Flatball Radio | Chase Sparling-Beckley – “The Things We Don’t Say”
by | July 20, 2015, 10:22am 0
If there was a real life version of the Hunger Games, I’m pretty confident Chase would win it. The guy comes out victorious in almost everything he does. Chase has won a youth, college, co-ed, club and world championship. If you’ve ever shared a field with him this won’t come as a surprise. The consummate teammate, Chase gives the best huddle speeches in the business, picks you up on the sideline and makes massive plays. He also kicks up his feet and cracks a brew with the best of them. His towering personality is well contrasted with an incredibly kind disposition. His leadership was a major asset during our Flatball workshopping sessions. He wrote the group an e-mail after the first meeting, talking about how raw he felt from sharing such intimate stories. He affirmed that this feeling was okay and he encouraged us to continue our work in that spirit.
I was recently interviewed by NPR about Flatball Radio and one of the questions they asked was, “Did you know Chase was a crier before this project?” The interviewer obviously picked up on the fact that Chase was a titan in our sport and clearly commanded respect amongst all his peers. She was interested in how such a strong leader was able to be so naked with his feelings. I told her that Chase’s emotion didn’t take me by surprise, as I’d spent a season playing with him in 2012. Despite not being a captain, Chase was a dominant voice on that Rhino team and his words echoed throughout every huddle. After the final game our season, eliminating us at Nationals, our team gathered arm in arm. Everyone looked to Chase to deliver some final thoughts on our season. Chase’s voice cracked as he said, “I’m not good at this part.”
More about Chase: National team player and coach. World, Club, College, High School and Mixed champion. Best huddle speeches in the business. An all time great.
Photo by Gene Buonaccorsi — www.eugenebuonaccorsi.com
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