me and leaned back to enjoy the game with the rest of Southern Alberta.    Who knew watching a basketball game could be so enjoyable?    

Just kidding.   I LOVE watching basketball, especially when it is a high energy, intense, close game.  

And believe me - this WAS!

Throughout the entire game there really never was much of a gap in points between the two teams and they both fought hard.   There were some great plays, a few dumb calls, and super half time show courtesy of the cheerleaders, and lots and lots of screaming!   ;)    

In the end the Cougars WON and for the first time in (I heard 58) years they got a championship banner in the 4A division.    How cool is that?   I have to admit, aside from this one game I've not really followed these boys very much (though many of them were John's Volleyball players back in the fall).    There was something about watching them reach this milestone though that was incredibly inspiring and emotional, even for someone so far removed from it as me.    I'm pretty sure that if my sister in law Rachel had been here- she would have been bawling happy tears;)

  Definitely a highlight for these kids, and for the school, and lets face it- pretty much the whole town!!!    

(cue cheesy "We are the Champions" music;)   

Here is some video footage I took that night, just so you can get a sense for how many people were there, and how EXCITED they all were!!!!