A Bittersweet Defeat

Ready, set, hut!

My last day of All Access Spectacle Island last week was bittersweet. We began with a highly competitive game of two-hand-touch football on one of the island's drumlins with a group of campers from the Boys and Girls Club. Being the big shots they were they thought their entire club could face off with me and just three of my Save the Harbor associates. They were right. After getting creamed 3-1 in the preliminary round, we figured it would be better if we recruited some of their star players for our STH team. It wasn't until the addition of their athletes that our tide finally turned; it was a gritty game, but by the skin of our teeth we pulled off a 3-2 win against those unlimited springs of energy in the next game of our series. The final tie-breaker game started with promise, one of our receivers caught a 20 yard pass bringing us within inches of the goal line-- just what we needed to overcome the six point deficit we were faced with (the opposing team had failed their extra-point attempt). In my haste, the next play I threw a pass that was intercepted by one of the Boys and Girls Club counselors that had joined the game for the final event. It was a devastating blow that ultimately resulted in a loss for our team, hence the bitter portion of my day.

Baby sculpin fish caught on Spectacle!

With our tails between our legs, the Save the Harbor squad returned to the pier after the game to assist the fishing club with clean-up. We arrived to discover that we had finally caught some fish on the island!! Our fellow senior harbor educator, Jenn, with her fish-whispering abilities was able to net some baby sculpin, a green shore crab with a baby flounder in its clutches, as well as a skate! After a month of tireless searching, we were finally able to prove to the kids, campers and STH staff alike, that you can catch fish off the islands! After the crushing defeat we were dealt on the drumlin, seeing the kids' excitement as they held the baby fish that they had caught really made up for it. Hopefully we will see the same success next week on George's Island-- I've got my fingers crossed!
Yours truly,
Maxwilliams