There was a reception in the stadium locker room and then we headed to the field for lessons in passing and kicking. All of the coaches were involved, each working with a small group on the field. There were about 300 women in attendance. Don kept trying to figure out ways to go with me...couldn't happen. He missed a wonderful evening and is still crying about it.
From the field, we walked over to the Gug for 4 different sessions - equipment management, offense, defense and special teams. It was great to hear the coaches talk and get a feel for what the season would be like. All of the coaches (except one!) are new and they are very comfortable working together. I got the feeling that they were used to working with players that maybe 'aren't so bright'...explanations and processes seemed to be broken down to the very basics. Probably not a bad idea.
I think that my favorite part was in the locker room at the Gug. There was a note on a bulletin board in the hall (as you entered the Gug) saying "Absolutely no hats or earrings in the building." Love it! The two equipment managers shared a lot of interesting information. The 'theme' or decorations in the locker room are all new with Kelly. Everything seems very organized, down to the last detail. There was a very large photo on the wall explaining how the lockers had to be arranged...every locker looked exactly the same!!
The final event of the evening was a fashion show by the football players. The most amazing part of that activity was that Offensive Guard Chris Stewart (he wears a size 18 shoe and weighs 350+) did a split on stage! I guess we can thank the conditioning coaches for that one!
Bottom line, there is a wonderful energy among the staff and the players. It ought to be an interesting season - I am looking forward to it.....
Go Irish....Beat Boilermakers!
2 comments:
I really really really wanted to go but could not find a wig that worked for the evening. Girls have all the fun!
Nina - My apologies for not responding sooner. But now that I find myself watching reruns of any old Top 20 football game that shows up on the many sports channels on my cable, I realize how much I'm looking forward to the season.
This experience sounds amazing--I'm so glad you were able to participate. And I'm so glad it went as well (or better) as you probably expected it would.
So off we go into the unknown. In 28 days, we'll have our first impression, of the season, of the Kelly era, of the future of ND football. I'm glad you were offered an inside look in advance, and that your impressions are positive ones.
GO IRISH!!! BEAT BOILERS!!!
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