“Is it the moment or the memories?”
Harvard High School athletic director Barry Gurvey posed that question while watching training camp practice from the bleachers Wednesday morning as the school’s first-year flag football team — a team the school had to fight for two years to start — sat three rows in front of him.
Gurvey, a lifelong Bears fan, understood the gravity of the moment he and the team found themselves in. They were exclusively invited to Halas Hall to watch their hometown NFL team practice, meet current players and help celebrate their historic milestone of launching a girls flag football team.
Sure, the dozen girls in attendance woke up before the sun rose, met at school for a 6 a.m. bus ride and made the hour-long trip east to Lake Forest, so they knew the invite held weight. But at 9:00 a.m., just 30 minutes into practice, Gurvey could tell the coaches in attendance were a little more excited about watching the Bears than the girls.
For the adults, it was about appreciating the moment while it was happening. Gurvey knew that for the girls, the memories of the day would ultimately be more important. And while it’s likely true that the memories will resonate more for the girls days, months or even years from now, the moment did hit them right after practice ended.
For lifelong best friends and incoming freshmen Melanie Herera and Mercedes Murales, the moment quickly became, in their words, “wonderful,” “magical” and “exciting.”
Not only did Murales and Herera meet Bears players such as linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, their athlete ambassador, receiver Rome Odunze and safety Jonathan Owens, and receive a surprise gift of Nike cleats from Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren and his wife, Greta, they shared those experiences together.