U-40

Yesterday was a special day. It was special because I wore the uniform. That uniform that I only wore for two years. That green uniform that belongs to  soccer selection of Oaklawn Academy.

I studied 7th and 8th grade here. And I say here because this is where I am working now. As a child I wore that uniform proudly. It meant a lot to me. I loved to leave school and go to the games. The school is in Wisconsin, and in the team we were all Mexican kids. And I really enjoyed giving some soccer lessons to the locals when we played, haha.

In one of the hallways of the school there is a space where we have all the trophies that in the last 25 years the different selections have won.

When I was 14 I played my last game for the selection at the McDonald's Tournament in Madison. In this tournament we won every game and we were champions. Which deserved a plaque with the names of those who formed part of the team: Alberto Basauri Orendain Hector Javier Mitrani, Jose Luis Cerecedo, Gabriel Flores, Luis Hernandez, Victor Mendez and...me.  The plaque has been there for 14 years now.

Well yesterday was a special day, because after 14 years of having worn that uniform officially for the last time, I wore it again. We joined a soccer tournament in Janesville. In the school we have two selections in which boys represent the school. One is the U-14 and the other U-16. Well, now we have a third selection: the U-40! 

In this selection plays the principal, the assistant to the principal, 2 assitants of discipline, the general dean of discipline, the dishwasher, a friend of the dishwasher, and the extra curricular activities coordinator (that's me, haha).

Yesterday we had our first game. The U-40 selection of Oaklawn Academy was victorious with a 18-9 score. Who knows, maybe after the season is over we'll have to get another plaque ...