Wednesday, August 30, 2006

two-a-days: not for sissies

so, i know you've all missed my presence on the blog lately, but i've been getting my ass kicked two times a day, every day, in these wretched football football practices and haven't had much time to participate. mr. lade may claim "AP's not for sissies!" but two-a-day football practices are more difficult, i assure you. in fact, i don't even know what's going on anymore; i live my day-to-day life with a headache and in a haze. they did a study once and found that soccer players actually LOSE IQ points from "heading" the ball over a season. if that's the case, i wonder how many IQ points i've lost from tackling things with my head for 5-6 hours a day. it's too bad most of us are seniors and can no longer join football to enjoy the two-a-day practice, but for you underclassmen, i highly recommend joining next year just for the occasion. there's just something in a man's genes that say "JOIN FOOTBALL AND BE A MAN!" be a man, indeed. since we don't live in a society of constant war (tay is NOT allowed to comment on that, although i'd like some back-up concerning football and my point of this post) young males find the need to satisfy their bloodlust for battle in other ways - opting for the gridiron. i'm not one to say "you're only a MAN if you play football" but i've found that it is an intense test of character that many make fun of (i.e. let's make fun of chet) but in the end are just too weak, physically and especially mentally, to do it themselves. in my opinion, it's one of the toughest things to get through, second to boot camp, medical school, or possibly NASA training camp. it's one of those things that is so utterly stupid, and so rigorous, that when you finally conquer it, the feeling is awesome because you've gotten through something difficult, and the only thing you've got to show for it is your growth as a person that no one else understands. so, i create this post in honor of high school football across the nation, and also in honor of lost IQ points and running down the field in football pads for 20 minutes with no end in sight.....and hey, where else can you hold hands and slap the asses of other men and not be called gay?



by the way - kubas, you better hang that sign from your trumpet and supply me with handwarmers.

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18 Comments:

At 12:38 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger jobble said...

two things. first I wouldn't say noone calls football players gay... and second that study was done on soccer, not football, so technically there is no proof that football makes you a man contrary to soccer where there is proof.

 
At 12:59 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger keuber said...

welcome back, bundy.

 
At 1:06 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger constant_k said...

Good post.

If I had to choose between football camp or soccer camp as far as which is more greuling, I'd say soccer. I realize football has more contact, but soccer is just insane as far as the level of intensity, endurance, and physical fitness each player needs to have.

But I've never done a real football practice so I'm not really qualified to tell the difference. Has anyone here done both sports?

 
At 1:58 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger the dain train said...

i do cross-country skiing, and beleive me you need a lot of endurance, strength for that. no contact unless you take a diver when going down a hill or hit a tree. i've done both of those, but during a race you hardly feel it, unless the snow is hard, then it hurts.

 
At 4:42 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger keuber said...

i have done football and soccer in the same year. (football for school soccer for summer)

i think football is way harder. in football you're always sprinting/hitting/tackling. (at least at corner)

in soccer, there's a LOT more running...but i'd contend that your heart rate isn't as high as in football. (that would be the "grueling" factor)

on the other hand, you need to be in a lot better shape to play soccer. so, i guess it would depend what you define as "more difficult"...do you analyze the "grueling" or "physical fitness" factors?

grueling: i'd give the edge to football

physical shape: soccer

that's my 2 cents. or sense.

 
At 6:26 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger bundy said...

just a point of reference - losing IQ points does not make you a man. and i'm sorry i even made a reference to soccer because there are way more soccer players (about 50) than football players (me and half of kubas) here, and you guys would obviously think soccer is more difficult, which wasn't any point of my post. in fact, my post didn't have much to do with physical fitness, let alone which was the tougher sport. it just had to do with the fact that you get your ass kicked around for 5+ hours a day. but in that fashion, i like the way kubas phrased the difference between the intensity of the two sports, and believe me, i played soccer for 7 years, and it was TOUGH, i will not lie to anyone....but i do have to say football was more difficult. thank you all for the interesting comments....and kubas, dammit i better see that sign when i get on the field!

 
At 6:58 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger constant_k said...

which sign? Rugged and Unorthodox, I hope.

 
At 7:16 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger bundy said...

that would be a good one, kubas - BUNDY #46, A RUGGED AND UNORTHODOX MUSTACHE

 
At 8:08 PM, August 30, 2006, Blogger keuber said...

bundy--the band doesn't play for the first game.

but every home game after that--count it!

...and i was thinking "SIR BUNDY"

"rugged and unorthodox..." that's too many letters----> not visible from outer space.

 
At 12:20 AM, August 31, 2006, Blogger sherlock said...

getting hit takes a lot out of you. you feel the ache in your bones-and I only did football in 9th grade.
However, according to Matt Damon as Loki, the Angel of Death in Dogma, "Mass Genocide is the most exhausting activity one can engage in, next to soccer." Soccer must be pretty grueling

 
At 1:43 AM, August 31, 2006, Blogger Tay said...

k, so as like the only person who has commented here (and perhaps on our entire little blog network) i figure i'll take bundy's cue and put in my two cents.

first off, two-a-days aren't nearly as bad as bundy makes them out to be. and while you guys might come up with the completely false, however somehow univerally accepted excuse that linemen have the easiest practice, you are dead wrong. o-linemen have it by far the hardest. unlike other positions where contact is brief and minimal, linemen have to practice with constant contact (like in games) and have for more footwork and speed drills, not to mention the fact that unlike other positions we don't just stand in line to do one-on-one drills. easiest position? quarterback. both of these statements are true and irrefutable.

so that brings me to number two: bundy, suck it up. you didn't have to go through my sophomore year two-a-days when in the ten days we had practice, it topped 100 five times. there were times i literally couldn't breathe it was so hot.

however, there is number three (and bundy's relief). two-a-days in football are by far the most physically challenging thing in high school. not even the triathalon beats it out if taken as an entire experience. bundy is completely right that it takes over your life for two straight weeks. regiments of 4 ibueprofins 4 times a day, waking up early (like 7) to go to practice, get wet, sweaty, and dirty, go home to shower, eat, and maybe nap a little, then do it all over again. by the end of it you are so mentally exhausted from learning new plays and having had your ass beaten for the last two weeks you don't know which way is up. i don't care what any of you say, soccer practices once a day and they do running and some passing type drills. no real contact. we have problems explaining to our coaches that it might not be a good idea to do full contact drills with just helmets and mesh on.

so no, football is not for sissies and two-a-days suck. but you do them and they make you a better person.

and bundy, we aren't a country of constant war - just when bush's are in office...

 
At 1:46 AM, August 31, 2006, Blogger keuber said...

disagree:

toughest/most physically challenging thing in sports:

wrestling practice.

 
At 10:21 AM, August 31, 2006, Blogger constant_k said...

Wasn't there a rule about tay not commenting on this post?

Gee whiz tay, I hope some Dirtmouth babes read this comment thread. Maybe then they'll see what a manly man you are.

 
At 6:20 PM, August 31, 2006, Blogger Jason said...

What are you, Beaver Cleaver? Who says "gee whiz" anymore?

 
At 11:06 PM, August 31, 2006, Blogger bundy said...

wrestling practice is a bitch, in the fact that they USED TO (i don't believe it's still legal) make people literally run until they puked....while wearing sweat clothes. i have first-hand experience of this, by the way. but my whole point was that two-a-days are a bitch in so many more ways than physical activity. for example, the defensive coordinator for the last couple of years, who was "let go for certain reasons," used to swear loudly and inconsiderately and treat his players like shit on a constant basis. what other sport has THAT? tay - i agree lineman practices are tough, but try doing two practices a day with coach idstrom's ass jawing about god know's what and throwing his straw hat around. THAT was a bitch, indeed. thank god for brakke.

 
At 2:08 AM, September 01, 2006, Blogger Tay said...

no, max, i just wasn't allowed to post about the country being in a state of constant war (which i did anyway, but since when have i followed the rules of this blog).

bundy, idstrom was amazing. i mean i really like brakke, but it was exactly the fact that you had no idea what the hell idstrom was saying that made him great. he was old school. coached for the fun of it, not for the paycheck or some sort of glory. this is not to comment on any of the current coaches. i have known all of them my entire life and like them all. i mean i would say we have the best coaching staff in the entire state. but that aside, idstrom was great. i'm sure he will end up being missed in a way.

and also max, i don't need girls from dartmouth to read this thread for them to see i'm manly. they just have to look at me.

 
At 10:50 AM, September 01, 2006, Blogger Erik said...

"Dartmouth babes?" Yeah right.

 
At 4:43 PM, September 01, 2006, Blogger jobble said...

lol, triathlon (look at the spelling tay) is way harder. Maybe 2 a days are so hard cause barely any football players come to practice fit.

 

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