By Eric Pearson
staff writer
The football season is over and Northview is left with a 1-8 record and a graduating class that will never play another down. Many of the seniors, myself included, have reflected on their relationships with football in the wake of such an unproductive season. Personally, I have wondered what football means and why I stuck around through a punishing four years that have been largely colored by sacrifice and loss.
I started playing football at eight years old at the rocket level. For younger kids there are weight restrictions so that the players are matched up according to their relative size rather than just their age. Being a rather rotund child I was moved up some years to play a grade level or two above mine, resulting in heavy competition. From that competition I was imbued with a more mature devotion to the sport. One that wasn’t dependent on wins but rather about contributing to the team.
As my teammates would agree, that was the type of devotion required our freshman year. Our first high school record was 0-9. As losses mounted coaches favored more and more conditioning as a solution. As a player it seemed that we were trying harder and harder and not showing any improvement. Still we didn’t regret playing that year because, despite the losses and the grueling practices, we were teammates enjoying playing for each other.
At the varsity level the demand for dedication and hard work is year-round and unapologetic. Be it lifting, playing a secondary sport, or going to early morning preseason throwing, there were demands from football all the time. Those demands worked to deepen the bond between teammates because we were all giving the same work for each other.
My junior year I broke a bone in my face and was forced to sit out the first three games of the season. Having to be separated from the team, especially after so much work, was worse than any defeat. Unfortunately, I am not alone in having to miss games and my teammates that also had to will agree that it is terrible. The worst times of football, conditioning or losses, are still so much better that the feeling of not being able to contribute to and be a part of the team. Northview may only show a 1-8 record this year but to the players and, especially, my class it has been so much more. Football is a sport wholly dependant on teamwork. This year we had a strong bond of brotherhood, forged by years of hard work to be strong enough to withstand any defeat and remain solid.
As my teammates would agree, that was the type of devotion required our freshman year. Our first high school record was 0-9. As losses mounted coaches favored more and more conditioning as a solution. As a player it seemed that we were trying harder and harder and not showing any improvement. Still we didn’t regret playing that year because, despite the losses and the grueling practices, we were teammates enjoying playing for each other.
At the varsity level the demand for dedication and hard work is year-round and unapologetic. Be it lifting, playing a secondary sport, or going to early morning preseason throwing, there were demands from football all the time. Those demands worked to deepen the bond between teammates because we were all giving the same work for each other.
My junior year I broke a bone in my face and was forced to sit out the first three games of the season. Having to be separated from the team, especially after so much work, was worse than any defeat. Unfortunately, I am not alone in having to miss games and my teammates that also had to will agree that it is terrible. The worst times of football, conditioning or losses, are still so much better that the feeling of not being able to contribute to and be a part of the team. Northview may only show a 1-8 record this year but to the players and, especially, my class it has been so much more. Football is a sport wholly dependant on teamwork. This year we had a strong bond of brotherhood, forged by years of hard work to be strong enough to withstand any defeat and remain solid.
0 comments :
Post a Comment