"The Kid"
William Bonney, notorious outlaw, better known as “Billy The Kid”, got his nickname because he killed his first man at the tender age of 17. Riley “The Kid” Colby got his moniker because he left a trail of moaning cribbage players in his wake before he graduated from junior high.

Our local summer cribbage tournament started today, and I went down to defeat at the hands of “The Kid”. I didn’t have to, mind you, but I chose my fate. I am the tournament director, so the first round matches are all my doing. I thought I was going to emerge as some kind of cribbage super-hero, by eliminating “The Kid” in the first match, but, alas, it didn’t happen.

When I was asking folks if they wanted to participate in the tournament, I frequently got… Sure, count me in, but not if I have to play “The Kid” in the first round. I’ll play anyone else, but not “The Kid”. Riley just graduated from the 7^th grade, and this is his third year of playing in our cribbage tournaments. I guess a lot of adults don’t like to lose to someone whose voice hasn’t changed. His reputation precedes him, and for good reason, as I found out today.

This all started when Riley’s grandfather, Rusty, decided to teach him how to play cribbage. (Hmm, remind me to take Rusty out of my will).  Anyway, Riley played lots and lots of cribbage games with whoever would play with him, and he soon became an above-average cribbage player. He entered his first tournament in 2011, and in prior matches his adult opponents would approach their match with “The Kid” as if it would be an easy victory. The majority of times, it was not. They came away with a puzzled look on their face, while “The Kid” had a big smile on his.

Well, enough time has passed that “The Kid” now has a “Rep”… and it’s a feared one. Well, I thought, I’m not easily shaken. I can look danger in the eye and not blink. He’s no better than I. “The Kid” puts his pants on one leg at a time, the same way I do. He drinks the same water I do… no problem. I was wrong. “The Kid” puts his pants on both legs at time and drinks some concoction of special brain-enhancing fluid. He beat me, two games to one.

He also has “roadies”.  People kept wandering in and out of the coffee shop to see how he was doing. Parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, his sister, a long lost cousin or two… I lost count. Everyone is cheering him on. About halfway through my match I realized that if I won, I would be looked on as if I had killed Bambi. 

Undaunted, I kept dealing, kept counting, kept pegging, but alas, I came up short in a tightly-fought, close match. Well, OK… not exactly tight… He skunked me in our first game… I squeaked out a win in game two… and then he got a decisive win in the final game.. 

I really enjoyed playing against “The Kid”. He was first and foremost, a kid. He would fidget in his seat sometimes… he’d lose his concentration at times… but best of all he had the “exuberance of youth” you always see whenever youngsters play anything. It was really refreshing, and that feeling was well worth all the ribbing I took for being another notch on “The Kid’s” cribbage board. 

As for the next tournament? Well, I’ll still be the director and I’m scheduling “The Kid” for me… a re-match… and you may be walking tall now, “Kid”, but next time…. You’re TOAST!