hustle.”
“What have you cooked up for us today, Josh?” Aidan asked between gulps.
“I didn’t cook up anything. But I’m sure someone did,” Josh said. He was thinking how much things had changed in such a short time. In the last two weeks, the United had notched two more wins. The team was playing much better—more together. Coach ended every practice with a team-building exercise, and everyone was getting in on it. At the last practice, Kadir led them in an exercise where the players had to lead a blindfolded teammate through an obstacle course using nothing but voice commands.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Coach said. She pulled away a large cloth cover from the bag and revealed a bunch of brightly colored balloons.
Josh laughed. “Is it your birthday or something, Coach?”
“I hope you brought cake,” Aidan added.
Coach Hodges smiled. “No, it’s not my birthday. But this could be a good party game.” She pointed at Evan. “How aboutdemonstrating this one? Since this was your idea.”
Josh and Aidan looked at Evan. “Your idea?”
“Yeah, my idea,” Evan said. “I wanted to make sure we didn’t have to be blindfolded again. That was scary.”
Coach picked a red balloon from the jumble and nodded toward Evan.
“Okay,” he said, addressing the team. “The object of the game is to keep the balloon in the air by tapping it.”
“With our feet?” Victor asked.
“You can use your hands or feet,” he said. “Just don’t let the balloon touch the ground.”
“Ready?” Coach asked.
“Ready,” replied Evan.
Coach tossed the balloon into the air. Evan moved under the balloon as it floated down and easily kept it in the air with a series of hand taps. “Once you get one balloon going,” Evan explained as he kept the red balloon aloft with quick taps, “we add another balloon.”
Right on cue, Coach tossed another balloon—a green one—into the air. Moving quickly, Evan kept the two balloons in the air for a short while. Soon, however, the balloons drifted apart and one settled onto the grass.
“It’s a little harder with two, isn’t it?” Coach smiled.
“Yeah. You can’t do it alone,” Evan said. “So each time Coach tosses in another balloon, someone else needs to come up and help.”
“I’ll go first,” Josh said.
“I’ll go next,” said Patrick.
“Okay, everybody else line up and get ready,” Coach said. “When I toss in a second balloon, Josh will go in to help. When I toss in a third balloon, Patrick will go in. We’ll keep adding balloons and teammates.”
“Yeah, the idea is to keep as many balloons in the air as we can—together—as a team,” Evan said.
“What happens if one touches the ground?” Kadir asked.
“The team loses and we start over again.”
“How do we win?” Demetrius asked.
“If we get all eighteen players on the field keeping eighteen balloons up in the air, that’s a win,” Evan said.
Coach Hodges pulled the bag of balloons next to her. “Okay, let’s get started. And remember: talk to each other.”
Soon the air was filled with green, yellow, red, and blue balloons. The United players scrambled around the field, tipping them into the air and shouting to each other.
“Watch out for the blue one!”
“I got that red one!”
“Come on, Aidan! Knock ‘em higher in the air.”
After a few losses, the team started working together, and all eighteen players were moving around the field, calling to each other.
“I’ve got this one.”
“Heads up over there!”
“This one is coming your way!”
Eighteen balloons danced in the soft autumn afternoon.
“Here’s another!” Coach shouted as shetossed still another balloon into the happy mix of players.
The balloons stayed up. All nineteen.
“Here’s another. Keep talking to each other.”
Twenty!
“Another.”
Twenty-one!
One balloon, unnoticed at the edge of the field, floated dangerously close to the ground. Josh leaped for it like a
“What have you cooked up for us today, Josh?” Aidan asked between gulps.
“I didn’t cook up anything. But I’m sure someone did,” Josh said. He was thinking how much things had changed in such a short time. In the last two weeks, the United had notched two more wins. The team was playing much better—more together. Coach ended every practice with a team-building exercise, and everyone was getting in on it. At the last practice, Kadir led them in an exercise where the players had to lead a blindfolded teammate through an obstacle course using nothing but voice commands.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Coach said. She pulled away a large cloth cover from the bag and revealed a bunch of brightly colored balloons.
Josh laughed. “Is it your birthday or something, Coach?”
“I hope you brought cake,” Aidan added.
Coach Hodges smiled. “No, it’s not my birthday. But this could be a good party game.” She pointed at Evan. “How aboutdemonstrating this one? Since this was your idea.”
Josh and Aidan looked at Evan. “Your idea?”
“Yeah, my idea,” Evan said. “I wanted to make sure we didn’t have to be blindfolded again. That was scary.”
Coach picked a red balloon from the jumble and nodded toward Evan.
“Okay,” he said, addressing the team. “The object of the game is to keep the balloon in the air by tapping it.”
“With our feet?” Victor asked.
“You can use your hands or feet,” he said. “Just don’t let the balloon touch the ground.”
“Ready?” Coach asked.
“Ready,” replied Evan.
Coach tossed the balloon into the air. Evan moved under the balloon as it floated down and easily kept it in the air with a series of hand taps. “Once you get one balloon going,” Evan explained as he kept the red balloon aloft with quick taps, “we add another balloon.”
Right on cue, Coach tossed another balloon—a green one—into the air. Moving quickly, Evan kept the two balloons in the air for a short while. Soon, however, the balloons drifted apart and one settled onto the grass.
“It’s a little harder with two, isn’t it?” Coach smiled.
“Yeah. You can’t do it alone,” Evan said. “So each time Coach tosses in another balloon, someone else needs to come up and help.”
“I’ll go first,” Josh said.
“I’ll go next,” said Patrick.
“Okay, everybody else line up and get ready,” Coach said. “When I toss in a second balloon, Josh will go in to help. When I toss in a third balloon, Patrick will go in. We’ll keep adding balloons and teammates.”
“Yeah, the idea is to keep as many balloons in the air as we can—together—as a team,” Evan said.
“What happens if one touches the ground?” Kadir asked.
“The team loses and we start over again.”
“How do we win?” Demetrius asked.
“If we get all eighteen players on the field keeping eighteen balloons up in the air, that’s a win,” Evan said.
Coach Hodges pulled the bag of balloons next to her. “Okay, let’s get started. And remember: talk to each other.”
Soon the air was filled with green, yellow, red, and blue balloons. The United players scrambled around the field, tipping them into the air and shouting to each other.
“Watch out for the blue one!”
“I got that red one!”
“Come on, Aidan! Knock ‘em higher in the air.”
After a few losses, the team started working together, and all eighteen players were moving around the field, calling to each other.
“I’ve got this one.”
“Heads up over there!”
“This one is coming your way!”
Eighteen balloons danced in the soft autumn afternoon.
“Here’s another!” Coach shouted as shetossed still another balloon into the happy mix of players.
The balloons stayed up. All nineteen.
“Here’s another. Keep talking to each other.”
Twenty!
“Another.”
Twenty-one!
One balloon, unnoticed at the edge of the field, floated dangerously close to the ground. Josh leaped for it like a
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