"Coach, when does the season end?" "In about 6 Earth years, kid."
Jake was 12 years old and had just joined the Titan Middle School soccer team. He was excited about his first season. What he didn't realize was that on Titan, a "season" meant something very different than it did on Earth.
"How long is the soccer season?" Jake asked his coach on the first day of practice.
"About 7 Earth years," the coach replied casually.
Jake stared. "Seven years? That's not a season, that's... that's forever!"
⏰ The Long Season
The coach explained that on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, one year lasts about 30 Earth years. So one season—spring, summer, autumn, or winter—lasts about 7.5 Earth years. The soccer "season" was timed to match Titan's actual seasons.
"So I'll be in middle school for the entire season?" Jake asked.
"You'll start in middle school and finish in high school," the coach said. "Some players start the season as 6th graders and finish as college freshmen."
👥 Team Changes
Jake quickly learned that Titan sports were very different from Earth sports. Teams didn't change much from year to year—they changed from season to season. A player who joined as a 6th grader might still be on the same team when they graduated high school.
"This is weird," Jake told his teammate Maria. "On Earth, you change teams every year. Here, you stay on the same team for 7 years!"
"I know!" Maria said. "My older sister started playing when she was 11. She's 18 now and still on the same team. She's been playing for one season!"
🏆 The Championship
The championship game was scheduled for the end of the season—7 Earth years away. Jake realized that by the time the championship happened, he would be 19 years old, a completely different person than the 12-year-old who had started.
"How do you stay motivated for 7 years?" Jake asked the team captain, who was 17 and had been playing for 5 Earth years.
"You don't think about it as 7 years," the captain said. "You think about it as one season. One long, amazing season. And when it ends, you'll have memories that span your entire middle and high school years."
💭 The Perspective
Jake learned to appreciate the long season. It meant he would grow up with the same teammates. It meant he would see them change from kids to teenagers. It meant the team would become like a second family.
"I guess long seasons aren't so bad," Jake decided. "They give you time to really become a team."
💡 Reflection Questions
- How would a 7-year sports season change how teams work together?
- What would it be like to play on the same team from 6th grade through high school?
- How does understanding long seasons help us appreciate different time scales?