A Goal for Joaquin

by Jerry McGinley

  “Yeah, but now we have to find a teacher to be our coach,” Kari said. “What if there isn’t anybody. And they even made it clear that the person had to be qualified. I don’t know any teachers who know diddly about soccer. I think we’re still in trouble.”

  Julio started the engine and drove carefully out of the parking lot. “Let’s go down to Marge’s and have a coke before we go home,” he suggested. “Maybe if we put our heads together we can think of somebody who will be willing to be our coach.” Everyone agreed with his plan.

  “Hey,” said Joaquin, “what did you think of Monte showing to give us support. That day I talked to him in the cafeteria he sounded like he had no interest in playing. Now it sounds like he’s ready to come out.”

  “Yeah,” said Kari with a note of sarcasm, “his friends weren’t with him tonight. Wait and see if he really goes out. Besides, what makes you think he could ever be eligible. You have to have a C average to play a high school sport. I can’t imagine he’s anywhere near that.”

  “Who needs him?” Meta chimed in. “He’s not exactly the kind of guy you can count on.”

  “But if he’s as good as you guys say he is, then I think we should encourage him to try out,” Joaquin argued. “He’s got the whole fourth quarter to get his grades up. If he’s serious about playing, he can start going to class. Maybe we could sort of tutor him if he needs help. It would be really nice to have a first rate goalkeeper.”

  Julio pulled into the diner parking lot, and everyone headed toward the front door. Once inside, Cocoa grabbed a note pad and wrote down everybody’s orders. When the food arrived, the kids sat and mulled over the situation for almost an hour. No one could come up with a viable candidate for the coaching position. Cocoa suggested that they divide up the staff and go around and ask every teacher. Though the idea seemed rather hopeless, no one could come up with a better plan. Finally, Julio remembered that he had an English test he had to get home to study for, so he offered to drive everyone home. Kari and Meta said they’d walk since they both lived within a few blocks of the restaurant. Joaquin and Cocoa accepted the offer, and they all headed for home.

  Chapter 14

  When Joaquin got home that night, his mother told him that he had a message to call Jessica Logan in Lakeshore. He forgot that he was supposed to call her the night before. With all of the struggles to organize a soccer team at Willowdale, Joaquin had neglected his friends from his former school. As he walked to his room to call Jessica in private, he felt guilty about the way he had abandoned his old friends. He remembered how Jessica had stuck by him when things became unbearable with Coach Sommers. He promised himself that he would no longer let his new mission cause him to lose sight of everything else in his life.

  When he talked to Jessica on the phone, he apologized for the way he’d been acting. He explained what was going on with the team and told her all about the school board meeting. As always, she said she understood and that he shouldn’t worry about forgetting to call. Before he said good-bye, he mentioned that they should get together for a movie or a pizza over the weekend. He felt awkward saying it because he still hadn’t gotten is driver’s license, so he knew Jessica would have to drive over and pick him up and then bring him home when the movie was over. He also felt awkward because he had never asked a girl out before. He was pleased when Jessica enthusiastically told him she’d love to go out . They made plans for Friday night.

  * * *

  Later, as Joaquin was getting ready for bed, the phone rang again. Maria answered and then hollered at her brother, “Joaquin, it’s for you! It’s another girl.”

  As he picked up the receiver, Joaquin hoped that the caller hadn’t heard his sister’s comment. He guessed it was probably Jessica calling back to cancel their date for some reason. He sounded apprehensive as he spoke, “Hello, this is Joaquin.”

  “Hi, this is Meta. I hope you weren’t asleep already.”

  “No, I was just finishing my math.” He paused, wondering why Meta was calling. He had just talked to her an hour or two earlier. “So what’s up?”

  “Well, I just got a call from the coach of our indoor team. She said she entered us in a tournament in Milwaukee, and she said we could bring along four non-roster players. Since it’s a co-ed team, that means we can bring two boys and two girls. I thought maybe you’d like to play.”

  I’d love it.” Joaquin shouted into the phone. “I haven’t played in so long, I’ll probably be in terrible shape, but I’d love to have a chance to try. When is the tournament?”

  “It’s this weekend. We’ll play two games for sure on Saturday, and we’ll play until we lose on Sunday. Kari and Cocoa will be playing, but the rest of the kids are from other towns. We’re leaving at seven-thirty Saturday morning, and we’ll probably get back about eight that night. I don’t know what the schedule will be on Sunday. Do you think you can make it?”

  “There’s no doubt I’ll make it. I can’t wait to kick a ball around again, though I’m warning you I might be pretty rusty. I haven’t played since October. And I also have to warn you that we don’t play much indoor soccer in San Diego. So you’ll have to tell me the rules and strategies.”

  “Don’t worry about it. If we win, we win. If we don’t, we don’t.” Meta reassured him. “It’ll be good timing to get us pumped to go out and find a coach for next year.”

  “No kidding. We better get our act together and talk some teacher into taking the job.”

  “We’ll work on it tomorrow,” Meta said. “I’ll let you go. I just wanted to tell you about the tournament.”

  “Thanks really a lot for asking me. I’m really excited. ” He paused to think if there was anything else he wanted to say. He couldn’t think of anything. “Anyway, thanks again. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  What a night, he thought to himself as he pulled back his covers and climbed in to bed. How much more could happen? The school board approved the team—although there were some strings attached. He had a date with Jessica on Friday night. And he was in a tournament on Saturday and Sunday. He pinched his cheek to make sure he was not dreaming. He had so many things spiraling through his head, he thought he’d have a hard time ever falling asleep. Fortunately, he was wrong.

  * * *

  The next morning he couldn’t wait to get to school. He was sitting in the cafeteria when his friends arrived. They quickly divided up a list of teachers that they would talk to. Since Joaquin was new, it was agreed that he would work with Julio and approach the people on their lists as a team. They agreed to meet again at three-thirty. That gave them ample time to see all twenty-three teachers in the building. They shared a round of high fives and then set out on their crusade.

  Word spread quickly through the building. Students gave them words of encouragement as they passed in the halls. Teachers gave them sympathetic looks and told them how much they’d like to help out, but none agreed to apply for the coaching position. Most said they just didn’t know enough about the game or they just didn’t have time to take on such a huge commitment. The only nasty response came from Mr. Hewett, a science teacher, who told them that he’d rather watch paint dry than sit through a soccer match.

  By three-thirty all five crusaders returned to the cafeteria with downcast eyes and masks of gloom painted on their faces. “Well, that’s it,” Kari said. “We talked to every teacher, and no one is willing to coach us. We’re done.”

  “Wouldn’t you think somebody would be willing to at least give it a try?” Julio asked. “I mean, look at me. I don’t know anything about soccer, but at least I’m willing to give it a shot. I can’t believe somebody wouldn’t help us.”

  “We gave it a good try,” added Cocoa, dropping dejectedly onto the seat of the cafeteria table. She rested her face on her left fist. “We did everything the way we were supposed to, and what did it get us?”

  “A big slap in the face. That’s what it got us.” Kari sounded bitter.

  “Well, let’s not give up
yet, ” said Joaquin trying to sound optimistic. “We still have a week and a half before the next school board meeting. Maybe somebody will change his mind and agree to try it for one season.”

  “Yeah, and pigs’ll sprout wings and start living in trees,” said Meta. “Face it, nobody cares about our plans.” She buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

  Cocoa put her arm around Meta’s shoulder. “Hey, even if this stupid school won’t let us have a team, at least we can still play on our club team in Madison.”

  Suddenly, they heard a soft voice behind them. “I heard about what happened at the meeting last night.” Ten eyes turned to see who was speaking. It was Buzzy Budzinski, the custodian. Everybody in the building liked Buzzy. He’d been a part of Willowdale High School for over twenty years. He was a short, stocky man in his early sixties. He was almost totally bald except for a thin fringe of white hair around his ears.

  “I guess you didn’t have any luck finding a coach today,” he continued. His voice was quiet and full of compassion. “I sure was pulling for you kids. I heard you were trying to start a team, and I was hoping it would work out for you.”

  “Thanks, Buzzy,” said Julio. “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. The school board said we needed a qualified teacher to coach us, and nobody’s willing to give it a try.”

  “Well, if there’s anything I can do, you just let me know. ” Buzzy looked from face to face as he spoke. “I sure would like to see a soccer team at this school. As far as I’m concerned, there should’ve been one here a long time ago. Best sport there is, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “You really like soccer?” Cocoa asked. She couldn’t help smiling at Buzzy, trying to picture the little old man running down a soccer field. “Did you ever play?”

  “Oh sure,” Buzzy’s eyes grew big and round as he responded. “I played eight years in the army. That was back in the late fifties and early sixties. Sure, we traveled all over Europe and South America. I even tried out for the World Cup team one year. Of course, I got cut after the first tryout. Oh, that was a long time ago.”

  “You really played on a national team?” Cocoa’s dark eyes flashed as she spoke. “Hey, maybe you could be our coach. You’re certainly qualified if you played all over the world.” She looked at her friends. “What do you think, guys? Do you think they’d let us have a team if Buzzy agreed to coach us?”

  “Well he’s sure qualified,” said Kari, “but didn’t they say we had to find a teacher?”

  “Actually, I think they said we had to find someone on the staff who was qualified,” said Joaquin. “Does staff mean a teacher, or does staff mean an employee?”

  “Well, I’m on the custodial staff,” Buzzy laughed. “If all they said was staff, then I guess maybe that means me. Course, I don’t know anything about coaching. I haven’t even played in almost thirty years.”

  “So what,” said Kari. “You probably know more about soccer than anybody in town. Would you really be willing to do it if the school board says it’s okay?”

  “Well, I don’t know,” Buzzy stammered, “I’m pretty old to try something like that. You know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks.”

  “You could do it, Buzzy.” Meta spoke for the first time since Buzzy approached the group. “We need you. We promise we’ll do whatever you tell us, and we’ll make sure the rest of the players do too. We’ve been working so hard to get this team started. Will you help us?”

  Buzzy scratched the white hair over his ear. “My wife would skin me alive if I came home and told her I was going to try something this crazy. Why, I’m planning to retire in a year or two. I don’t know what to say.” He paused and looked at the faces staring back at him. “Oh well, I’ll tell you what. If you kids talk to Mr. Tobias and if he says it’s okay, then I’ll give it a spin. Lord, I must be going senile to even consider trying this.”

  “All right,” shouted Cocoa. She started another round of high fives. “We’ve got to meet with Mr. Tobias before school tomorrow. If he agrees with this plan, then maybe we can get five people on the school board to agree with it too. Joaquin, you were right. It’s stupid to give up before you’ve tried every angle.” She put her arm around his shoulder and gave him a rough hug. He smiled sheepishly and couldn’t think of anything to say.

  Everything was happening too fast for Joaquin. First, he thought they were going to get a team. Then it looked like they wouldn’t because no one was willing to coach. And now, just as he was ready to throw in the towel, there was a beam of new hope that things were going to work out. But what were their chances, he wondered. Would the school board agree to hiring a sixty year-old janitor to start a soccer team? What would Mr. Morganson say? Joaquin looked at his friends. They were all talking at the same time, discussing plans, and patting each other on the back. Buzzy was smiling and nodding his approval at everything being said. What kind of let down were they in for if this new plan was rejected? It was too much to even consider. It just has to work, Joaquin thought to himself. It just has to work.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning Joaquin and his friends arrived at school early so that they could talk to Mr. Tobias. They were disappointed when his secretary told them that he was attending a principal’s convention and would not be back until Monday. Kari asked if there was a number where they could call him at to ask a very important question, but the secretary said that he hadn’t left a number where he’d be staying. The kids would just have to wait until Monday to speak to him. This news was a major letdown.

  Overall, the weekend went pretty well for Joaquin. Yet he had a difficult time appreciating it because in the back of his mind he kept thinking about what was going to happen with the school team. Was Mr. Tobias going to support the idea of having Buzzy coach the team, or was he going to tell them to wait another year and see if a more suitable coach could be found? With the way things went at the previous meeting, Joaquin feared for the worst. He just couldn’t put the coaching dilemma out of his mind. He wanted so badly to have a chance to play against Lakeshore and to force Coach Sommers to swallow every cruel word he ever spouted. He just couldn’t drive that idea out of his head.

  During his Friday night date with Jessica, he kept asking her questions about what kids at Lakeshore were saying about soccer. Did anyone notice that Joaquin had moved? Did any of the players express any type of unhappiness with the program or the coach? Was there any talk of getting rid of Sommers? For the most part, Jessica admitted that she really hadn’t heard any talk about the boys’ soccer team. As far as Coach Sommers, he was busy getting ready for the start of the girls’ season. She said she hated to say it, but there was really no obvious unrest at Lakeshore. If anyone was unhappy about Coach Sommers, they were most likely afraid to say anything. Other than the lack of news about soccer, Joaquin’s date with Jessica went very smoothly. He realized what a great person she was and remembered how much he enjoyed being with her. He resolved to not take her friendship for granted again.

  Joaquin learned a lot from the indoor soccer tournament that weekend. First of all, he found that he wasn’t in very good physical condition. Granted he had done some jogging during the winter and he had been taking physical education class, but those things didn’t provide nearly the exercise required for running up and down a soccer field. Even though the field is much smaller in indoor soccer and the players substitute freely and often the way hockey players make frequent line changes, Joaquin still found himself badly winded after only a few minutes of action. He also realized how much he loved playing and how badly he missed the game. Even through the sweat and aching muscles, he intensely enjoyed being back in action. He didn’t perform as well as he would have liked to in front of his new teammates, but he felt he did played well enough to make a positive contribution. He scored a goal in one of the three games and had one good assist, but he certainly didn’t dominate the game the way he thought he might. He found out that there were kids in Wisconsin who knew how
to play soccer.

  Another thing he realized during the tournament was that girls could play intensive and skillful soccer. He was very impressed by the way Kari played defense. She was fast and aggressive, and she had no trouble going face to face with the male players on the opposing teams. Several times she used her forehead to bat away shots and passes. From her sweeper position, she patrolled the area in front of the goalkeeper like a guard at a maximum security prison. She wasn’t afraid to put herself between the goal and an oncoming player to protect her zone.

  Cocoa Mareno also showed that she was a top caliber player. Everything that Joaquin had been told about her was true. She was probably the quickest player on the team, and her passes always seemed to find the open player and always had so much zip on them that they easily made it through the defense. Joaquin noticed that Cocoa seemed to have a sixth sense for spotting opening passing lanes. She never scored a goal during the tournament, but she did have three or four assists. By the end of the weekend, Joaquin started to look at Cocoa and see a talented soccer player instead of just a pretty girl. He liked this new awareness because it allowed him to feel more comfortable talking to her. His nervousness decreased once he was able to see beyond her looks. He realized that she had similar respect for him—she treated him like a friend and a teammate.

  * * *

  By Sunday night Joaquin was physically exhausted, but emotionally he was fired up, ready to proceed with the mission of convincing school officials to accept Buzzy as a coach and officially starting a school soccer team. Before going to bed, he called Kari to talk over last minute plans that had to be made before meeting with the principal. They discussed what should be done about Monte. Certainly his appearance at the school board meeting made it clear that he was interested in joining the team. Still Kari and Meta had some misgivings about including him in their plans. Both felt that it would be foolish to count on Monte because of the probability that he’d be ineligible for sports because of his grades or his behavior. Besides, Kari argued, their chances of convincing Mr. Tobias would be reduced if he believed Monte was going to be part of the program. They finally decided to simply ignore Monte’s presence at the meeting. Then once the program was started they could approach him again and give him a chance to try out for the squad.