Dave | Six With Sticks

July 7, 2014
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There and Back Again: A Big Red Tale

Snooze. Beep Beep. Snooze. One eye open. 3:33. Good sign, gotta get up. I was taking the kids today on an adventure. I didn’t tell anyone where we were headed, including Marcia. We got them loaded in the car and we were off by 4:30. I was taking them somewhere they had never been. And I hadn’t been back to Cornell in 17 years.

I put over 4 hours behind the wheel before anyone woke up. Then they were up the last hour of the drive. We pulled into Manos Diner in Ithaca around 9:30 for a little breakfast before seeing the sites.

Manos Diner – first stop in Ithaca

First stop had to be Schoellkopf Field. I took the kids out onto the turf and they loved it. Noah started sprinting from one end of the field to the other. Elizabeth and Eden starting running stadium stairs. I told them where the locker room was and showed them where coach Richie Moran took us all after each game for a post game party.

Six at Schoellkopf Field

Love this Stadium and those stairs

Hall for post game lacrosse gatherings

I was proud and excited to tell Marcia and the kids all about my days at Cornell. I showed them the slope and told them about Slope Day. I showed them where I sold daffodils for Daffodil Day, raising money for cancer research with my fraternity. I told them about the Hot Truck, and showed them my fraternity. My freshman dorm has been torn down and replaced with newer buildings. We walked through campus and I showed them the statues of Ezra Cornell and Andrew White. I showed them some of the libraries and where I had classes. We saw North Campus, and West Campus. We saw Collegetown – less bars than there used to be, and more Starbucks.

Marcia and the kids at Cornell

Cornell or Hogwarts?

Fuertes Observatory

Legend has it that if a virgin crosses between the two statues at midnight, they will cross the quad and dance a jig. The statues have never moved.

Far Above Cayuga’s Water

Looking down on West Campus – much different than when I went there

The kids loved seeing the plantation. We spent a good bit of time there exploring all of the trees. And we had a picnic late in the day, the last stop before heading home. As a student, I never really appreciated the plantation. I ran around and through it for lacrosse, but never had a picnic or took in the beauty of the place.

Newman Overlook at Cornell Plantations

I love Luke in this picture

Picnic in Cornell Plantations

The main attraction had to be the gorges. All of the kids had lots of fun exploring the gorges. They ran along the paths to get to the gorges. Unfortunately, they weren’t allowed to swim. I was really disappointed in this, as I remember lots of people swimming there when I was a student. It is now an offense that you can be arrested for. Bummer. I still waded out into the waterfalls, but we decided against letting the kids do it.

Ithaca is Gorges

Gorge above Beebe Lake

I found the spot where I jumped from the side of the gorge 20 years ago. I didn’t repeat the act, but was kind of impressed with how high I had jumped from. Young dumb and stupid is no way to go through life, Kennedy!

Where I jumped 20 years before

For me, this was a great trip. There were reasons that I left Cornell, and there were reasons why I put it in my past, and haven’t revisited it. It was great though to remember on this trip all of the joy I experienced at Cornell. All of the beauty of the place. And to share that with Marcia. And also with the kids.

It is an impressive and beautiful university. I wish I had appreciated it for all that it had to offer when I was a student, athlete and fraternity boy. There was so much that I didn’t do as a student, and wish I had been a bit more mature in those days. I am so grateful though for the experiences that I did have, and that I am able to share even glimpses of those experiences with my kids. It made me so proud that they were genuinely interested in the trip and my stories. Maybe one day one of them will be lucky enough to experience Cornell as a student.

March 17, 2014
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Six with skis

Last night, we took a little trip up to Ski Liberty. None of the kids had ever been skiing before. And I hadn’t been skiing since before Marcia and I met, over 17 years ago. So, we piled the oldest 4 kids into the van and drove up there.

We started them off with a lesson.

Marcia – dropping off kids at Ski school

Ready for ski school

Ready for some skiing

The kids were off with their instructor and Marcia and I were able to take a few runs by ourselves. I took a few runs down the back side of the mountain by myself and was able to ski a Black Diamond before meeting back up with the kids. An hour lesson and they were doing great.

Maggie – hands on her knees, no poles

Eden – flying down that mountain

Liz – focused on her turns

Noah – No fear

And then some night skiing as a family.

Having fun

Kennedy gang at Ski Liberty

We mostly stuck to the bunny hill.

I love how comfortable the kids all were. They got on the chair lifts by themselves, and were calling to each other from the chair lifts and waving to each other on the mountain. It was really cool. Before the night was over, I took Liz over to a bit faster hill for one last run.

It was cool that I remembered how to ski after all these years. And it was interesting that Marcia and I had never skied before. She kept remarking that she never knew how good of a skiier I was. Interesting that we have spent all these years with each other and there are still sometimes things that we don’t know about each other.

Very cool night. They all wanted to do it again. Eden wanted to spend the night. On the way home, we stopped at IHOP for breakfast at night. This morning, with 7 inches of snow on the ground, I took Liz to an early morning bus to NYC to spend a few days with her godfather. The rest of us have a snow day 🙂

November 7, 2013
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Half marathon with Liz

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Last month, Liz and I ran the half-marathon in Baltimore. At age 11, she is the youngest to have ever run this race in Baltimore. And she completed the race in 2:00:00. That is a fantastic time. To put that in perspective, the next youngest girl was 12, a few years earlier, and finished in 3:57:00, nearly two hours slower.

We’re ready for this race

13.1 miles. Our plan was to run 9 1/2 minute miles. But, we got on the course and Liz was like a jackrabbit, in and out of traffic, passing people through the streets of Baltimore. We ran the race with my cousin, Dave. The first 6 miles were Dave and I trying to catch up with Liz. She was pushing the pace at around 8:00 minute miles, and the majority of the first 6 miles was uphill.

Liz and Dad – pre-race

Miles 7-9, Liz started to cramp and felt like she was going to throw up. Our pace slowed to nearly 11 minute miles. Then, all of a sudden, she darted ahead, and was back at 8 minute miles til the finish line. We kept up with her until mile 10, then caught up with her at mile 11. But, then she was gone, and we didn’t catch her again. Dave and I finished two minutes behind my 11-year old daughter, and loved every minute of it.

I saw Dave this past weekend. He said he has logged 80 miles running this month. He is determined that we will be able to stay with Liz next year!

I don’t see my cousin often, but we shared this race, and it has brought us closer together.

Liz at the finish

Liz – final steps

Liz – 2:00:00

Home stretch

Almost there

Coming down the home stretch

Liz and Dave

Our wolfpack

Determined to win it

September 25, 2013
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Bethany Beach Tri

My first triathlon.

George ran the Bethany Beach triathlon last year. He invited some of his friends to join him the next year. In the meantime, his father-in-law, Guy Cesare, developed cancer and has been fighting the fight for life. George decided to start a team, Tri4Guy, and raise money for the cancer research center that has been treating Guy. Sean, Matt and I signed up, and Elizabeth joined the team as well. It was an exhilarating race, and I am glad that we were able to dedicate it to a man that we all love.

Tri4Guy – Bethany Beach Triathlon 2013

For me, this was my first triathlon. My training was suspect. But I am proud of my performance. I did not do well timewise in the water or in any of the transition areas. But, I am very pleased with my performance on a bike and on the run. And I was honored to ride Guy’s bike in the race. In the water, George and I swam together. On the bikes, Sean and I kept pace for each other. And on the run, Matt and I ran together for 2 of the 4 miles.

Liz did the duathlon, biking and running. She did great and won her age group, 19 and under. All of the guys were great with her. They were all like supportive and protective dads for her throughout the race. When they crossed paths with her on the highway, they all yelled out to her how great she was doing. And when they crossed paths with her on the run, George and Sean gave her high fives. And she was waiting at the finish line to cheer each of us on as we finished.

I am so happy to have done this, and with some of my oldest friends. This was a great weekend for the Kennedys, Hipszers and Gaisers.

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Liz – 1st place

Liz being cheered on by the Hipszers

Matt going into transition

Liz at the finish

Me at the finish

Sean at the finish

George at the finish

September 2, 2013
by davekenn Leave a comment

Chip on my shoulder

I have developed a chip on my shoulder about my kids, and I don’t like it. I coach sports and I coach my daughters and my son on a lot of teams.

I think they all have potential to be very successful in sports. They have the talent. At this point in their maturity, Elizabeth has already displayed the desire, work ethic, and love of the game that are necessary. Eden is getting there, and I think she will get there if she continues on the right path.

There is a lot of negativity in our community though directed at our daughters. Not going into specifics, there are many parents that go to many lengths to exclude my daughters from activities and to prop up other kids as more talented than my daughters.

These sorts of things should just naturally work themselves out on fields. Parents and coaches should be supportive of all of the kids in the community, and the cream should naturally rise to the top. It is sad when your own kids are continually denied access to the fields to even try to prove themselves. I often have to fight even to have my kids allowed to participate, and by that point, the negativity towards my kids has even grown greater by those that wish to keep them down.

It is very sad, and not how I had hoped we would raise our children.

July 15, 2013
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Happy anniversary

These 6 kids didn’t come from nowhere! Marcia and I started this party 12 years ago yesterday. So how, do you wonder, did we spend our 12th anniversary? Why, on a field of course!

In the 90+ degree heat, we took all 6 kids to the local high school’s turf field. We played soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. We brought a radio and cranked the tunes. And then we ran field hockey evaluations.

I don’t know if that actually beats me taking Marcia out for a nice date. That would have been really nice too. But we had a good day as a family, and we really enjoyed each other’s company.

Youngest of six with sticks!

July 5, 2013
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Great Day to be a Redshirt

Rock the Fields. Two days of lax. Two Redshirt teams crowned champions. 1 Team won spirit award. 1 Team won dance competition. The story lines were different, but equally impressive.

The 2019/20 team dominated the playing field. In pool play, they beat each of their competitors by more than 10 goals, and some by more than 20. And in the playoffs, none of their games were close. Goalie play was outstanding. Defense was stellar. Ball movement was great. The girls dominated. And they won a championship.

2020 Rock the Fields Champions

The 2021 team dominated their age group in pool play as well, except for one opponent that was evenly matched. MD United East was a pretty good competitor. The Redshirts tied them in pool play, 8-8. And then in the championship, they played the same team. They got down 3-0 at half. Then were down 4-1 with only about 6 minutes left. That is when they mounted an awesome comeback. 4 straight goals, and they won 5-4.

2021 Rock the Fields Champions

May 20, 2013
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Polarizing

There are those that love me. And there are those that hate me (at least in Catonsville there are). I don’t think I’ve done anything to justify either end of the spectrum. But I’m living with the realization of how I am perceived by others, and I go out and do the best job that I can. Because I love it. Coaching that is. I love it.

I love helping kids find the joy in the game. To light the fire inside them that helps them compete. To see them light up when they’ve learned something new, mastered a stick trick, or collectively beat an opponent that was supposed to be better than them. I love breaking it down with them, teaching the mechanics and the concepts, and teaching them to analyze and to figure things out on their own. To build confidence. To believe in themselves. I believe I can help them get there.

Shooting on Coach with water balloons

I’ve coached youth sports for a few years now. I work at it all the time, and I think I am still getting better at it. I’ve coached soccer, field hockey and lacrosse in Catonsville and lacrosse across the state of MD. I’ve coached well over 200 kids in the last few years, most of them in rec programs. In the rec programs, my teams tend to dominate because I teach the kids how to play, they enjoy learning, and they go out and compete against the other kids in their community. And they have fun. Over the years, not many kids miss my practices.

Tyker A Champs

In 2011, I coached the “Bang Bang Bulls”. This was the Tyker A team. We won the Tyker A championship. I should mention that this was the first A league championship that a Catonsville team had won in over 2 decades. What made it sweet for me is that we got crushed at the beginning of the season. We had some close games throughout the season. But by the end of the season, we were beating teams by 10 goals or so, and won the championship in dramatic fashion, scoring a goal with 4 seconds left in the game. The other coaches in the league couldn’t believe how far our team had progressed in one season.

After the season, I was told by the Catonsville lacrosse president that I was not the real deal, and that I was not going to be able to coach these kids the next year. My daughter was subsequently placed on a B team, and I was “allowed” to coach her, but not allowed to be a head coach.

In the same year, I started the Redshirts with my father. I coached a group of 4th graders and entered them in the newly formed NPYGLL, the highest level of competition for girls lacrosse. Since they didn’t have our age group, we played against 5th and 6th grade club teams. These were among the best 5th and 6th grade teams in the country. We went .500. These girls now make up the best players in their age group.

Maryland Club Championships

In 2013, our Redshirts club has grown to 3 teams. Our youngest team dominates in every venue they have played. And our older two teams are rocking as well. I am teaching them about sportsmanship, collective responsibility, and how to be a good teammate. From all over town, parents are asking to get associated with our club, or get involved with our developmental programs. I have also taken on a lot of duties as a board member of the NPYGLL, and the league is doing very well this year and running smoothly.

Yet, in 2013, members of the Catonsville lacrosse board told me that I was “banned for life” from coaching in Catonsville. The VP of the program threatened to have me banned from any field in MD, PA and VA. When I challenged them, they withdrew and gave me a warning; they must have withdrawn because they had no real reason to do this in the first place except that they didn’t like me. Maybe they don’t like that parents want their kids on my teams?! I don’t know. I have heard lies that have been told about me. And some parents have repeated some of the names that they have heard me called. Coaches in Catonsville put the girls on my club teams in tough positions and tell them if they miss a practice for club that they will be put on a B or C team. It is unfortunate. In Catonsville, in 2013, there are only 2 girls lacrosse teams with winning records, the Lightning A team and the Tyker A team. I have coached all but a handful of girls across both teams, over 90% of the girls.

Many people in Catonsville are afraid to associate with me. They saw Sean Bell removed from the Catonsville lax board after sticking up for me. It got many of them scared. Again, unfortunate.

I have friends. Friends that have played at the highest level of their sport. They are a few years behind me with the age of their kids and just getting into coaching them. They look at me and say, “if it ever gets like that, I’m going to stop coaching.”

But, I can’t do it. I see the alternatives. I see the coaches that yell at kids. I see the coaches that get frustrated at 7 and 8 year olds, rip their sunglasses off and throw them down the hill. I see the administrators that run their clubs like a business, not caring about what kids get hurt in the process, so long as they dominate, and/or pad their pockets. I know I can do better. I know I am already doing better. So I stay at it.

Dad and Liz

I’ve only got so many years until my kids are all grown up. This is how I want to spend my time with them.

October 31, 2012
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Sandy is trying to keep us down

As I climb into bed, the blinking lights out front from BGE’s standby man, Larry’s generator humming, and planes flying overhead every 6 minutes, I pause to reflect on the day.

Actually, I should start the tale with yesterday. Sandy dumped a ton of rain on us. We stayed indoors all day. By midday, our back yard and woods were swamps and pools. I had to go outside once or twice to fix the gutters during the afternoon. All in all, we were holding up well.

By the evening, small amounts of water started seeping in the basement. Eden and I stayed ahead of it for a few hours with a wet vac. By 9, it was clear that the ground was saturated and we started to lose the battle with mother nature. The telling sign was when water began bubbling up from cracks in the floor as if from a natural spring. Still we soldiered on. At around 10, Eden was way in the back room when the power went out. She wad a little freaked, but found me in the dark. We all went upstairs and showered and went to bed.

I became a little nervous, so brought Noah and Maggie into bed with us to ride out the storm. In the morning, Marcia cooked eggs and bacon on the gas stove. We assessed the basement … totally flooded.

Rap, rap, rap on the door. Ian and Kerry Rathmell stopped by. Offered us freezer space. Also pointed out why our power was out.

A few more neighbors came by, the Marions and Blair’s. And then we were off to hunt for coffee.

After Starbucks met our craving, we started in on the basement. I will not mention the trips to the hardware store or all the mishaps getting started.

But, by 1:30, we started pumping out the basement, pulling power from Larry’s generator. Eden helped the whole time and Noah and Liz helped as well. By 3:30, we had pumped 1136 gallons of water from the basement. Then we swept the floor clean.

While in the backroom, we came across the Halloween decorations. Got in the mood and decorated. Then got dinner at Chick Fil A.

On the way home, we found out that Liz has a presentation due tomorrow. No power or internet, we went to my office. Didn’t get home til 11:40. We were greeted home by the BGE standby guy and a lot of red caution tape.

It had been a long day. And a challenging one. The things we need to do tomorrow are not reasonable. And the days to prepare for Disney World are slim. But we’re weathering it. And everyone is holding up just fine. No ‘woah is me’ here. Everyone pitching in as a family and not complaining.

For the most part, I can handle this. The only thing wearing on me is the inability to take a hot shower. Gross!

October 31, 2012
by davekenn Leave a comment

Sandy is trying to keep us down

As I climb into bed, the blinking lights out front from BGE’s standby man, Larry’s generator humming, and planes flying overhead every 6 minutes, I pause to reflect on the day.

Rap, rap, rap on the door. Ian and Kerry Rathmell stopped by. Offered us freezer space. Also pointed out why our power was out.

A few more neighbors came by, the Marions and Blair’s. And then we were off to hunt for coffee.

After Starbucks met our craving, we started in on the basement. I will not mention the trips to the hardware store or all the mishaps getting started.

While in the backroom, we came across the Halloween decorations. Got in the mood and decorated. Then got dinner at Chick Fil A.

For the most part, I can handle this. The only thing wearing on me is the inability to take a hot shower. Gross!

Six With Sticks

by Six Kennedy kids and their parents

Category Archives: Dave

There and Back Again: A Big Red Tale

Six with skis

Half marathon with Liz

Bethany Beach Tri

Chip on my shoulder

Happy anniversary

Great Day to be a Redshirt

Polarizing

Sandy is trying to keep us down

Sandy is trying to keep us down