Ian Glassic is author of next 2015-2016 MLHS senior student editorial
Life is Not Enough Like Football
Typically, when someone hears the word football, dusty August weather, fall, their fantasy league, or the previous Sunday night Vikings game comes to mind. However, I have deeper meanings behind the word. To me and my fellow captains, football means family, character, and life.
After spending about two-to-three hours together for three months, a team will start to link together to form a family. Just like any family, a team needs a house, mentors, and siblings. The field is my home, a place where my team and I can go and forget about everything. My coaches fill in the role of being the parents on the field by supporting me, but also setting me straight if I screw up. Together my teammates and I grow into brothers with every memory we make on the field. All of these bonds continue to increase through both success and hardships.
In addition to football providing me with a second family, it has also made me into a better person. Playing the sport is an extremely emotional ride; I went from feeling on top of the world after the Edgerton/Ellsworth game to feeling as if I had failed against Madelia a few weeks later. Through these ups and downs, I have learned how to overcome adversity and power through struggles yet stay humble when things go my way. When I was a sophomore, I had basically no athletic ability; I give my coaches and teammates the credit for pushing me into becoming the athlete I am today and making me into a better person. I do not know what my future would be if I had not had them or football in general.
Even though a football season lasts only a few months, the character skills I have acquired and lessons I have learned will impact my life long after the season is over as I continue to set and accomplish goals in the future. Because of football, I will not only be able to handle myself better when hard times come my way, but I will also become a better leader in anything I do.
Football is more than just a game or a fantasy league; it is a lifestyle. Bill Hauser, the author of the book Seasons in The Sun said, “Some people say football is not enough like life, but I feel like life is not enough like football.” I believe that if I were to measure the hearts of the forty guys on my team, Bill’s quote would be true.