...you’re wrong. Sometimes in the process of managing an organization, particularly one that has grown as fast as DCKickball, decisions get made that seem right at the time. This summer has probably been the most difficult summer I can remember going through, starting with our insane registration period (2 weeks of which I was overseas attending a friend’s wedding) which saw us grow to 5 divisions and 66 teams spread out over Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

One of the goals that I had for DCKickball this summer was to raise money for our Legal Defense Fund. The urgency that I felt was different from last summer, now that the likely date for trial (November) was looming. I can’t explain exactly how I felt, except that I felt that DCKickball was facing an existential crisis, and that a failure to vigorously support and league’s fundraising efforts could lead to a poor result in court, and thus the end of DCKickball. Sounds dramatic, right? But it’s how I felt (and still feel, to some extent). This kind of mind set has colored and distorted my normal interactions with scores of people and organizations.

In addition to this, I have been dealing with some pretty enormous changes, first and foremost an impending move to Austin, TX for graduate school. Planning the move, finding a place to live, applying for financial aid are just the tip of the iceberg. Planning and promoting the DCKickball Summer 2007 Open has been more work than I anticipated. Bottom line: I stretched myself way too thin.

Much of this culminated with an argument I had with the Board of the Adams Morgan division. I don’t think the details are important. It boiled down to the difference between what (I thought) was best for the league and what (they thought) was best for the division. In the end, I felt that I made a decision to take over the responsibilities of the Board, feeling that the ends (what I thought was best for the League) justified the means.

The ends never justify the means. I made a mistake and hurt people that I had considered friends. I am prepared to accept whatever the consequences are for how I treated Sarah, John, Kim, Earl and Mike. I’m truly sorry about what happened. I think this can be a growing experience for DCKickball, and it makes us a better organization down the line.