At heart, I'm just a big kid. Playing is what I live for. I think that's why I coach youth sports, I spend as much time playing as I do coaching -- I am there to have fun and help the kids have fun.
As the kids get older though, the sports get more physical. Football is getting that way. Our team, the Salina Eagles, has 21 kids. For those of you math challenged individuals, that's one shy of having a full offense and defense to scrimmage. Guess who number 22 is? Yep. Me. I love getting in there and knocking heads with the boys. I get some exercise and they really enjoy beating up on an old man.
Last night I went home sore and bruised. More sore than after any practice this year. When we were practicing our special teams, I was the up man on the punt team. Punts one and two went fine. I blocked if anyone got through the line and all was good. Punt number 3 went wrong. The long snapper -- who happens to be JD -- snapped the ball directly to me. I did what any good up man would do, I ran with the ball. Two boys shot through the line on the right side and had my legs and waist. The end from the left then came in and finished me off. Knocked me flat... actually I did a backwards somersault. He hit me so hard he knocked the elbow band I wear for tendinitis off my arm! They do like to hit me.
After we switched to offense/defense, I played defensive tackle. I took a helmet to my chin, a helmet to my forehead, and a facemask to my right shoulder. I have bruises that an old man should not have. Today, both shoulders are sore. My back is sore. And the muscles in the backs of my legs are sore.
Maybe, just maybe, I should hang up my cleats. Nah, it's too much fun!
D
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