VAFA Premier B Section – Williamstown CYMS FC: The Ladder

 

 

Did you ever have the dream in which you were climbing a never-ending ladder, hand over hand, rung over rung, upwards into infinity? I did, because the concept of the ladder, and its pervasive influence in our lives, has always intrigued me.

 

It is drilled into us early: the idea that, by climbing the ladder, wisdom and wonder will await us. Fairy-tales and children’s literature abound with references to ladders and ladder-like structures, such as Jack’s beanstalk. Especially memorable for me is the ladder which sat atop of Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree and led to mystical lands. Our introduction to the game of Snakes and Ladders subconsciously furthers this idea that ladders are enablers of our reaching our destination more rapidly. Snakes and Ladders also eerily propagates the myth that snakes are bad (although we might already know that if we are aware of the story of the Garden of Eden).

 

In religion and mythology, there is an all-encompassing notion that ascending brings us closer to God. One of the most debated ladders is the one of which Jacob dreamt – a ladder which led to heaven and upon which angels climbed. But of course, with this notion comes the converse logic – that our sins, depending on their magnitude, will result in us descending into hell. In a practical and physical sense, a ladder is a tool which allows us better access or indeed affords us a better view of the world. In business, the ‘corporate ladder’ is to be climbed in order to further one’s career.

 

The ladder really comes into its own in sports. It is a reference point, a measure of performance. “Where does your team sit on the ladder?” On the precipice of the 2021 season, we at the CYs find ourselves in Premier B Grade. We have climbed a number of rungs through the lower grades of the VAFA to find ourselves in this most rarefied of air.

 

When recalling our own playing experiences, many of us past players maintain a mixture of bemusement and wonder that our club could have attained these lofty heights. But we are also excited that we will witness our club competing in a grade which we never in our wildest dreams thought possible. And we are proud to have played a small part in laying the foundations for the current playing group. Who knows how much farther we will ascend?

 

But of course, it is one thing to climb the ladder. In some ways, the climb is the easy part of the equation. It is another thing entirely to hold one’s ground and maintain one’s place in the pecking order. For there are so many others who are aspiring to make the climb and usurp our position.

 

May we keep reaching for the next rung. And may we not lose focus by peering downwards in wonder at how far we have climbed.

 

The Tigers (Covid) Almanac 2020 will be published in 2021. It will have all the usual features – a game by game account of the Tigers season – and will also include some of the best Almanac writing from the Covid winter.  Pre-order HERE

 

 

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