Tribute for the Torchbearers
The following is an editorial submission and does not directly reflect the collective opinion of all FMFC supporters who align themselves with the mission of The Flock (though it would be cooler if it did).
Words: Andrew Schmidt • Photos: Justin Nuoffer and Chris Norris
The past year has been hard for everyone. I count myself among the fortunate and privileged who've been able to work from home, able to stay home with my long-suffering wife who's put up with my cabin fever and wall-climbing, able to see friends occasionally (in outdoor settings) who acted with good sense and respect for masking and distancing guidelines. Fortunate to get vaccinated, to not see people close to me get sick and die from COVID-19.
2020 was tough for FMFC, was tough for The Flock, but in the grand scheme of things we'll be fine. The work continued behind the scenes, and through the skeleton crew who stuck around and stayed engaged, we continued to work in our community. We raised funds for local food pantries, local Black businesses and social justice orgs, explosion relief in Beirut, hurricane relief in Honduras, and put in volunteer hours in a community garden project to battle food insecurity in our city (to name a few). The stewards and executors of this work bore the torch of our mission through some very dark times. And for many (myself included), without matchdays as the reward, it's been exhausting at points, but not without hope.
Those aforementioned torchbearers -- on the club side as well as the Flock side -- got their chance this past Saturday to rekindle that light in a reduced-capacity Breese Stevens Field.
•Soliloquy•
As the national war anthem faded shortly before kickoff, I took my place with the jam block in the front row of the drum well in the vaccinated portion of the Flock End stand. I got the nod from Kyle at the iron pulpit for everyone to start the Sha-La-Las, a tradition passed to us by our friends in TNE and adapted for our club, though normally done outside the gates. I ducked down almost to a kneel with the rest of the 32oz beer-swilling congregation to quietly mouth what felt like some ancient holy language I hadn't spoken in ages, a prayer we all spoke in tongues together, the only distinguishable real words the sounds of the letters: "F - M - F - C".
As the third round of divine petitions left our lungs I took it all in as I looked around to see the glassy eyes and nodding heads of my song-stirring & rhythmic compatriots: Steve, Omar, Kelly, Jonny, Brock, and Miguel. We were back. The emotions of the moment possessed me like some celestial spirit and breathed life back into me I hadn't felt since the last true home game, some 601 days prior. As calmly as I could, (through guttural growls in my elevated state) I reminded this Flock of true believers their solemn duty to let the positivity flow through them and let our sporting ambassadors hear them, so that they might be lifted by our energy.
As the fourth round and last measure hit and I counted the final 4 notes off on the jam block, a huge grin adorned my face that I don't recall leaving until I very sorely laid my head down to rest much later that evening. And when the drums finally hit on the chorus and the soft-spoken utterings from this low-laden choir of flamingo faithful transformed into fits and shouts of joy and gyration, it was as if the past 14 months faded away. The fire burned bright once more. The passion, the unmitigated elation, it was there all along, we just had to find it within ourselves and within each other, together.
Those torchbearers who led us through the dark times of this past year re-lit that flame on Saturday just before kickoff and as our captain put it, lit a powder keg whose wick burned down to its base with a Derek Gebhard strike in the 92nd minute and the collective grief and fear from 2020 burst through the barrier wall, as showers of grain soda rained down upon us all.
And to think, it would only be another 10 days until we get to do it all again.
Andrew Schmidt is a co-founder of The Flock, and its President since the 2019 season. He enjoys cold beverages, loud music, and smiling on special occasions. You can find him on Twitter, ranting and raving about who knows what on any given day.
