Essay #4 "Life in Between the Whistles"

Since I was about 14 I was always told by my coaches that “The Game of Life is like the Game of Football”. When I first heard this I had no idea what it meant so I would always just smile and nod. Well Saturday August 22, 2008 was my last game ever in my career, I will never put on a helmet, lace my cleats, pack my travel bag, or sit in a locker room again. Since my career is over the only thing I have left is memories, thats the only thing you can take with. I remember my first day of practice my freshman year to my last play on Saturday. Once that final whistle blew and the clock read zero that was it for me, my time as a football player was over. Where did the last 8 years go, was I just along for the ride or was I actually apart of the ride making my own turns.
I remember the summer going into my freshman year in high school, if you wanted to play football you had to work out with the team three times a week. My first day my dad drove me to the school and as I got out of the car he grabbed my arm old me to relax and it would all be fine. I gave him a hug and looked for anyone I knew as I was walking into the weight room. Luckily I spotted my friend Aj and we walked in together. As we opened the door we heard Pantera blasting and we got hit with a breeze of a sweat smell. For those who have never been in a locker room or experienced that smell, when it hits you it knocks you back and you make that face when you have something sour in your mouth.
As we walked in I was shocked as I looked around,a ll these guys were huge, everyone of them was lifting crazy amount of weight. Right then and there I started debating in my head if I was really capable of playing football. Then it seemed in a domino affect everyone started to look at me and Aj. We both stood next to each other and had no clue on what to do. Then a big kid named Steve walked over top us and started to talk to us. He walked us around the weight room and introduced us to some other guys. Everyone was really cool, poking fun on how we looked when we first walked in. The they asked us if we ever played before and Aj did, I never did. I told them how I was a hockey player and that when I came to Raritan I found out that they didn't have a hockey team and since I enjoyed hitting people, I figure I try football. Aj told them how he was a wide receiver I told them I had absolutely no clue on what position I was going to play. Then they asked if we knew we were 2 hours early. We were like completely confused, we were told to be there by 6 am, 5:45am to be precise. In football and in like any team sport, “Your late when your one time, your on time when your 15 minutes early”. They told us how the freshman team worked out on their own at 8 am.
So after we talked to some coaches they told us we could hangout and learn some of the lifting techniques cause we never lifted before. The around 8 the rest of the freshman team started to roll in and we meant our coaches. They were both former players, the offensive coach was from Raritan, and the defensive coordinator ironically was from our rivals St. Johns. Once they introduced themselves they said that we would be the best conditioned team in the schools history, that debate of I wanted to play started up again in my head. We then went outside and started to run “gasers”, which is a a 200 hundred yard sprint, 50 yards down then back then down and back again. As we all lined up our coaches yelled out that we all had to be across the line in 53 seconds or it didn't count. The whistle blew and I took off and once I finished my heart was racing. We all finished in 53 seconds and the coaches said they were impressed. Once I heard that I figure how hard could it be, then he yelled how some of the kids weren't looking at him as he talked so the first one didn't count. Then he blew the whistle and we took off again. This went on until we did about 4 and my heart was racing and I felt dizzy. Then the coaches yelled that we were “dogging” it so we owed him one last one. He blew the whistle and we took off my legs felt like rubber, and I couldn't breathe as I crossed the line on the last on I fell to the ground and threw up. I felt so embarrassed and then I looked over and I was like 1 of 15 guys who were all throwing up.
So this went on like this all summer, we would get to the weight room, work out for an hour and go outside and run till we all puked basically. Every time we m,made the sprint in the time, there was some reason why it didn't count and we owed him another one. The season started as well as the school year and I was nervous, high school was going to be different. School started okay and then lunch came around I was looking around and had nowhere to sit when I heard my name and I looked over it was a table of football players. They told me to sit and we all sat and ate. So I felt great that I was part of a team and I got to wear my jersey to school and tell girls I was a football player. It was a great feeling and I felt special. The only thing that sucked was that I wasn't playing. When we had our games i just sat the bench. I felt down and then that big kid Steve that I met told me too get through it and after the season if it wasn't for me, I finished the year and did my best. So I figured that and I was planning on doing it and I finished the year and I was about to quite when my dad convinced me to try it one more year.
My sophomore year was about the same thing as my freshman year, the only difference was I was working out with the varsity, and going up against kids 3 times my size. So the year went on and the kid Steve was a senior and he basically took me under his wing. He would take me home after practice, pick me up for morning lifting, and always tell me to keep trying. The last practice in full pads of my sophomore year my coach told me how proud he was of me and how I had such a great work ethic . He then went on to say how he was going to find a spot for me on the field. That meant I was going to get game time. My junior year rolls around and at football camp I fought and got a spot as the starting right tackle. For those how don't know, I'm the guy on the far right who protects the quarterback those how don't know, I'm the guy on the far right who protects the quarterback. My dad was so proud of me and he called everyone he knew that night I told him I was starting.
My first game I remember walking in the lines as we made our way out onto the field. I heard the music playing and we all lined up under the goal posts on the far side of the field. They started to announce the starting offense in numeric order. Then they skipped me and I didn't know what to do. Then my head coach grabbed me and started to scream and the announcer pointing to my number. The announcer then called me and I ran out on the field to join my team, and as I was running I look up and the crowd was cheering. I felt so good and I felt on top of the world and the I realized I still had to play and I had to go against some kid I never met. As I was pacing around trying to calm down my dad called me and held up one finger. Not to represent number one but to say the first hit. He always told me that in a game its the first hit that matters most, because your showing the guy across from you that its going to be a battle. The whistle blew I ran on the field the play was called to my side, I ran at the defensive end, hit to the ground landed on top of him, as I looked up I saw my running back going to ward the end zone and then the crowd went wild. I was so excited, I did my job and best of all didn't mess up. My junior year we did okay, we made it to the first round of the playoffs and one. We won our Thanksgiving game which made a three way tie for our division, that was awesome.
My senior year started it and all my coaches kept telling me I had to take one a new role. I had to become a leader and be a example to the younger players. I never was considered a leader nor did I know what to do. Then after a practice I was walking to my car and saw a sophomore named Ed waiting for his ride, as I started to drive away, I stopped and asked and gave him a ride home. Since he was near my house I told him I give him a ride so his parents didn't have to. So after giving a ride home for awhile I was talking to him about playing and he told me that he was going to not return next year because he wasn't getting in the J.V. Games. I was about to say well its your decision and as I looked at him I saw myself sitting my passenger4 seat. I just realized I had that same conversation once before but it was me saying what Ed was and Steve was driving. I just smile and then went to tell him how I went through the same thing. I told him about Steve and how he helped me, and that I would do the same for him. So I picked a up little brother basically and this kid didn't everything with me that year. If I went to a party he was there. So my senior year was a blur we went undefeated and won a state championship. It was the first state title in school history and we were told we were all going to be inducted in the school's hall of fame. It was the greatest feeling of my life, then I found out that I was elected to play in the all-shore game which is an all-star game. So I felt on top of the world.
Then I came to Kean and played four years of football. The same things that happened to me in highschool happened in college. Starting as a freshman and not knowing anyone to going against kids that were three times my size. I then went through the program and became a leader on the team. Again I became an older brother to some of the younger guys and I thought I was just helping them with football. Then Saturday my last game came and we lost. It was terrible feeling walking off that field, not just because we lost just because it was my last time ever playing football again. So to be honest I was crying, and had my head down. My dad walked over to me and gave me a hug and told me how the past 8 years of coming to my games were the best memories me and him would ever have and how proud he was of the man football has made me. I walked away from him and as I walked into my locker room, a kind Named Alex came up to me and gave me4 a hug. He then told me what a pleasure it was to play with em for 3 years and how much I taught him. He then said that the things I told him not only helped him on the field but helped him in his life and how he was truly thankful for it.
I walked out of the locker room and headed to my truck and I thought about what Alex said. How what I told him helped him in life. I couldn't figure out how this could be then I thought about that quote, “The Game of Life is like the Game of Football”. It all made sense, the hard work, the never quiting, facing hard times, getting knocked down, getting back up, and no matter what keeping your chin up were all things that you needed in life. In life things aren't always going to go the way you planned or expected like in football, you got to call a audible and adapt to what the defense gives you. Football has made me the mad I am today. All the good qualities that I have in me are because of football. Yes, my parents brought me up right, but they could only tell me what to do not do it for me. Where in football I had to do what I said I was going to do. It wasn't about me and what I did for my own success. A team of other guys depended on me to do what I was suppose to, just like I depended on them to do what their supposed to. These are all qualities that I am going to need in life, I am going to depend on others just like I will be depended on. If either of us doesn't hold true to our word we will both fail. So to football I say thank you, to anyone I have ever suited up with it has truly been a pleasure , to my coaches I say thank you, and to my family I say I love you and thank you for all of your support.