You’ve delivered broken hands, broken sticks, and quite a few broken championship dreams. Along with a smattering of other injuries and many a defeat for all but Broacach, you’d think this was a season of loss, but there was so much we all gained. A lot can change in 19 years, but we have always been the Milwaukee Hurling Club – that will never change. When we look back at our humble beginnings on the Lakefront with a handful of people pucking around, it’s crazy to realize who we are today – a 300 member strong, tight-knit family.
As I look back at the season, I can still feel remnants of some battle wounds, the bruises fading away slowly but surely. Hands, soon to be spared your weekly smashing, are tired and callused, but each callus is a memory of a time when broken skin healed and a new layer of strength formed. That’s what hurling does; it beats you down so hard that you’re bleeding, bruised, and maybe even broken, but then the next time you pick up your hurl and head out to the pitch, you’re a little bit stronger.
The teams this season were seemingly even on paper, as they are each year, but a champion always emerges from the pack and conquers the lot of us. Brocach was the unassuming team, no one player was a superstar, and no one player stole the show. They showed up, gave it their all, shared the workload, and had fun. This is an MHC model we all strive to follow. Their final match was hard fought, evenly paired, and clean. In a point-for-point, goal-for-goal fight to the finish, the Bandits stole the last few points of the game and secured their undefeated season. It was a championship match among the top three the MHC has ever seen, according to Dave Olson, and it was a victory for all of us.
Thank you MHC 2014 Season for a great summer. It was one I hope we will never forget. The 20th season of the Milwaukee Hurling Club starts NOW!
See you back at the pitch for MHC 2015,
Aislinn
Dish from the Pitch team from left: Ellen Burmeister, Davison Kane, Kerry Leonard, Ivan Baker, Aislinn Leonard, Jack Harrold, Cecilia Nieves, Jason Kirkpatrick, Tony Gilbert, Meghan Neuenschwander, Ryan Milbrath, Valaria A. Herrera