Chapter 26 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

After the final, the field did not turn into paradise. The paint is peeling, the roof is still leaking, and the scoreboard needs new circuitry. But the council has enough data to review the plan. Mr. Vinh invited the team to an open meeting, with representatives of students, teachers and parents. Ms. Hanh asked not to use the victory to force everyone to agree; The yard needs to be evaluated over the entire operating season.

An presented the number of open days, number of classes participating, fundraising costs and closures for safety. Tran gave the minutes, Phong gave the technical diagram, Mai Chi gave the free sports class schedule. Nhien said the plan is to have a replacement and commit to training. Vy presented a play corner for young children. Bap did not speak, only distributed a summary with the consent of those who appeared.

One parent asked if the girls' team no longer won the championship, would the field be demolished? Ms. Hanh replied that the field should not depend on one season's performance. An added that the win helps more people see the field, but the goal is to create sustainable activity. Mr. Vinh recorded this sentence.

The council proposed keeping the field, repairing the roof and moving the parking lot to the back lot, but needed to partially reduce the area of the stands. The team didn't like that option, but Nhien said they had to consider other field users. They proposed designing folding stands, keeping emergency vehicle access and adding tool storage. Phong and the technician will redraw together.

Thu Ha sent an anonymous letter confirming that she agreed to let the story about the right to compete be kept in sports education records and not published in the media. An read the letter in front of the team, then put the original in a locked cabinet. They don't need to turn Ha into a symbol. The fact that she was asked and decided was different enough from ten years ago.

The meeting concluded with a one-year trial agreement. The yard is kept, but each month a safety and activity report is required. Bap asked if that meant they still had to do it forever. Tran said no one promised "forever", only promised to check and discuss when necessary. An finds conditional promises to be sometimes more trustworthy than absolute promises.

After the meeting, the team read each clause. The yard is for public use, but the school has the right to close it during maintenance. Weekend schedules must be public, rental fees must have a reduced rate, and audience images must not be automatically posted. Nhien asked what if the new person doesn't know the rules. Ms. Hanh asked for a summary sheet at the door and a person on duty to explain.

Mr. Vinh proposed installing security cameras at the gate. Bap was worried that the camera might film the wrong player. Tran asked the location, time it was saved and who has the right to see it. The meeting lasted longer. Finally, the camera only points at the gate and warehouse, not the yard, data is saved according to school regulations. An recorded the conditions in the appendix. She understands that protecting the yard does not mean sacrificing all privacy rights.

Phong and the technician started repairing the roof. They set up fences, posted warnings and announced closing times. A group of students complained about not being able to play, but the team explained the schedule. Nhien suggested inviting them to help paint the new board. Those who want can participate, those who don't just need to wait. Ten students stayed, three went back to study. Both options are noted.

An submits the handover plan. She marked the part she was still in charge of until the recruitment, the part Mai Chi received, the part Nhien supervised and the part Phong worked with the school. Tran asked each person to confirm with a signature. After signing, he asked what if he forgot. Tran responded early and did not hide it. Bap said he would stick a reminder on his forehead.

In the evening, An sent the report to Thu Ha to view anonymously. Ha replied that there was no need to correct her, just a message that the team retaining her rights made her want to return to stand on the field one day. An does not promise to organize a big event. She said that when Ha is ready, the stadium will have a way to welcome her without forcing her to recount the old match.

An gave the report to the council on Monday morning. Someone asked why the old story part is shorter than the operating part. An answered because they were only allowed to use part of the information, and the team did not want to fill in the gaps with speculation. Ms. Hanh said that a good report must know the length of what you are certain of. Mr. Vinh noted, not asking for more drama.

The school announced that it would try opening the stadium for a year. The open schedule is posted on the door, there is a QR for people who want to register, but there is still a way to write on paper. Phong checks the temporary ramp, Tran checks the mailbox, Bap checks the instruction board. Nhien asked who would read the monthly comments. The school board appoints a teacher and a student representative, there is no default team leader.

The team had their first practice session after the decision. Some people came because they heard the field was being kept, some came because they wanted to play. An did not give a long speech; she just pointed to the rule sheet. One person asked what to do if you don't like filming. Storing the machine. One friend asked if it hurts, who decides? Ms. Hanh said sick people have the right to report, and the person on duty has the right to stop operations. The answer did not cause applause, but it did make a few people stay.

Thu Ha sent a message that she wanted to visit the yard on a day without events. An asked her to choose a time with few people and not notify the whole school in advance. Ha thanked her and said she just wanted to sit in the far row. Nhien asked if there was any need to prepare anything. An said just leave one chair unobstructed. They marked places, not names.

At the end of the month, the report includes the number of hours the yard was unused due to rain and the number of requests to withdraw images. One council member said those numbers make the project less beautiful. Pearl replied that data had no duty to beautify. Mr. Vinh looked and said real information helped correct the plan. An saw them starting to argue in the same language.

The panel asked whether the user had read the report. Tran recommends the summary at the door, the full version in the library, and how to ask for explanations. No one has to read it all to use the yard. Bap designed a summary sheet with three numbers and three things to do next month. Huyen tried reading it and said the words in Baps were a bit small. Bap repaired it.

A person requested to delete a photo sent to a shared mailbox by mistake. Tran does not forward, notes the code and deletes it after confirmation. Bap asked if he needed to notify the council. Ms. Hanh said to report the quantity, not the content or identity. An understood that reports also have their own limitations, they are not the place to dump all information.

Phong recommends buying a waterproof case for the handwritten scoreboard. Lack of funds, so the team tried using old boxes and locked bags. The technician checked and agreed to use it temporarily for two weeks. Tran clearly states the deadline for replacement, does not call the temporary solution the final solution. Mr. Vinh approved the new purchase in the yard repair budget.

Nhien returned to the field with pain level two. She does not compete, but teaches people on duty how to recognize fatigue. A friend asked Nhien if she was sad that the team continued without her. Nhien replied that she was sad, but that was a sign that the team had grown up. An stood next to her, not interrupting.

Mai Chi said she was allowed by the coach to take a day off to return to the field. She didn't want people to see it as a sacrifice. She just missed the team and wanted to attend a session. An said everyone will schedule like any other user. Mai Chi agrees, laughing because being fair sometimes means not being given priority.

Later in the month, the council extended the trial for another three months. No one celebrated loudly. They record the date of the next review, the person in charge, and the criteria. Bap said the yard has a longer appointment schedule than him. Tran replied that the schedule can be canceled, so don't forget to work.

To prepare for the assessment, An asked each person to write a page about something they didn't know. Phong wrote about the electrical load when turning on the lights at the same time. Tran writes about how to read data without exaggeration. Bap writes about privacy in the video. Huyen wrote three lines then crossed them out, finally writing: "I don't know how to make new people less shy." Ms. Hanh said that was a good enough question to start with.

They tried a new arrival without the whistle blowing. Participants can choose to stand outside, take a lap or touch the ball. An only said the rules when asked. A male friend wanted to throw right away, but kept stepping on the line. Vy came next to him, pointed to the line and asked him if he wanted to try again more slowly. He nodded. The next throw still missed, but he did not return to the gate.

At the end of the session, the group received a longer feedback list than expected. Some people want more chairs, some people want an easy-to-read sign, some people just write "don't play the music too loud". No idea was laughed at. An divides them into jobs that need to be done immediately, jobs that require permission, and jobs that require additional data. A field is kept by knowing how to line up things that cannot be done yet.

An pinned the list on the board so everyone could see the order.

Huyen stood reading each item, then asked if the "easy-to-read sign" job could be done immediately. Tran gave me a blank piece of paper and told me to try writing a new version. Huyen removed two long sentences and added pictures of hands and arrows. Phong hung the test copy in three positions and asked passersby if they understood. One doctor pointed at the arrow in the opposite direction, causing the whole group to laugh and then correct it. The board gets better thanks to people who don't know how the original was written.