Keeping Score

So yesterday, at the request of my coaching wife, I ran the clock for a 5th and 6th grade basketball game. She kept appologizing for having to ask me, but I enjoyed it. It gave me a sense of power over the court that I'll never have while actually playing the game.

The best part about my time was having parents ask me over and over about the score. This particular league doesn't keep score, at least, on the scoreboard. They want the kids to focus on playing/learning the game, so they choose not to show the score with the time, yadda yadda yadda. Say what you will about kids and teaching fair play and all that jazz. It didn't bug me. But these parents were amazing. As a dad a few rows back yelled, "how are we supposed to know who wins if we don't keep score?" And the lady sitting directly behind me who was about to pounce on me for not putting her baby's two points on the board at the beginning of the game. I tried to play it off like I didn't know what had happened, just to be funny. (Which tends to happen when I forget that my life isn't a TV show)

Lady: Didn't we just score? (Loud enough to be sure I could hear, but not directed at me. Keep in mind she's sitting 2 feet behind me.)

Me: No response.

Lady: I think our team just scored.

Me: Nothing

Lady: Did anyone else see that? I think we just scored. What's wrong with the scoreboard?

Me: (Slowly turning around) Huh?

Lady: Didn't the visitors just score? I think we scored already.

Me: Oh yeah the visitors scored already. (Turning back to the game)

Lady: Well how come it's not on the scoreboard?

Me: (Turning around again) Well this league doesn't keep score.

Lady: They don't keep score? (With a look on her face like I told her I just ate a live puppy.)

Me: No, they don't. (turning back to the game)

The lady then spreads the news to the crowd, and you can hear the muffled sounds of parents unsure of how this atrocity could be. What's the point if you're not keeping score? Where's the motivation to play if there's no chance of dominating another person? (Say what you will about little kids and learning to win and lose. All that fair play talk. Whatever. I'm not taking a side, just making the observation.)

It reminded me of a camp moment several years ago when I was working with a family doing some group building activities. The Dad had a ring from A&M, and a sweatshirt to match. When our time was up on an activity, which they weren't able to accomplish, the Dad had this to say. (with a smile) "We failed. We didn't accomplish the objective. We failed." I promptly asked what kind of engineer he was, to which he responded with a puzzled look; "Civil. . .how'd you know I was an engineer."

Me: "Lucky guess."