Let the Games Begin

I'm not sporty. I made this clear to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto when I began volunteering with them. I was haunted by visions of being matched with a sports-crazy kid who would inevitably be disappointed by a non-athletic, bookwormy big brother. So I was thrilled when they matched me up with Alfredo, an awesome, clever, and upbeat kid who loves to read. Sure, on the day we met four years ago he showed me his track and field ribbons. But hey, the only sport I was invovled with in high school (albeit briefly) was the track and field team; in fact, running very fast was the only athletic ability I'd had as a kid. It was a perfect match!

Since Alfredo and I have been friends, I have witnessed (with growing alarm) his increasing interest in sports. He can now rattle off detailed sports statistics for the NHL, NBA, and FIFA. We now regularly kick around the soccer ball in the summer, and he can already run rings around me. I am considering fitting him with lead cleats to improve my chances, but am I only prolonging being permantly left in the dust?

Two recent sporting events have made me appreciate our diverging interests. Big Brothers gave us tickets to last weekend's basketball game at the Air Canada Centre and to the home-opener of Toronto's new soccer team the FC this weekend. I've seen two previous Raptors games in my life, but enjoyed last Sunday's game more than I ever have before. It was a close, exciting game (Raptors 107, Knicks 105) and I had a blast cheering on the team alongside Alfredo.

Yesterday's soccer game wasn't nearly as exciting (Toronto is still a fledling team and they lost 0-1 to the Kansas City Wizards), but being there for the first ever game in the new BMO Stadium was a lot of fun in itself.

It was while sitting with Alfredo in our excellent seats, wearing our Toronto FC inaugural scarves, that I was struck by two things. 1) How really cool the experience was; and 2) That I wouldn't be having it if it weren't for Alfredo and Big Brothers. And therein lies the reward of any relationship. Common interests may bring you together, but unexpected richness can be found in exposing each other to passions outside your own comfort zone. I've often made a conscious effort to introduce Alfredo to new things (such as plays at Toronto's Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People and foreign films at Sprockets), but I haven't often considered how it works both ways. Thanks to Alfredo, I've now enjoyed basketball and soccer games, fishing trips, snowshoeing excursions, and other weekend outings I wouldn't likely have otherwise experienced.

True, none of the have turned me into a jock, but they have made me more appreciative of Alfredo's interests and a richer individual. You gotta love a volunteer position with those kind of benefits (and the free tickets aren't bad either).