Friday Night Lights

When I first “tackled” the idea of a place most important to me I nailed it straight away. Football was my first love as a child, is my strongest desire for my future, and what effort I put into is incomparable to anything else in my life. Because of my affection for the sport the most significant place to me is a football field on a Friday night.

I grew up around football. Every Saturday and Sunday (and Monday night) was and still is dedicated to the sport. My dad coached me during my early grade school years and now I’ve moved up to a much more competitive High School level. Because of this I train hard everyday, during the season and off-season, with the thought of our Friday night games on my mind. I’ve never worked for something with as much desire or intensity as I do for football. I know my dream of playing at a professional level is unrealistic; however the chances of coaching at a high school or even collegiate level seem reasonable. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling than helping young determined kids, like myself, better themselves in football and in life.

Last Friday night my team traveled by bus to Nine Mile Falls, home of the Lakeside Eagles. As we exited our game bus I took in the smell of barbecue and fresh cut grass and it instantly overwhelmed me. I saw our crowd beginning to form as our focused, quiet team moved onto the field for pre-game activities. This is when I began to feel the butterflies and tension build. After we suited up and stretched we made our way back to our locker room and sat for a few minutes. Whether it’s from sitting in thoughtful silence, or listening to the coaches shouting or music blaring, we’re always pumped up. We made our way back out onto the sideline and saw our crowd again, but triple the size it was a few minutes before. Knowing the fans are there to see us perform gave everyone a surge of adrenaline and we raced out onto the field. The view from on the field is the most spectacular. The...