Retirement announcement

This week, 3 members of the JaxSpikers team announced their decision to go on a temporary vacation(alternatively used word - retirement) for a period ranging from 3 months to 6 months.

Thomas - 6 months
Madhu - 6 months
Sujit - 3 months or upto when winter prevents him from playing tennis/ outdoor games

Although the announcement(according to the 3 players) has been a long pending one, some team members were surprised and expressed their earnest desire to cajole the (vacationing/ retiring) members to reconsider. Initial responses from these 3 members were very clear and without mincing words, they expressed their determination to proceed on vacation.

Sports analysts from coast to coast have been split over their predictions, although the majority believe that this announcement has no impact whatsoever on the future of the JaxSpikers or to the sport itself in Florida. They base their predictions on the following facts
-- The retiring players are not members of the jaxSpikers "playing" team.
( JaxSpikers A team is the tournament playing division of the team and not to sound condescending, but the 3 retiring players are essentially members of the JaxSpikers "B" team)
-- Their(retiring players) performance in the last season had left much to be desired and this break would provide them the much needed opportunity to reminiscence over their mistakes and approach the next season with a refreshed outlook
-- The jaxSpikers now constitute( A and B team combined) about 14 players and even with 3 players unavailable for practice, jaxSpikers A team would still have a full team to spar against in practice sessions

On the other hand, some of Jacksonville's other volleyball aficionados, Naysayers to the above observations, believe that
-- these 3 senior members of the team, who were also organisers of the weekly practice sessions, were instrumental in coordinating and ensuring the attendance of all players and
-- the poor performance of the last season ( losses in the Onam Competition, North- South match, Gandhi tournament and in case of Madhu and Sujit, the First Coast YMCA games) are the only reason why they have decided to take this break. They feel that these players do not have to accept responsibility for the team's poor performance.

So, as the debate rages on, Volleyball enthusiasts, especially from the First Coast watch on eagerly as the events following this "retirement" announcement slowly unfold. There is anticipation in the air, there is expectation too, but as the minutes swing by comes the realisation that "Time and Tide wait for no man" (or in this case, men).

Thanks

Sujit

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