Friday night can make or break me. Once the season starts, I devote every moment of the day to the amazing sport of football. There is no greater sensation than being on the field before a Friday night football game. I have a huge smile on my face all day until pregame when it is time to get serious. The players have to cherish every little moment because they don’t know when it will be over. The screaming of the fans, cheering on the columbian blue and gold and the crack of the helmets, put me into game mode. Butterflies flutter in my stomach, until I look up to see my parents in the stands lively, loudly chanting. Calmness falls over me. I feel most comfortable when I am on the field with my family, knowing that they will always have my back and I will have theirs. They say, “You will never feel like this ever again. Live it up while you are here.” I always have been taught to play every play like it is my last since football is very strenuous on a player’s body. A big hit or awkward placement of a foot could shatter a brittle bone. Everything that the performers have been putting their heart and soul into can be wiped out in just the seven seconds of an average play. Every time I strap up my lifesaving helmet, I thank those who came before me. They are the ones who laid the way for my team.
The only way to win is to prepare on the days prior to the big battle. Mondays are the boring days for the players because they go over the new plays and watch film for what seems like hours upon hours. Without the countless hours of time put into these days, a team’s probability in winning is slim. Players need to study at least a couple of hours, not just look at it once and put it away.
Then, the hard working days begin. Tuesday and Wednesdays are the only tough practice days where a team becomes a real team. After players work hard together, they reinforce to the coaches that they can dominate the Friday night battle. It may sound weird, but even I enjoy going into the locker room and breathing in that salty, smelly air. On the pool deck, its always a bit chillier, even on hot days. It makes me feel at home, considering I have been in that room for months on end.
Thursday is the “sure up” day when everything has to be perfect or it will carry over into the game. After the Thursday walk through, the team meal commences. The meal is more like a Thanksgiving dinner with the amount of food and people there. Friday has arrived and the jitters are back. Crack! The games begin.