After Dave addressed the crowd, Jason called the youth singers to come sing the national anthem. The children were accompanied by Monica “Coach Littlefeet” Schmidt. Everyone gazed toward the American flag that was majestically waving in the cold breeze, accompanied by the MHC flag. The crowd cheered with exuberance following the extremely entertaining performance. With hearts encouraged and inspired, the entire Milwaukee Hurling Club and all the family, friends, and visitors gathered together in one enormous huddle, hurleys raised high, as is tradition, in unison, voices erupted yelling "MHC” to conclude the Opening Day ceremony.
Our children were filled with excitement to be able to enjoy the fellowship and spend time with their MHC family. Friendships were rekindled and fun was to be had on the sidelines. Games were successfully moving forward throughout the afternoon. The winds were cold, but the only people who seemed to be affected were those sitting along the sidelines. Blankets and wind proof jackets were kindly shared among those in need. The expectation that the day would be one of epic proportions was not at all disappointing. A few calls for medics, exchanges of points and plays, and an unexpected haunt to the day. After an injury to a rookie player, out on the field, the medic team was at their side. The decision was made for an ambulance to be called for transport for the player's injury to be evaluated by a doctor. The game was paused as everyone waited for the arrival of the emergency vehicle. Excitement arose when multiple vehicles approached. The ambulance made its way onto the soggy field to everyone's dismay. The big question on everyone's mind was..."Will it be able to drive off the field?"
As the ambulance's wheels sunk deep into the soft field, it was evident that it would need help getting the tires dislodged. People ran from each direction the the vehicle's side. They put all their muscle into pushing on one of it's sides. Due to the ambulance being trapped on the field, the fifth and final game was cancelled.
Our family along with many other families cleaned up to head home. The ride home was filled with each person's favorite memories made throughout the day.
It was a great day. We were exhausted. We had sunburned faces. And we were excited for the next time we would get to spend with our MHC family.
Great news came later that evening that our injured player was healing and in good spirits and that through extreme efforts, the ambulance was successfully extracted from the field.