The Cowgirl and the Coach: A Somewhat Modern Fairy Tale

If you have read our bio for Big Little Meals you know that Ann and I didn’t know each other very long before I proposed and she accepted and we flew out to Colorado to break the news to her parents whom I had yet to meet.  What you don’t know is that when I walked into her parents’ home in Fort Collins I discovered that “kick the can” was not the only athletic activity she pursued when younger.  The shelves in the house were filled with trophies topped with gold replicas of quarter horses. 

Wow.  It turned out that I was engaged to a closet Annie Oakley. She claimed that she had left that “detail” of her past unspoken because she feared it would appear to be less than feminine and may have been a “turn off” for me.   Au contraire, I was even more smitten with this mysterious Colorado woman.

Chino High Water Polo Team, spring 1966

Chino High Swim Team, fall 1967

I, on the other hand, withheld (almost) none of my athletic prowess-ness from her.  One of the first things I blurted out when we met was that I was the coach of the Chino High School Cowboys swim and water polo teams.  So, when she invited me to hang out at her apartment complex’s pool for the first time I just had to display my athleticism by churning out 15 laps.  How cool can one get?  Unfortunately,  as soon as I got out of the pool I barfed up my lunch.  Not so cool.  But that’s water under the bridge (so to speak).  I will fill you in on more of the water under that bridge in a future blog (if I get the courage to share some of the highlights of my high school jock life).

As folks our age are wont to do, Ann and I recently did some culling of the stuff we have accumulated over the years.  I came across a box with the remnants of Ann’s horsey past in our basement storage area –  a gaggle of ribbons.  She said toss them.  It was hard for me to do that.  I just had to take a photo and share them with someone.  She certainly wasn’t about to brag about herself, so I am stepping in and doing it for her. 

I suppose there is some irony to think that a pseudo Chino High School “Cowboy” like me would end up with an authentic Colorado cowgirl.  But irony aside, is has been a good ride.  Happy trails!