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Red Hawk
August 15th, 2005, 01:40 PM
Figured the fathers and fans might enjoy a freshman's perspective on the jump to college ball. My son had been participating in the summer voluntary workouts so he knew a lot of people and had gotten in really good shape. He's an OL

Day 1. Among other things the OL ran 3 "gassers" for time. If you didn't make your time you got to join the "Breakfast Club", who meet every morning at 6:30 for an hour of running before practice. He makes his time and is greatly relieved. Toward the end of the first day they are told they are going to "the County Fair". He thinks "that doesn't sound bad" until he finds out it's a series of non-stop station drills.

Day 2. The team goes to church together where my son (Catholic) visits a Southern Baptist church for the first time in his life. Yesteday it was an AME church. Coach Billings is trying to expose all of them to the diverse backgrounds they have while becoming a team.

Day 5. Andy is learning center a position he's never played before. He sails 3 shot-gun snaps over the QB's head and gets to do 50 extra snaps after practice. He tells me he's not manhandling people like he did in high school but nor is he being manhandled.

Day 7. Andy snaps 2 over the QB's head during a scrimmage and is feeling low, as he incurs the wrath of the OL coach, although he's still entrenched at 2nd team. After the scrimmage I meet him and another freshman OL and take them out to dinner. They look absolutely catatonic. Andy says dead-pan they decided they're going to try out for the soccer team. He says he's so tired and battered he gets winded during warm-up and he can't sleep his head is so full of new plays and sets. He aches, he hates the food, the dorms and honestly seems absolutely in love with college ball. My wife said she can't remember seeing him so happy.

I did tell him to persevere, it will never be as hard as this year, because he'll only get older, bigger, stronger and more experienced.

Bub
August 15th, 2005, 05:12 PM
Red Hawk: Congrats on your son's first week. My son just completed his first week as well. I'm pleased to report he's enjoying it and likes his teammates. He told me he's found out more about being a receiver in one week at camp than he did all through high school.

I'm proud to say he closed out the first scrimmage with a 60 yard TD reception. Another week of camp and then school starts. Continued good luck to your son. :)

Cap'n Cat
August 15th, 2005, 05:21 PM
Aaaaaahhhhh, first week memories.

Check into the dorm room. Check out the new female trainer. Start hitting on the young, fresh girlfriends of my true freshman teammates (maybe their moms too). Bust open my box of porn, start handing it out to OL buddies. Start campaigning and working the freshman for captain votes. Pick out a freshman OL as my "camp "b*tch" who will carry my playbook around, hold my tray in the dining hall, refill my drinks, run to KwikTrip to get me more chew, loan me his truck during two-a-days and perform other errands as directed.

Yes, seems like just yesterday.


: :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

LBPop
August 15th, 2005, 05:25 PM
Aaaaaahhhhh, first week memories.

Check into the dorm room. Check out the new female trainer. Start hitting on the young, fresh girlfriends of my true freshman teammates (maybe their moms too). Bust open my box of porn, start handing it out to OL buddies. Start campaigning and working the freshman for captain votes. Pick out a freshman OL as my "camp "b*tch" who will carry my playbook around, hold my tray in the dining hall, refill my drinks, run to KwikTrip to get me more chew, loan me his truck during two-a-days and perform other errands as directed.

Yes, seems like just yesterday.


: :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
It's nice to see that football helped make you the man that you are. :D

Red Hawk
August 15th, 2005, 06:05 PM
man that's some funny shyte Cap'n Cat. My son's not one to be anybody's beatch but he's mentioned some funny stuff from the upperclassmen.

Pard94
August 16th, 2005, 08:25 AM
...was you bust your ass like you've never done before ALL DAY. Then, at the end of the day, after a quick meal and about an hour or so of down time, you have to meet with positional coaches for films to relive the entire day. That goes on until about 9:30 PM or so, then you have to go back to your dorm and study the playbook for about an hour before collapsing into bed...only to wake up and do it all over again.

CAMP SUCKS. There is no two ways about it. I'm 11 years removed from it and I still get chills reading about it. Ughh...

LBPop
August 16th, 2005, 09:32 AM
...was you bust your ass like you've never done before ALL DAY. Then, at the end of the day, after a quick meal and about an hour or so of down time, you have to meet with positional coaches for films to relive the entire day. That goes on until about 9:30 PM or so, then you have to go back to your dorm and study the playbook for about an hour before collapsing into bed...only to wake up and do it all over again.


You know, I have always felt that a football player puts in the most time by a wide margin of any other team sport when computed as a function of total game time. With the exception of playoffs, these kids have a total of only 11 hours of game time to use what they have learned/earned during summer "two-a-days", spring ball, off season workouts and practices during the season. I'm too busy to figure out the ratio, but it must be ridiculous.

Having said all that, I wish I was doing it all again right now. :nod:

Pard94
August 16th, 2005, 01:10 PM
You know, I have always felt that a football player puts in the most time by a wide margin of any other team sport when computed as a function of total game time. With the exception of playoffs, these kids have a total of only 11 hours of game time to use what they have learned/earned during summer "two-a-days", spring ball, off season workouts and practices during the season. I'm too busy to figure out the ratio, but it must be ridiculous.

Having said all that, I wish I was doing it all again right now. :nod:

It's funny how with each passing year, the scars heal. When I finished football, lo those many years ago, I was quite happy to be done with it. And now, while I do not miss camp in any way, I certainly miss the rest of it...especially games.