If you have ever played football ..... I mean real football, on a school team and such you can never seem to get it out of your blood. I miss it. Once I couldn't play for college anymore and resigned myself to the sofa to watch, I could hardly stand myself. I missed being out on the field. I missed "two-a-days" beginning in the late Oklahoma summer. So hot your mouth piece would melt. We played at Tulsa once where the temperature on the field, on the turf was 110 degrees. Someone measured the temperature in our helmets that day and it read nearly 118. My common sense melted that day!
As the season went on into fall and the temperature turned the corner it was those crazy games where we played in icy weather. Temperatures so cold in wet rain that we thought our frozen bodies would shatter like ice if we hit each other too hard. But honestly, those were the best days.
Once my kids got to the age, I couldn't wait for them to play. Initially they didn't want to be part of that because they heard me snap crackle and pop every morning. It's true. My body did sound that way when I first moved in the morning. That was in my 20s and earlier 30s. Now in my late 30s and on into the my 40s there is a lot less snapping. I think that is because my body is more like a wet noodle. Anyway, one day they came home with a handout about flag football and that they wanted to play.
That was the best news of my life. It began my 13 years of coaching my boys in flag and tackle football for the rec leagues we have here locally in Virginia Beach. We planned our vacations around sign ups and never left once until after they were finished in November around thanksgiving time. It was great. 5 years of flag football and 8 in various levels of tackle. All three boys played. We made a lot of friends those years. I met a lot of young men that were on my team as well as others from around the city. Some of those boys are now men and play on NFL teams. 16 players per team for flag times 5 seasons and 25- 30 players per team for tackle for 8 seasons adds up to a lot of young men....I even had a girl once! And yes, my daughter wanted to play too but DAD vetoed it and sent her back to the softball field and basketball court......I coached a few seasons there too.
So, last night it was football weather in the air. Mid September is typically warm still in Virginia Beach but it was a bit chilly at CNU, Christopher Newport University. We had gone there to watch Hamden-Syndey play and most importantly one of the young men on their team. Zach had played on my tackle teams but more importantly he was a friend of my kids. His sister played on several of the softball teams with my daughter. They lived just around the corner from us so the kids were constantly together at each of our houses.
Zach played in the defensive secondary as a starter his senior year. I had watched his face book page over the last few years seeing pictures of games. This one was finally close enough to go watch. It wasn't a good score for them but it was still special to watch one of my players....one of my boys again.
It was a great evening of football that brought back a lot of memories. Times when I played ball beginning in 5th grade at the YMCA and then through all levels of school. They didn't have the peewee ball like they do now. Good times of all those years of coaching. I miss all those kids. I should try to reach out to more of them on Facebook. Then again, they probably meant far to me than I did them.
Football is great.......where is my jersey? I need to try that on again.
Are you ready my friends?
ET This I Believe
Eugene Thompson
