OK, what's up? Well, yesterday Big M and family attended Tuna's game. As you may know, our Tuna, the senior football player is a big guy like his pop as he attended our alma mater. He has been injured and Saturday's game was the first for him since the opener when he tore his labrum. Matched up against a cross town rival, the team won in overtime with Tuna making the big plays. At the end of the game, the team signed the game ball and gave it to Big M. A dry eye was not to be had....As the team presented Big M with the game ball, several newspaper reporters began to interview Tuna and his dad. Today, in the Sunday papers, two articles about Tuna and his dad's fight against cancer were published. What can I say, but no one deserves the attention more than this family who gives to the community and others in a selfless manner. I know that Big M will defeat this foe....heart cancer....or as Fran Drescher says: "Cancer....schmancer...."
On to my big kid...although it seems that Tuna has him beat in weight and height.....we grow 'em big in the northeast....
He slept most of the day yesterday after a four hour work out and scrimmage. Not feeling particularly well, he texted the team's sports psychologist to talk with him. The doc had the big leftie meet him at the field hockey game. As he walked into the stadium, doc was standing next to the Athletic Director....hmmm.....any way, doc asked the kid several questions that he had to answer in front of the AD who got the general idea of what was going on with the team. He had no choice and had to answer the questions honestly. Perhaps, the doc knows much more about the trainers' power than he lets on as he shared that the field hockey team is also complaining about the trainers because they were made to run a great deal the day before a championship game. Can anyone say "muscle fatigue?"
Again, I am not an expert in training, but I do know that training is to prepare for a successful game day, not destroy it. Shocking as it may seem, an athlete has his or her body as a tool and it has to be cared for in a deliberate way in order to not overwhelm the muscles and allow for maximum use. The problem is that the trainers have way too much power. No one in charge is listening to the athletes. It seems that if an athlete complains, he is labeled a 'baby', 'whiner', 'tool', or 'wimp', therefore the trainers and coaches come down hard on them. But guess what? Not everyone athlete tries to avoid work outs. For example, my kid comes early to practices and stays late. Since the coaches know this, they should take that into consideration since he had surgery and has been working his way back.
In my own classes, I see the students who work hard and others who want the results without the effort. I reward the hard workers and push the lazy ones to succeed. I believe that it is the same for sports, yet in order not to show favoritism, the coaches scream at all of them and expect the same regimen for each person. It doesn't work that way because all bodies are different and respond uniquely to working out. Therefore, it is up to the trainers and coaches to put together a program in which each person can maximize their level of skills, athleticism, and talent. Just sayin'.......
With that said, I am off to the gym with Tink....have a great day...go Eagles!
No comments:
Post a Comment