Dog Springs at the Ball! UFLI Foundations Lesson 99

Vic stands on his porch with his hands on his hips and a grin so big his face can not hold it. 'I have the best thing to show the class!' he calls down. 'Come inside and see!' We run up the path. Dog stays in the grass. Dog is in no rush.

Vic kneels by a big trunk and runs his hands over the top. The wall is full of frames and prizes. Cups stand in rows. 'Are all of those from big games?' one kid asks. Vic just grins and reaches deep into the trunk. Dog pushes in past our legs to get a look.

Vic pulls out a big white ball and holds it high above his head. 'This,' he says, 'is a ball for a new game. It was the best of all games when I was a kid. Now I will teach the class how to play!' All eyes go wide. All hands shoot up. All the kids want to grab that ball.

Vic sets a small court on the table. It has a tiny net, small players, and a tiny ball as small as a dot. 'Two teams,' Vic says, and points. 'Hit the ball back and forth over the net. Win the most games, and be the champ!' He says 'champ' like it is the best word in the world. We all lean in.

Vic holds up photographs of the game. In one, a player jumps high to hit the ball. In the next, a player crouches low to scoop it up. In the last one, a player sends it over the net while the other team just looks. 'If the ball lands in the right spot, that is a score,' Vic says. 'The hard part? No feet!' 'No feet?' we all say. 'No feet.'

Vic holds up a chart of the court. A line of dots shows the ball on its way to an empty spot where no one stands. 'See that gap?' he says. 'Aim for it. Hit it where they are not. That is how a team wins.' He sets the chart down. It sounds like a hard task. But when Vic talks, sports feel like the best thing in the world.

Dog finds photographs on the floor and looks at them one by one. The top one shows a player on a beach. He dives in the sand to reach a ball. Dog's tail wags like mad. Sand! A ball up in the sky! A big dive to catch it! This is not just a people sport. This is a dog sport. Dog just knows it.

Vic sets a big map on the floor and points at spots all over the world. 'A team does not need a grand court,' he says. 'Just a net and a patch of flat grass!' Dog rolls on his back right in the middle of the map and wiggles. His tail thumps the floor. The kid in glasses grins. Dog has his patch of flat grass.

Tim looks up with a shy smile. 'What if I am no good?' he asks. Vic bends down and pats Tim on the head. 'Tim, no kid has to be the best. Just get out and try. That is what champs do.' Dog presses against Tim's side and nudges his hand with his nose. Tim giggles. 'I think Dog wants to try too.' 'Dog,' says Vic, 'does not even have hands.'

Coach Vic marches out to the yard, and we follow in a line like troops. Dog trots along at the back. His ears bounce with each step. Vic shows us how to hit, how to pass, how to serve. Then he tosses the ball up and smashes it so hard it sails far across the yard. 'Class,' he says, 'starts now.'

We find spots by the net and get to work. One kid tosses the ball up. Another kid reaches high and sends it over the net. 'Yes! Like that!' Vic shouts, hands on his hips. Dog crouches low in the middle of the kids, eyes on the ball, ready to spring. No one sees him. No one but Vic. 'Dog,' Vic calls. 'Paws down.'

Too late. Dog snatches the ball as it comes down and hugs it tight with both paws. He presses his nose into it like it is the best prize ever. That ball is almost as big as Dog. He will not give it back. 'Paws off the ball!' all the kids yell. Dog just wags his tail. No feet? Fine. Dog has four very good paws.