Return to Football

Football season is here.  Teams are practicing. Coaches are planning. Athletic trainers are working hard to keep athletes on the field. 

We’ve not yet experienced the blistering heat that August is known for but it’s early yet. We still need to stay hydrated and be smart when it’s hot.

That means hats, sunscreen, and frequent breaks. The main ingredient when you overheat is still the same—find a way to cool off. The best method is cold water immersion. That’s why you see big tubs and wading pools at high school football practices around here.

A cooler of ice is never far away and if an athlete appears to be having trouble dealing with the heat, in the tub they go. You should do the same.

I was in Moab several years ago and one of my biking buddies became seriously overheated. We got him into the bathtub and started tossing in bags of ice. It didn’t take long for him to recover.

Athletic trainers will often use an ice bath as a method of recovery. You would be surprised how fresh you feel the day after a hard workout if you have ended that practice with an ice bath. In recent years, you may have seen your favorite high school team gathered around, taking turns in the cold tubs.

Most don’t really like it but they quickly find out how much better it makes them feel, especially the next day. I first discovered this technique years ago while working with the US Olympic swimming team.

A lot of people refuse to allow their children to play football and part of me gets that. My wife has serious reservations about any of our grandsons playing football. I now have a knee replacement most likely to years of playing football and my son’s college career was ended by a serious injury.

But I truly believe that football is the best sport out there to teach teamwork and life lessons. To me, it is the ultimate team sport. If you don’t do your job on the football field—the team fails.

If you don’t make the block, your running back gets clobbered. If the quarterback throws a perfect pass, it means nothing if you drop the ball. If you don’t complete your defensive assignment, the other team scores. It takes all eleven, working together to be successful.

I’m often asked what makes the high school teams at Maryville and Alcoa so successful. In a nutshell (in my opinion), it is good players, good coaches, and teamwork.

Teenagers have few opportunities to truly prove themselves. Determination and persistence are most readily rewarded on our playing fields. That’s probably why I’m still such a fan of the game. I learned those things in spades on the football field.

Never the biggest, fastest, or most athletic, I made do with an extra helping of determination and persistence. Those same traits have served me well in over 43 years as a physical therapist. Those were lessons learned and repeatedly reinforced on the football field.

Is it a dangerous game? I wouldn’t call it dangerous. Players do get hurt. But there can be a good side to dealing with injuries. Injuries led me to a career that I truly love. Dealing with adversity gives us a whole new set of lessons.

We take risks every day. We drive on Alcoa Highway. We swim in the lake. We cross the Dragon. We fly in airplanes. We choose our risks and I happen to believe that for some, playing football is worth the risk.

And I know that both my son and I would do it again.