Good point, our situation isn't an exact parallel to what was described, but what I was really trying to get at is that football seems to have more room for kids who don't "fit" in other sports. I'm just happy that my son's found a sport he can succeed even if he is kind of clumsy and awkward.
I'm going to disagree on point 2. My son isn't fat, but he is big (got an early growth spurt) and isn't the most athletic kid in the world - he's still getting used to his size - so he ended up on the line. Playing there line has been great for him. He gets to contribute to every offensive play in some way, and can see the results when they run a play over him. Not getting to touch the ball doesn't seem to bother him, he's just as proud as his running backs when his team scores.
Playing on the line has allowed him to improve his athleticism and confidence while still being a contributer.
Small sample size, etc. but being "hidden" on the line has been tremendous for him.....
(FWIW, I think the coach's atitude towards the linemen has a lot to do with the kids' experiences)
My 9 year old plays youth football and its been great for him. He's not the most athletic kid in the world, so they put him on the offensive line. He likes that he gets to contribute on every play, whereas in baseball, soccer, or basketball he would end up standing around watching the more athletically inclined kids do everything. Football has been a great confidence booster for him, and I wouldn't think of taking him out now.
We didn't go last year, but I thought it was great this year. My boys got a football full of autographs and had a great time being on the field.
We didn't get there in time to line up for Denard's autograph, but were able to get all of the offensive linemen's signatures, half of the defensive line, a bunch of the freshmen, and Dave Brandon's (my kids didn't have a clue who he was, but we happened to end up standing next to him so I figured why not).
I thought it was pretty well organized, and we didn't have to wait much at all. All of the players were nice to the kids (Taylor Lewan showed my son his moustache tattoo). Most of the people I saw had kids. Didn't see a whole lot of e-bay whores, and most of the people we were around stuck to the one item per person rule. It was a good time, and we plan on going back next year.
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You're right. Seems like at this level, at lot of the kids' success is more a result of how the coaches deal with them than it is at higher levels.
Good point, our situation isn't an exact parallel to what was described, but what I was really trying to get at is that football seems to have more room for kids who don't "fit" in other sports. I'm just happy that my son's found a sport he can succeed even if he is kind of clumsy and awkward.
I'm going to disagree on point 2. My son isn't fat, but he is big (got an early growth spurt) and isn't the most athletic kid in the world - he's still getting used to his size - so he ended up on the line. Playing there line has been great for him. He gets to contribute to every offensive play in some way, and can see the results when they run a play over him. Not getting to touch the ball doesn't seem to bother him, he's just as proud as his running backs when his team scores.
Playing on the line has allowed him to improve his athleticism and confidence while still being a contributer.
Small sample size, etc. but being "hidden" on the line has been tremendous for him.....
(FWIW, I think the coach's atitude towards the linemen has a lot to do with the kids' experiences)
My 9 year old plays youth football and its been great for him. He's not the most athletic kid in the world, so they put him on the offensive line. He likes that he gets to contribute on every play, whereas in baseball, soccer, or basketball he would end up standing around watching the more athletically inclined kids do everything. Football has been a great confidence booster for him, and I wouldn't think of taking him out now.
We didn't go last year, but I thought it was great this year. My boys got a football full of autographs and had a great time being on the field.
We didn't get there in time to line up for Denard's autograph, but were able to get all of the offensive linemen's signatures, half of the defensive line, a bunch of the freshmen, and Dave Brandon's (my kids didn't have a clue who he was, but we happened to end up standing next to him so I figured why not).
I thought it was pretty well organized, and we didn't have to wait much at all. All of the players were nice to the kids (Taylor Lewan showed my son his moustache tattoo). Most of the people I saw had kids. Didn't see a whole lot of e-bay whores, and most of the people we were around stuck to the one item per person rule. It was a good time, and we plan on going back next year.
Nice to see fellow metal flks here....
Currently listening to some Pig Destroyer...it's been that kind of day
Lord of the Rings
I like Ray Bradbury's fantasy stuff (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
Necronomicon by Neal Stephenson isn't really but it's awesome.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman is good. So is the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, even if it does lose it towards the end a little.
Peter V. Brett is writing a good series that starts with "The Warded Man".
"Sandman Slim" by Richard Kadrey is good urban fantasy. There is a sequel out and I think he plans to turn it into a series.