A Goal for Joaquin (11 page)

“What's happening, man!” Monte said without missing a kick. Joaquin could tell by the way Monte handled the hacky-sack that he was obviously a coordinated athlete.

“Hi, Monte,” Joaquin's voice cracked as he spoke. “My name is Joaquin Lopez, and I wonder if I could talk to you a minute. I mean, it doesn't have to be right now, but whenever you have time.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited for Monte's response.

“So, Joaquin Lopez, what can I help you with?” Monte continued to juggle as he spoke. “I'll tell you up front, I ain't a doper if you're looking to score some goodies for your friends for the weekend. You've got the wrong guy if that's what you're after. Try the pharmacy down on Main Street.” Monte's friends laughed at his comment.

“No, I'm not looking for drugs,” Joaquin said. “I want to talk to you about soccer. I hear you're a good goalie, and we're trying to get together a team, and . . .”

Monte looked surprised to hear the word soccer and turned away from the hacky-sack game. “Soccer? What did you hear about me playing soccer? Man, do I look like some kind of kick-ball jock type to you?” He and his friends laughed again.

Joaquin felt the perspiration building in his armpits. He had the feeling that he was being tricked again. “Yeah, some of my friends said you were the best in the state.”

“Your friends told you that, huh?” Monte looked irritated by the comment. “Well, who are your friends, Joaquin. I don't think I ever seen you around here before. Maybe your friends don't know what they're talking about, because something tells me I'm not the best in the state at anything.”

“Sorry, maybe they told me wrong,” Joaquin stammered and squirmed as he spoke. “Kari and Meta said you played goalie on some all-star teams. According to them you're the best net player they've ever seen. Maybe they're hosing me, but I just thought I'd talk to you because we're trying to get a school team together, and I thought maybe you'd like to play. We've got fourteen players signed up, but we could sure use an experienced keeper.”

Monte laughed again, and his friends joined in. “Kari and Meta, are those the Siamese sisters who are joined at the hip?” He laughed again. “I've never seen one of those chicks without seeing the other one. I used to think they were attached to each other, you know like Siamese twins or something.” The sack players all laughed again.

“They're just friends,” Joaquin sounded defensive. He was sorry he ever pushed the idea of talking to Monte. Evidently, the other kids were right about him. “Well, forget I ever asked about joining the team. I just thought you might want to play again. I didn't mean to disturb you.” His eyes were looking at the floor as Joaquin turned and walked away.

“Hey, no problem, buddy,” Monte said, “I didn't mean to give you a hard time. Let me think about what you said, okay.”

Joaquin mumbled something over his shoulder, but he never turned back. He felt a mixture of anger and humiliation as he walked away. So much for having an all-star goalie in the net, he thought to himself as he headed toward the table where Julio and Cocoa sat waiting.

 

Chapter 13

 

As promised, Mr. Tobias, the high school principal, arranged for the future soccer team to have a spot on the March fifth school board meeting. Kari was chosen to act as spokesperson for the group though everyone was encouraged to join in the discussion whenever they had something to offer.
 

On the evening of the meeting, Joaquin and his friends were surprised to see Monte sitting among the spectators in the audience. He smiled at Joaquin's friends as they entered the meeting room, but he didn't speak and didn't offer to join them at the chairs in the front row. Joaquin had mixed feelings about seeing Monte in attendance. In a way he was disappointed because of the way Monte had acted during their meeting in the cafeteria. Yet in the back of his mind, Joaquin could picture Monte turning away shots in the final minutes of a close game with Lakeshore. He tried to force that picture out of his head, but it didn't want to go away.
 

During her brief presentation, Kari explained the background of her group's recruiting efforts. She also outlined their plans and goals. “During the first season,” she said, “we will just field a varsity team. After that, if we have sufficient numbers, we will add a junior varsity squad. In addition, we plan on forming a girls' team in one or two years depending on the number of interested players.” When she finished, the board members thanked her for her presentation and gave her approving smiles and nods. The students looked at each other with optimism and pride.

Before calling for a vote on the issue, Marvin Halloran, the board president, asked if there was any discussion. Leo Morganson, whose boys had all been star players on the football team, opened the discussion. “I can see that you kids have been working hard to get this program started,” he said, “but I do have a few concerns that I believe the board must address before making a final decision.” He folded his thick hands on the table in front of him and leaned back in his chair. Then he gave his fellow board members a grave look of concern. “First, of all, I have a problem with the idea of having girls competing on a boys' team. From what I hear soccer is a pretty rough sport, and I'd certainly hate to see one of these pretty young ladies get hurt. Now I'm sure you three girls are all good players, but I just don't feel right about putting boys and girls on the same playing field. Now I know what you're going to say about equal opportunities here, but from my point of view, I think maybe we should wait until we have enough players to form two separate teams.” There was a quiet pause before anyone responded.

Finally, Mr. Tobias cleared his throat and started to speak. “I can comment on that issue, Mr. Morganson. Just as a matter of record, the State Athletic Association has taken a stand on that issue. According to state rules, if a school provides a sport for boys that it does not provide for girls, then girls are eligible to play on the boys' team. There have been numerous cases of girls competing on baseball and football teams, and several girls have even participated in wrestling.” His tone was knowledgeable and respectful. Joaquin was pleased to hear his principal support the proposal.

“Well, I still have some concerns,” said Mr. Morganson. “I also have a problem with numbers of players committed to play. Maybe you have fourteen or fifteen players on the roster now, but how many will actually be here next year when the season starts.” He gave a quick glance at Joaquin and Julio as he finished his comments.
 

 
Joaquin started to burn inside as he thought about that last comment. He knew what Mr. Morganson was thinking. He wanted to stand up and explain that just because he was Hispanic didn't mean that he couldn't attend the same high school for two years in a row. Cocoa Mareno stood up before Joaquin had a chance to speak. “I'm not sure what you mean about some of the players not being here next year,” she said, “but we've got strong commitments from every player whose name is on that list. I'm sure everyone who signed up will be ready to play. It's very likely, in fact, that we will pick up more players once the team is officially organized. I'd also like to point out that Kari, Meta, and I have been playing co-ed soccer for several years. We have never had a problem playing against boys.” Her long golden ponytail bounced across her shoulders as she returned to her chair. There was a little snicker somewhere in the audience.

“Thank you,” the board president cut in. “I think it's very wise to get as much information as we can before we make a decision. Mr. Morganson is not out to derail your plans. He is just trying to help the board make an informed decision. Now is there any other discussion?” He looked over the people in the room. “Yes, the young man in the back.”

Everyone turned to see who had asked for the floor. Joaquin was surprised to see Monte stand up. “Yes,” Monte began, “I just wanted to comment on what Cocoa said about kids coming out for the team who ain't on the list. Like me for instance,” he gave a nervous laugh. “I'm not on the list, but I'd probably come out for the team if there was one. That's all I got to say.” He smiled as he took his seat. Joaquin noticed several board members roll their eyes to each other as Monte finished speaking. The whole plan seemed to be unraveling.

“Thank you,” said the president, “now is there any further discussion or shall I call for a vote?”

“Just one more point here,” Mr. Morganson interjected, “and I think this is important. I think there is one issue that has been completely overlooked. Now maybe Mr. Tobias has already thought about this, but I haven't heard any comments about who will coach this team if we vote to approve it. We can't start a team unless we have somebody qualified to serve as coach. We sure can't let a bunch of kids get a team started unless we've got a qualified member of the staff whose willing to coach them.” He paused to allow Mr. Tobias respond.

“Yes, coaching is certainly an issue that we have thought about,” Mr. Tobias said. “It was our feeling that we would wait to see if a team was approved before we started looking for a coach.”
 

“Have we got anybody who knows enough about soccer to coach this team if we decide to approve this proposal?” Morganson asked.

“Well, I haven't really checked into that yet, but I'm sure we'll be able to find someone.” Mr. Tobias fiddled with some file folders as he spoke. He apparently had overlooked the coaching question and appeared to be quite unsure of his answer to Mr. Morganson's question.

“Well, it just seems to me like we've got too many loose ends to tie up here before we vote on this issue.” Mr. Morganson continued. “I'd like to move that we table this decision until the next meeting. Then maybe we'll have the information we need to make a responsible decision.”

There was pause as board members considered the latest motion. Joaquin felt like a balloon that had just been deflated. He looked at the faces of his friends. Their solemn looks told him that they shared his sudden feeling of doom.

“Is there a second to Mr. Morganson's motion to table this vote?” The president looked around the table. No one seconded. “Is there any more discussion?”

“Yes, I'd like to say something.” It was a woman at the end of the table who had not spoken since the meeting began. In fact, Joaquin hadn't even noticed her before. “I think these kids have put in a lot on time and effort getting this team organized, and I just don't think it's fair to turn them away without an answer. Now I don't see why we can't amend the original proposal to include a statement about finding a qualified coach. We can pass the resolution tonight, and if Mr. Tobias can't find a coach, then the team will just have to wait another year until we can find someone to coach. I think that's a reasonable compromise.” Several board members nodded in apparent agreement.

After another ten minutes of discussion, the board officially voted to approve the formation of a high school soccer team, but only on the condition that a qualified staff member was found to serve as coach. The coaching issue was a minor setback, but overall Joaquin felt very good about the decision.
 

After the meeting Joaquin's group thanked Mr. Tobias for supporting them during the meeting. Then they left without discussing the meeting with anyone else. Outside the building they walked slowly toward Julio's car, trying to digest what had just happened and figuring out whether they had won the battle or lost. Kari was the first to address the coaching issue. “I never even thought about trying to find a coach. Isn't that the school's responsibility? Besides, why did they say it has to be a teacher? What if none of the teachers are willing to take the job? Does that mean we don't get to have a team? It's not fair. Why do we even need a coach? We know how to play. Why can't we just run our own team?”

“Because they think kids can't do anything without adult supervision,” Julio said. “I could tell Mr. Morganson was just trying to think of any excuse so that they could turn down our request. Sure, his boys have all played football, so he doesn't want a new sport coming in the fall. And how did you like his concern for you pretty young ladies getting hurt?” Julio unlocked the car doors as he spoke.

“I almost threw up when he said that,” said Meta. “As if he really cares if we get hurt or not. He just wanted to convince the other board members to vote against us.”

“Well,” said Joaquin, climbing into the back seat of Julio's car, “it obviously didn't work. There were only three votes opposing our proposal. Let's look at the bright side, five out of the eight people voted in favor.”

“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.”