Sir: I enjoyed reading Ian Kennedy’s story about Savannah Emmott and her adventures as a member of the UCC Lancers Junior Football team. It’s great to read about a girl getting involved in a wholesome sport.
But a girl among a crowd of boys? I am a 78-year-old bookish guy who has never watched football in his life. But I began to wonder if I was old-fashioned. So I watched some football games on TV recently. It was a gruesome sight to a white-haired fellow who would rather get out a book than play a sport.
I admire young Savannah. I’m sure she’ll survive being tackled and flung around by a bunch of burly males. She’s obviously a good sport and happy in what she’s doing. And the guys seem to be happy to have her.
But football? What about tennis? They tell me it’s a satisfying, if exhausting, sport. It’s sweaty but at least you don’t get tackled by what Rudyard Kipling called “muddied oafs.”
Kipling wasn’t very interested in sports, but a quote from one of his famous poems (“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same”) is written on the wall of the players’ entrance at Wimbledon.
However, Savannah, you’re obviously enjoying football and that warms my heart. And I’m sure there are separate changing rooms and showers for the only girl on the team.
Stephen Beecroft
Chatham
