I did write several what-ifs during our annual sports week.
Some context: In the school I attended in from grade school to high school, there are four teams: Blue Sharks, Red Tigers, Green Hawks, and Yellow Panthers. Students from Grade 1 to Senior Year are randomly assigned to each team. I was in the Blue Sharks team from 2004 to 2013 (the year I graduated from high school).
2005 saw the first time there were dual overall champions: Blue Sharks and Green Hawks. Then in 2006, another dual overall champions occurred with Blue Sharks and Yellow Panthers.
In 2013, Green Hawks won cheerdance, taking the title of Blue Sharks which held it since 2010. Since Green Hawks won the Cheerdance, it caused them to win the overall championship by a mere 20-point difference. I remember some of my teammates felt a bit bitter initially after losing that tile. Some even said "If I only put more effort on X, etc."
Another POD that time was during Tug-of-War. Blue Sharks almost won against Green Hawks (who held the title since 2008) but many players committed the mistake by leaving the rope even before the referees blew the whistle. It was all captured on stills seeing the Blue players walk away thinking they won. Because of the lack of resistance, the Green team was able to retaliate, thus defending their title once more. It would only be in 2017 when they would be toppled down for good in Tug-of-War.
Now the case of 2015 was interesting. On the morning of the last day, February 13, 2015, Blue Sharks and Green Hawks were tied on the overall ranking. Current students that time and the visiting alumni were surprised at the initial results of that morning. The last time I tied occurred was in 2006!
Now the game was set. The final showdown was always the cheer dance. All four teams fought well and hard. Yellow Panthers won the cheer dance competition but it did not pull them up. Yellow team ended up being the fourth place in the overall ratings. So when it came to the final showdown, the MC announced that the difference between the 2nd place and the champion was a mere one point! Yes, you've read that right: one point! Everyone from the students, the alumni, the visitors, and the parents who were viewing that time stood their ground and bit their nails anxiously on who could that winning team be.
And it turned out to be the Green Team, defending their championship title (2014 season was cancelled due to the days lost in the 2013 Bohol Earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan).
So some of my former team mates pondered if they only they performed a much better dance, Blue Sharks would have had the possibility not to be 3rd place during the cheer dance competition. Had Blue team placed a bit higher than 3rd place in that category, there's a chance that Blue would have been the overall champion for 2015.
Despite that, celebrations ran and the losers greeted and congratulated Green Hawks for the very, very close competition. In the end, February 13, 2015 turned out to be the most thrilling sports week ever. Even more thrilling than the tie-breakers of 2005 and 2006. It was one for the books.
