And The Insanity Has Begun

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I may have mentioned a time or two that my family is most definitely a football family. To be specific, our lives pretty much revolve around football from now until next February (leaving the in-between months to be consumed by baseball, but that's another post!). Spring training started for Jock in May, before baseball season was even over; before school got out for the year. Football training and conditioning has continued throughout this summer, with a daily weight training program (which I am convinced will keep me in the running for Mother of the Year, as even when I was unemployed I was getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to take his still-too-young-to-drive, football lovin' behind up to the weight room at school. Every Day.) in the mornings, speed and agility drills for an hour when he gets home from weights, and a passing league/receivers-running backs clinic a couple of days a week with his team being pitted against other schools. All of this training will culminate with Football Camp (yes, it is spoken with Capital Letters, as it is All Important) next week.

Injuries are never important. Some coach once said to Jock, "A football player plays through the pain, and a true athlete plays through the injury." While as a mother, I'm not sure I like that philosophy, as a sports fan I find myself nodding my head and thinking that statement truly embodies the Great Ones. And then I realize.... my son has the potential to be a Great One.

From his very first season, this boy would not admit to any pain on that field; and injuries weren't acknowledged until after the season ended. A couple of seasons ago, he strained his hip during the second or third game of the season when he was carrying the ball and a defender tackled him and drug him across the field for about ten more yards. He got back up and continued to play. Throughout the rest of the season, he'd occasionally say it was bothering him a little, and we could see it in the way he would cut and run the plays on the field, but he always assured me it wasn't a big deal. So we didn't know it was an actual injury.

The championship game arrived, and sadly gave our team our first loss of the season. After the game, Jock was in the huddle, on one knee like the other boys. As Team Mom, I was privileged to be able to stand up with the coaches after this game during the end of season speeches. Jock's head was bowed, and I could see tears hitting the grass. My heart broke, thinking he was that upset over the game!

However, at the end of the last speech, when all the boys were getting up and walking away, my boy.. my athlete... looked up at me, giant tears rolling down his face, and said,

Mom, I can't get up.

And promptly proceeded to fall over. The medic on the field had to be called over. Jock had to be carried to the car, and we went to the ER where we were told it was a hip strain. And where Jock was lectured by the ER doc for half an hour about the importance of getting an injury looked at WHEN IT HAPPENS.

I am looking forward to watching him play again this year. I really, truly am. Watching this boy play football gives me a joy inside my heart like nothing else. Its like watching some phenomenally choreographed ballet. If I have any sense at all, and can remember to do it, I'll try to shoot some video for you all this season.


Anyway.....

I've enjoyed watching Jock play since his first year (which naturally, I can't find any pictures of).



We enjoyed watching him play last year (which I apparently do not have any pictures of).

I strongly suspect this year will be the most enjoyable yet (as God is my witness, I WILL GET PICTURES!!).