There was commotion in the ocean as 2,500 competed

There was commotion in the ocean last weekend as two days of triathlons attracted more than 2,500 competitors, first to the Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon sponsored by the Sussex Family YMCA and later the 26th Make-A-Wish Sea Colony Triathlon, a big fundraiser for that charity.

I know it takes lots of disposable time, energy and plenty of focus to properly train for any triathlon and the event is high tech, from the tri-suits to those bikes. And after months of training, one flat tire or nor’easter – to say nothing of hamstring cramps – can knock a competitor out of the water. So the questions remain: Why so many competitors, and who are these people? Most are college graduates from the so-called professional class of the labor market. And the trade-off is perfect for charity fundraising: “You give us a big entry fee and raise money, and we provide a race and keep times and secure the roads.” And the fund raisers keep on coming, and all are legitimate from bake sales to buddy walks to please bail me out, my life is in a state of domestic and financial turmoil. I think an identified trend is people will give money and raise money toward a worthy charity if you provide a fun activity for them, preferably one that results in weight loss. But no “money for nothing.” Life is not a song from the Dire Straits CD.

MUSIC MAN - You can turn right at the music store next to the Family Dollar just before the light across from the Wawa on Route 13 and look for a sign for Delmar High School, which I have never found. “Earle Teat Music” sure as shooting, and there I was possibly the only person ever to snap that sign with a 200-meter Nikon telephoto lens. Most off-road culture is about as local as satellite radio. Delmar is a town with personality, and I like the fact that the referee had to stop the field hockey before instructing the local dads to swallow their criticisms. So the coach smiled and said a sentence or two, and the daddies behaved. Friday night football in Delmar the entire town shuts down except for the music store.

BIG BABIES - I tackled some hairy-legged sub-primate fullback in a high school football game, and my hand started to buzz. I rolled on my back and looked and the third finger was bent halfway down at a right angle. The sight of this sudden deformity commenced me to screaming. The team doctor came out and pulled the finger back into place while saying these soothing words, “Shut up, you big baby.” Later that season on the football field of Northeast High School, which produced Eddie George and Herb Adderley, former Packer great, I hurled myself sideways across the chest of a safety – a cross-body block and legal like a leg whip – but as I rolled on the ground, my hand starting buzzing, so I didn’t scream until I saw a rusty nail had gone all the way through the meat of my hand below the pinky before bending in half. We had a male gay nurse trainer dude, back when gay meant happy, and he screamed at the hideous dirty insult of it all, and before anyone could say, “Don’t move him, call me an ambulance … OK, you’re an ambulance” the dude just yanked it out, but at least it was infected for the next six weeks. Big Jeff Burnham, playing nose guard from Cape in 1986 hit an Indian River center so hard that Jeff split open a finger all the way to the bone. I was his coach and first one on the field. We screamed in harmony.

JUDGE NO BABY- Caroline Judge took an errant stick to the face Saturday night with two minutes left in a 5-0 hockey game against Dover. “It didn’t hurt much, and then I felt my face and there was blood every where,” Caroline said. Caroline required four stitches in two different places and reported ready to play for Tuesday’s Delmar game. The doctor had cleared her and so did her parents, but the Cape coaches decided “no play” until the stitches come out, which is the same day as the Sussex Tech game. “I’m playing in that game,” Caroline said. “There is absolutely no way I am missing it.” And she willingly smiled for a photo showing her stitched-up face because she is cool like that and a lot tougher than any football player, but I can only speak for my screaming self.

SNIPPETS - I continue to make the mistake of calling Cape football player Andre Fonville by the last name Bonville and had John Goodwin catching a pass instead of his little brother, Ryan Goodwin. There is no excuse, and anyway I’m not looking for one.

Cape at Polytech on Friday night is a battle of decent football teams, and both are winless. The Panthers have lost to Lake Forest, 41-20, and Delcastle, 20-16. Cape has dropped games to Indian River, 34-7, and Archmere, 31-21.