I remember going to football practices and games when I was really young because my dad was coaching and my older brother was playing. I also remember falling in love with the game when I watched my favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks, win the Super Bowl. I remember my first football practice when I was in second grade, and I remember winning my eighth-grade championship.
These events led up to one of the most memorable and beneficial four months of my life: freshman football.
When I showed up to our first summer workout, I only knew a handful of kids from places such as middle school, previous football teams, and even my club lacrosse team. By our last game in September 2023, I knew every kid and made some of my best friends.
Aside from making friends, playing freshman football did a lot for me. It helped me grow in my faith, taught me values such as leadership, compassion, and trust, and made me a better person overall.
Most players who decide to play football in their freshman year play to meet new people as they come to a new school, try a new sport, or play because they have played before. Most of these players have one thing in common: going on to play football all four years of high school.
Freshman football helped me grow in my faith a lot. This is due to the coaches who are all very strong in their faith and the values that our team leans on. I learned how to talk to God more and that nothing is promised. We prayed after every practice and before and after every game, making it easy to talk to God outside and football.
Seeing starters on our team go down with injuries showed me that nothing is promised.
It taught me many values that can be used outside of football as well.
It taught me leadership and to pick up my teammates when they might drop the ball or run the wrong route. It also taught me how to lead by example.
Freshman football taught me compassion, to use not only towards my teammates and coaches but to everyone who may be slightly helping out with the team and my parents for making the sacrifices for me to play. I learned how to trust my teammates and coaches, knowing that even if the situation isn’t the best for me as an individual, I can count on it to be beneficial to our team.
All of these things culminated throughout the season. One of the things that stood out about our team is that we had trouble finding games to play. We only played three games the whole season and won none of them. All of these games happened to be over an hour away from Gibbons and one of the teams we played twice. Although there was doubt about if or when we’d be playing, it was great doing the thing I love with great people beside me. The lack of games was probably the only bad part about the season.
My experience with freshman football made me a better person overall. It gave me skills I can translate on and off the field that benefit others and myself.
Everyone can benefit from freshman football somehow; it is truly a great experience.
I will be a junior next year, and I am still playing football and I still go back to the things I learned freshman year. I still have relationships with the friends I made during that summer.
Freshman football made me who I am today, and I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.
