What happens when the country mouse visits the city mouse? We all know the story, the country mouse overeats on the lavish spread of food, feeling sick, and is furthermore terrified by the alley cats, only to happily return home to the safety of his simpleton life, taking comfort in the security of home.
So, what happens when the country hockey team visits the city rinks for a tournament?
For one, the distinction between the city car and the country car was made obvious when the Methow Wolverines caravan of Subarus, trucks and minivans rolled into the various hockey rink parking lots located across Seattle’s eastern suburbs last weekend. The telltale sign that our team had arrived was the dirt. Our dulled, soiled cars stuck out among the shiny, well-polished electric vehicles, high-end SUVs, and sports trims that lined the aisles.
The muck that caked one Subaru became the backdrop to a city vs. country joke all weekend. At the Trader Joe’s Parking lot, one Wolverine parent parked her Subaru and proceeded to shop between games. Upon return to her car, a man was returning to his vehicle with his young son. In a fearful, stern warning he yelled at his son, “don’t touch her car, it’s filthy!” The tone of his warning taking on the seriousness of, say, a young child getting too close to the edge of cliff or the deep water. Dirt, I guess, if you never interact with it might be dangerous.
To ameliorate the grime that set us apart from our immaculate rivals’ vehicles, between games we visited the car wash. If you haven’t visited a high-tech car was for a while, it’s like going on an amusement park ride. From animated talking bear voices, disco lights, and music our experience lent itself to cheaper version of Disneyland. A savvy spender could take his/her child to a variety of car washes each weekend and avoid the Disney lines all together.
Another distinction that set us apart from our city counterparts: color. I notice this every time I visit the city. We here in the Methow Valley like to wear colorful jackets, scarves, hats etc. The dress code for the city seems to be black. Black jackets, black hats, black tights and slacks, black shoes. Of course, there’s always exceptions, and in the hockey rink jerseys and team colors are on display, but the trend seems to be persistent. Black is still in.
Finally, the distinction that set us apart and dare I say above, was our grit amidst the standings. To say we were the underdog going into the tournament, would not paint an accurate account of the inequitable playing field. These teams were bigger, older and much more polished. But never the martyr, our Wolverines held their heads high and played out each game with integrity and fought for each second on the ice, full-heartedly. Losing each game can be demoralizing, but these players came home not feeling defeated but grateful to have time to grow as players, ready to watch the ice melt and prepare for next year.
