Walsh Family Universe V2

Chapter 67
Champions

"Big day, Eagles," Brett announced at breakfast on day twelve. "Inter-camp competition starts at ten. Baseball tournament, swim meet, and overall camp games. This is what we've been training for."

The energy in the dining hall was electric. Boys from all the cabins were hyped up, talking strategy, trash-talking rival camps. Four camps total would be competing: Pine Ridge, Clearwater, Summit Peak, and Ridgeline.

"Walsh, you and Lucas made the all-star baseball team, right?" Garrett asked.

"Yeah. Announcement was yesterday." Ash had been selected as starting shortstop. Lucas was in center field. Out of thirty kids in their age group at Pine Ridge, only twelve had made the team.

"Swim team too," Lucas added. "We're both doing the relay and individual events."

"You guys are going to destroy them," Oliver said confidently.

Coach Peterson stood up at the front of the dining hall. "Gentlemen! Today we show the other camps what Pine Ridge is made of. We compete hard. We compete fair. We support our teammates. And we make this camp proud. Let's go!"

The whole dining hall erupted in cheers.

The baseball tournament was structured as a round-robin—each camp played each other camp once, condensed games to five innings. Pine Ridge's first game was against Clearwater at 10 AM.

The Pine Ridge all-stars gathered in the dugout. Their coach was Ryan, the same counselor who'd been teaching infield skills. He looked at his lineup card.

"Walsh, you're batting third, playing short. Lucas, you're fifth, center field. I'm counting on both of you to set the tone defensively. Make the routine plays, turn the double plays when they're there, and communicate in the outfield."

Ash felt the familiar pre-game buzz. This was bigger than rec league games back home. This was representing Pine Ridge against other camps. Other kids who'd been training all session too.

Clearwater batted first. Their leadoff hitter was fast, got on base with an infield single. Next batter hit a ground ball right to Ash.

He fielded it cleanly, flipped to second for the force, the second baseman relayed to first. Double play. Two outs.

"That's how you do it!" Ryan shouted from the dugout.

The inning ended without Clearwater scoring. Pine Ridge came up to bat.

Their first two batters both got on base—a walk and a single. Ash came up with runners on first and second, one out.

The Clearwater pitcher looked nervous. Ash took two pitches—ball, strike—then got a fastball right down the middle. He drove it into the gap in right-center, both runners scored, Ash ended up on second with a stand-up double.

"Walsh! That's what I'm talking about!"

Lucas came up next. First pitch, he lined a single to right field. Ash scored easily. Pine Ridge up 3-0.

They won that game 8-2. Ash went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and played flawless defense. Lucas made two spectacular catches in center field, going back on deep fly balls that would have been extra-base hits.

Between games, waiting for their next matchup, the team gathered in the shade.

"You guys are good," said one of the younger players—a kid named Elliot who played second base. "Like, really good. Better than anyone on our rec teams."

"You made that double play look easy," another kid added, talking to Ash. "How did you know he was going to hit to you?"

Ash thought about it. "Watched him in the on-deck circle. He was taking practice swings inside, so I cheated a step to my right. Figured he'd pull it."

"That's smart."

"Coach Davis taught us to watch the hitters. You can usually tell where they're going to hit it based on their stance and swing."

Lucas joined them, having grabbed water. "What are we talking about?"

"Walsh was explaining how he knew where to position."

"Oh yeah, he's good at reading hitters. He called that hit in the gap too—told me to shade right before the pitch." Lucas grinned. "We've been working together all week. You get a feel for each other's positioning."

Their second game was against Summit Peak. Tougher competition—Summit Peak had some serious players. The game was tied 2-2 going into the fifth and final inning.

Bottom of the fifth, Summit Peak had runners on first and third with one out. Their best hitter came up—a tall kid who'd already hit two doubles.

Ryan called time, jogged out to the mound to talk to their pitcher. Then he waved Ash over.

"Walsh, we need a double play here. Anything on the ground, turn it. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Take charge of the infield. Position everyone where you need them."

Ash jogged back to short, thought about the situation. "Garrett!" he called to the second baseman (Garrett had made the team as a backup infielder). "Cheat toward second, we need to turn two!"

The pitch came in. Ground ball up the middle—right to Ash. He fielded it, touched second himself, threw to first. Double play. Inning over.

Pine Ridge won 4-2. They were 2-0.

The final game was against Ridgeline for the championship. Both teams undefeated. This one mattered.

It was a pitcher's duel. Through four innings, the score was 0-0. Neither team could get anything going.

Top of the fifth, Ridgeline finally broke through. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out.

Their cleanup hitter stepped up. Ash could see the pitcher was rattled.

"Time!" Ash called, jogging to the mound.

Ryan started to come out, but Ash waved him off. "I got this."

The infield gathered on the mound.

"We're fine," Ash said, looking at their pitcher—a nervous kid named Camden. "You've been throwing great. Don't change anything. Just throw your fastball. Trust your defense. We'll make the plays."

"Bases are loaded—"

"So what? Worst case, they score one run. We can score one run." Ash looked at him directly. "You got this. Just throw strikes."

Camden nodded, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

The infield broke. Ash got back to his position. "Let's go, defense! We got this!"

Camden threw a fastball. The batter made contact—hard ground ball to third base. The third baseman fielded it, threw home, the catcher tagged the runner. Out.

Next batter hit a fly ball to Lucas in center. He caught it easily. Inning over. Still 0-0.

Bottom of the fifth—Pine Ridge's last chance to score.

Ash led off. He worked the count to 3-2, then drew a walk. Lucas came up next.

Ryan gave the signal from the dugout—hit and run.

The pitcher wound up. Ash took off for second. Lucas swung, made contact, lined it into right field. Ash rounded second hard, saw the right fielder bobble the ball slightly, kept running. The throw came in, Ash slid—safe at third.

Runners on first and third, no outs.

The next batter hit a sacrifice fly to left field. Ash tagged up, scored easily. 1-0, Pine Ridge.

They held that lead. Won the championship. The whole team mobbed each other on the field, Ryan was grinning, the other Pine Ridge campers watching from the bleachers were going crazy.

"Walsh!" Ryan grabbed him. "That mound visit. That was leadership. You calmed Camden down, got everyone focused. That's captain material."

"Just trying to help."

"No, that was more than helping. That was taking charge." Ryan looked at him seriously. "You're eleven years old and you just ran the infield like you've been doing it for years. Keep that up and you'll be captain of your middle school team."

The swim meet started at 2 PM. Ash had two events—the 50-meter freestyle and the 4x50 relay.

The 50 free was first. Eight lanes, best swimmer from each cabin's age group. Ash was in lane four.

He stood on the blocks, shook out his arms, focused. The familiar pre-race calm settled over him.

The buzzer sounded. He dove in, hit the water clean, came up stroking hard. Fifty meters wasn't about pacing—it was just pure speed. Push as hard as you could, technique be damned.

He touched the wall. Looked up at the board. Second place, by half a second. The kid from Summit Peak had gotten him.

Coach Dmitri met him at the edge of the pool. "Good swim. Your turn was a little wide—cost you maybe a quarter second. But good swim."

Lucas swam in the next heat. Won his heat by a full body length. His time was faster than Ash's.

"You're faster than me," Ash admitted when Lucas climbed out of the pool.

"On the fifty, yeah. You'd probably beat me at 100 or 200. I'm a sprinter."

The relay was their last event. Pine Ridge versus the other camps, four swimmers per team, each swimming 50 meters.

Ash was swimming third leg. Lucas was anchor.

Their first swimmer dove in, swam hard, touched the wall in second place. The second swimmer maintained position, keeping them in second by a body length.

Ash dove in on the exchange. Pushed as hard as he could. The Summit Peak swimmer was half a length ahead. Ash couldn't quite catch him, but he didn't lose ground either. Touched the wall still in second.

Lucas dove in.

This was where having the fastest sprinter mattered. Lucas was a full second faster than Ash over 50 meters. Two seconds faster than most of the other kids.

Ash watched from the pool edge as Lucas churned through the water. Caught the Summit Peak kid at the 25-meter mark. Passed him at 35 meters. Won by a full body length.

Pine Ridge relay team: first place.

The four of them—Ash, Lucas, and the other two swimmers—celebrated in the pool, splashing each other, grinning like idiots.

"That was amazing!" Lucas shouted. "Walsh, you set me up perfect!"

"You're the one who actually won it!"

"Team effort!"

Coach Dmitri gathered them at the pool edge. "That's what I'm talking about. Each of you swam your hearts out. Walsh and Lucas, you two are the strongest swimmers in your age group. Keep training and you could both swim in high school."

The overall camp games were less formal—tug-of-war, relay races, obstacle courses. Fun competitions that involved whole cabins, not just all-star teams.

The Eagles competed in everything. They came in second in tug-of-war (lost to a cabin of twelve-year-olds who were all bigger). Third in the obstacle course relay. First in the three-legged race (Ash and Lucas, synchronized from weeks of canoeing together).

By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted. Pine Ridge had won the overall competition—most points across all events. The whole camp gathered for an awards ceremony at the campfire pit.

Coach Peterson stood at the front. "Today, Pine Ridge showed what we're made of. Every single one of you contributed. Whether you were competing or cheering from the sidelines, you were part of our victory."

He handed out medals to the all-star teams. Ash got one for baseball, one for the swim relay. Lucas got both plus an individual medal for the 50 free.

"And now," Coach Peterson continued, "I want to recognize a few individuals who showed exceptional leadership today. These are campers who didn't just compete—they lifted up their teammates. Made everyone around them better."

He called up three names from different age groups. Then: "And from the 11-12 group, Noam Walsh from Cabin 7, the Eagles."

Ash walked up to the front, surprised.

"Walsh showed leadership on the baseball field today," Coach Peterson said. "In a critical moment, he took charge of his team. Calmed down a nervous pitcher. Organized his infield. And helped lead Pine Ridge to a championship. This is the kind of leadership we want to see—not about being the best player, but about making your whole team better."

He handed Ash a special medal—different from the others, with "Leadership Award" engraved on it.

The whole camp applauded. Ash walked back to where the Eagles were sitting, feeling his face heat up.

"Dude!" Garrett grabbed him. "You got a leadership medal!"

"Told you you're captain material," Lucas said, grinning.

Brett clapped him on the shoulder. "Proud of you, Walsh. You earned that."

That night, after the campfire and the celebration, the Eagles were in their cabin winding down. Tomorrow was their last full day. Day after that, parents would pick them up.

Ash was on his top bunk, looking at the medals he'd won. Three of them. Plus the leadership one.

"Hey Walsh?" Lucas called from his bunk.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come up there for a minute?"

"Sure."

Lucas climbed up, sat at the foot of Ash's bunk. "I wanted to say something."

"Okay."

"This camp—these two weeks—they've been really good. Like, some of the best weeks I've had." Lucas was being unusually serious. "And a lot of that is because of you. Like, we became friends fast. We work well together—baseball, swimming, canoeing, all of it. And you push me to be better. Not in a competitive way, just... you're good at stuff, so I want to be good too."

Ash wasn't sure what to say. "Same, honestly. You're the best competitor I've ever had. Makes me better."

"Yeah, but it's more than that." Lucas looked at his hands. "I don't usually make friends this fast. Like, I have friends at home, but they're just... there. We hang out because we're on the same team or in the same class. But with you, it feels different. Like we actually get each other."

"We do."

"So I'm glad you're here. And I'm sad we're leaving in two days. Because I don't know when I'll see you again." Lucas looked up. "Do you think we could stay in touch? Like, actually stay in touch, not just say we will and then forget?"

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Good." Lucas grinned, some of the seriousness lifting. "Because someone needs to remind you that I'm faster than you at the 50 free."

"By half a second."

"Still counts."

After Lucas climbed back down to his own bunk, Ash lay there thinking.

He'd had friends before. Marcus and Tyler and Daniel back home. Good friends, built over years.

But Lucas was different. They'd known each other less than two weeks, but it felt like longer. They understood each other in a way that didn't require explanation. Both athletes. Both competitive but not in a way that damaged the friendship. Both more than just their sports.

This was what bromance felt like, Ash realized. Not romantic, not quite brotherly, but something in between. The kind of friendship where you pushed each other to be better, trusted each other completely, and didn't have to explain yourself.

He'd never had that before. In either life.

In his previous life, friendships had been surface-level at best. He'd been too closed off, too focused on hiding who he was, too disconnected from everyone.

Now, as Noam, he'd built friendships. But they'd all been gradual—years of school and sports teams and shared experiences.

This thing with Lucas had happened fast. Intense. Two weeks of living together, competing together, supporting each other. It was concentrated friendship, distilled to its essence.

And it was good. Really good.

Around the cabin, boys were settling down. Garrett was already asleep, snoring softly. Oliver was reading by flashlight. Kevin and Max were whispering to each other.

Brett poked his head up from his counselor bunk in the corner. "Lights out in ten, Eagles. Big day tomorrow—last full day of camp activities. Make it count."

"Hey Brett?" Ash said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For everything this session. You're a really good counselor."

Brett smiled. "Thanks, Walsh. You guys are a really good cabin. Best one I've had in three summers of doing this."

After lights out, Ash lay awake a bit longer than usual, thinking about the day.

The baseball championship. The mound visit where he'd taken charge without thinking about it. Ryan calling him captain material.

The swim relay. Working perfectly with Lucas, setting him up for that anchor leg victory.

The leadership medal. Recognition not for being the best, but for making his team better.

Lucas climbing up to his bunk to tell him their friendship mattered.

Two weeks ago, he'd been terrified of coming here. Scared of being away from home, of not fitting in, of failing at new things.

Now he was leaving with medals, with friendships, with confidence he hadn't known he had.

With proof that he could lead. Could be trusted. Could make a difference to a team beyond just his individual performance.

"My name is Ash," he whispered to the darkness. "I'm thirty-three years old. I'm eleven years old. Today I won a baseball championship and led my team through a critical moment. Today I swam my heart out and helped win a relay. Today I got a leadership medal for making my team better. Today Lucas told me our friendship matters and I realized I have a best friend at camp."

He paused.

"Today I became someone I didn't know I could be."

Four thousand, seven hundred and one days to go.

But tomorrow: last full day at Pine Ridge. One more day to be this version of himself—confident, capable, a leader.

One more day with Lucas and the Eagles and this temporary family he'd built.

And then he'd go home. Back to being the youngest Walsh child. Back to his regular life.

But he'd go home different than he'd arrived. Stronger. More confident. With proof that he could handle being away from family. That he could lead. That he could forge deep friendships in a short time.

That he was more than he'd known.

He fell asleep smiling, the leadership medal on the small shelf by his bunk, Lucas breathing quietly in the bunk across from him, surrounded by boys who'd become brothers in two short weeks.

Growing up, one championship at a time.