By Kim J. Harmon

M

an, I just LOVE Opening Day (heck, I love the anticipation of opening day). I love sensing all the optimism that surges through players like a sizzling electrical current. I love the drive down to that first game. I love the first serve, the first stroke, the first kick, or the first whistle that moves this whole thing – zap, just like that – from the pre season to the regular season.

The official Opening Day for all Newtown sports was on Wednesday, September 13 – when the field hockey team traveled down to Bethel to take on the Lady Wildcats, and when the cross country teams hosted Immaculate, Jonathan Law and Brookfield at the high school.

I was excited enough about Opening Day that I started checking Weather.com, back on Saturday, for the extended forecast.

And the extended forecast wasn’t so good.

On Sunday, the call was for about a 70% chance of precipitation.

On Monday and even Tuesday, the forecast was downgraded a bit to a 60% chance . . . but Weather.com and AOL weather both agreed that Wednesday would be a day filled with showers.

I was bummed.

It’s a rotten way to start a season – with a rainout.

And when, sometime Tuesday morning (I think the clock said 2:30 am, but it was all blurry and whatnot), I heard the rains outside my bedroom window, I actually thought the weather bozos had it right.

For once.

But then on Wednesday morning the sun popped out around 8:45 am.

The sky turned from a murky gray to a sharp blue.

And I wasn’t bummed anymore.

I’m excited about Opening Day because I can get optimistic, too, just like anyone else. I have my hopes that this team or that team has a shot at a South-West Conference championship or even a state championship and while sometimes I realize it may just be pie-in-the-sky stuff, a lot of times I really believe it.

I_know coach Ken Roberts is trying to temper his enthusiasm about the football team but I think this team can do a major about-face from last year.

The girls’ soccer team has made only slight changes to its roster and after an 11-5-1 season a year ago, can’t another year of experience turn that into, say, 14-2-1?

The swim team wants to bounce back, the boys’ soccer team wants another crack at the SWC title, the volleyball team wants to reach the CIAC_state tournament again, the cross country teams want to maintain their conference dominance.

It’s all possible.

Hey, anything is possible . . . on Opening Day.

That is the great thing about Opening Day. See, no matter what your dreams are, no matter what your hopes are, no matter what your expectations are, every team goes into the season fresh and renewed and excited about the endless possibilities.

Maybe success is just one bounce of the ball away.

Who knows?