Bench Goal

I slipped through the front gate and jogged along the sidewalk pavers straight to the neighborhood park to stretch my legs. Right in the open grass, I spotted a scuffed neon-yellow tennis ball nestled between two clover patches. It was practically the size of my torso, which made it the ultimate kickoff challenge. I backed up two steps, sized up the narrow goal between the bench's cast-iron legs, and charged in. With a sharp tap from my sneaker, I sent it rolling across the lawn, darted ahead to steer it around a stray pinecone, and drilled a clean strike right through the iron posts. Goal scored, first try!

1 Nauk