How the Panthers stole the tournament

Commentary

Every Saluki down in Carbondale was used to losing a lot,
But the Panthers, who lived just north of Carbondale, were
not.

The Panthers hated losing - the whole concept of loss,
Especially Bobbi Peterson, the big Panther boss.
Perhaps she was obsessed with the concept of might.
It could be perhaps, that her shoes were too tight.
But I think the most likely reason of all,
Was her hatred of letting the volleyball fall.

But whatever the cause,
Be it ego or disdain for gravitational laws,
The Panthers stood in Peoria, hating SIU,
Whom they knew had absolutely nothing to lose

The Salukis stood content, not needing to worry,
For them, Christmas had already come early
They beat SMS and had done it in style,
And it was enough to keep the team wearing perpetual
smiles.

"Look at them smiling!" the Panthers said in their midst.
Have they no idea what they are up against?
We are the Panthers with a national ranking,
Who twice left this team spinning, meandering and lanking.
If they are smiling perhaps they may show,
Something about them we do not yet know

The Salukis, unfazed, bumped, spiked and set,
Not nervous of the cameras from Fox Sports Net.
For SIU knew without any regret,
Sunday would be a day it would never forget

This irritated the Panthers and left them riling.
How could the Salukis possibly be smiling?
Someone would have to teach them a lesson,
And make them wish they had never messed with them.

Then they got an idea!
An awful idea!
The Panthers got an awful and rather obvious idea!

"I know just what to do," said Kim Kester with a smuckle.
We shall make them cringe, dive, toil and buckle.
We'll make them sad while we we're in euphoria -
They'll wish they had never stepped foot in Peoria!

All we need to do is be us.
We'll serve tough, play D and render theirs useless,
They'll wander the court like decapitated roosters!
We'll crash the net and spike on their heads,
They should have stayed in their Carbondale beds!

So, without a pause they administered the slaughter,
Turning Saluki defenders into mere cannon fodder.
Defense! Defense! Cried Britten Follett's father.
They dove after balls as if riding toboggans.
They made the Salukis fall hard on their noggins.

They continued attacking like a psychotic leopard.
They put the ball past Kemner and Lindsey and Shephard.
The Panthers continued with unmatched tenacity
And showed SIU did not share their talent capacity.

By the end of the match, the results were not pretty,
Though the Salukis played heartful, soulful and gritty.
They had left all that they had out on the floor,
Yet were badly outscored, 90-64.

"This will be it!" said Jill Arganbright with a grin.
"They'll be depressed and start to rot from within.
The buzzards of failure will peck out their eyes,
And I intend to watch with the utmost delight!"

But as she peered over the net to bask in sadistic delight,
She came across a very unusual sight.
Instead of a team dejected and wanting to flee,
The Panthers saw a team rejoicing with glee,
Making them think, "Now, how can this be!"

They smile without a win or a tournament berth!
They smile without winning to validate self-worth!
They smile with purpose and meaning and girth!

The Panthers stood sunned on the cold wooden floor.
"Maybe Christmas," they thought, "Doesn't come from a store."
But beside that they thought thoughts they hadn't before.
They realized that winning is not always shown in the score.

And what happened then...?
Well ... in Peoria they say
That the Panthers appreciation for underdogs grew three sizes that day.
And as soon as coach Pederson saw the light,
She chuckled and smiled with subtle delight.
She walked over to congratulate the Salukis on a performance grand
And she...
She herself...
Bobbi Pederson shook Sonya Locke's hand

Michael is a junior in journalism. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.