Inside the Locker Room : I Hit for 15

     Inside the Locker Room for spring practice we have a board to track how many players make it through all 15 practices.  This can be difficult sometimes because there are usually a lot of injuries, big and small, that can occur.  Spring practice is different than most practices that we have during the fall as far as contact is concerned.  In the spring, there is more tackling and more physicality because it is so far from the season.  We have it early so players will have plenty of time to heal!  Also, coming off a big break in December/January there is a greater chance of injury because our bodies have to get back into the swing of things.  There is a board like the one above for both offense and defense. Whenever a practice is completed you get a Double T if you started and finished the practice.  If you cannot finish the practice for any reason, then that day doesn't count.  At the end of spring ball, if you started and finished all 15 practices then you are rewarded with a "I Hit for 15" T shirt shown below.  But more than that, it's more of a pride issue that you put in all the work you could to make yourself better and not let your teammates down.  Now you know if you see someone wearing this shirt, what they had to go through to earn it... I Hit for 15!

The Final Push

     It's that time of year again... where us students have to cram in last minute projects and try and remember everything we learned this semester to prepare for finals! I have been really busy with school, and haven't been able to blog much.  This final push comes around every semester and always takes a lot of energy out of me.  I always push hard in the classroom and rarely miss class.  However, student syndrome inevitably takes hold of me.  This is where you put off projects and homework till the last possible moment.  I try to stay ahead of the game, but as the semester gets close to the end the due dates begin to pile up.  Thankfully, the NCAA makes it where we can't have mandatory workout during the last days and into our finals so that we can focus and study.  Although I still workout on my own, this frees up my schedule to give academics priority.

     It is also hard to give this final push, because we are in school 24/7.  As a student-athlete, we are expected to stay over the summer and take both summer sessions.  And the summer sessions are even harder than the normal semesters because they are so crammed and you have to go to the same class everyday.  Except for a week or two between semesters we are always in the classroom.  This has been the case for even before I walked the stage for my high school graduation.  Football wants you on campus as soon as possible following your high school career.  For me, the first summer session started the week before I graduated.  I moved to Lubbock and went through a week of college classes before I had to go back to Stephenville to graduate and walk the stage for my high school diploma!  I have been in college classes ever since that June 2008.  This vigorous school schedule gets us through school fast, but wears on you.  However, I am thankful to now have my undergrad degree and working on my getting most of my masters while still on scholarship.  I know my time left here is short, so I will continue to push hard in the classroom and be a STUDENT of the game...