It's that time of year, the kids are back in school, everyone is back to their routine. It is also one of the busy times of year for health and fitness facilities and professionals, right up there with the New Years Resolutions crowd of January. With the kids back in school parents have more time to get back to their training. People who are planning to go somewhere warm in the winter are looking to shed the extra lbs gained over the summer from BBQ parties and beers on the patio so they can proudly sport their speedo on the beach. (and ultimately enjoy more food and beer, on the beach this time instead, what a vicious cycle) This means more clients for me and more time spent in the gym.
There is however something else this time of year. August means the start of the minor football season. That means long nights at the field and before long those nights start to get cold. Despite the colder weather and all the extra time on the field, I absolutely love it. Even with all of the added work and new clients making life hectic, adding this one more activity is ok with me. I am the trainer and conditioning coach for a bantam football team (12-14 years old). It is incredibly rewarding to watch how the boys progress in game play, skill and fitness throughout the season. There is also something wonderful about being on that field with the team. Those boys are like a family, a large, stinky one but family none the less. The way they look out for one another and hold each other accountable is unlike anything I have seen in any other sport. Two nights ago I was taking the boys through a warm up agility and had turned my attention to a boy who was having a bit of trouble with the movement. From behind me I heard one of the second year players yell out "Get back here and do that again!" When I turned around to see what had happened, I saw one of the 1st year players sheepishly walking back to start over because he had taken the opportunity of my back being turned to stand up and walk the rest of the way to the line, no hard feelings or grumbles, he knew what he did. At that moment I was so incredibly proud of my football family. Moments like that are what make this all worthwhile.
Later in the season when the air gets cold and crisp, the sounds from the field are even better, clearer somehow. I am going to ask you to try something here. Look up to the picture above and clear your mind from the day. Imagine yourself on the field, standing right in that spot. It is mid October and starting to get cold. The air is crisp and clean, the way it gets in the fall. You wrap your warm coat a little tighter and wiggle your legs to warm them up from the chill air. Out on the field the boys line up for the play and the coach shouts out last minute directions. A couple of the players scramble into place and the sound of the QB shouting the plays fills the air as the slot begins the forward motion making his way to the line of scrimmage. The ball is snapped and the team springs into action. There is a scramble of motion, the ball is thrown and caught, the sudden crash of shoulder pads colliding and the shrill of a whistle fly through the air. It is a first down and the chains are moved forward. There is really nothing like it.
I'm sure if I sat down and calculated the numerous hours I have spent on the sidelines, at the bench with the boys or on the field pushing them through a tough conditioning session, I would be shocked at the number. I'm sure I would be able to find numerous productive things I could have done with those hours. The truth is though, there is no where else I would rather be. When the season is over, I find myself wondering what to do with all my time. Not that it lasts for very long. Once football is over the indoor track season starts and soon after it is December and Christmas preparations begin. After Christmas there is the inevitable New Years Resolutions crowd and then off-season conditioning begins so my football family is back together just waiting for their chance to storm the field once again.
Football gets into your blood. I have heard moms say that they will let their son (or daughter) play but they can't watch. Before I know it, those same moms are in the stands sporting team colours and ringing a cowbell, shaking pompoms or holding up team banners. Up here in northern Alberta it is a short season but those ups and downs, the memories of the emotional roller coaster of this wonderful sport will stay with you forever. And that, my friends, is why I do this.
Sport, team spirit, pure athleticism, fun......Mobile, Agile, Hostile! Lets go boys!
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