meggyo's Weblog Site • NuTang.com

Standing on the sidelines, handing water bottles and towels to sweaty football players, and occasionally taping a bloody elbow does not seem like a job one would enjoy. However, not only are my Friday nights the most fun I have all week, but they also have showed me a different and admirable side of the Hershey High School football team.

From the stands, one sees adolescent guys with too much testosterone running into each other, dodging the bigger man, and sprinting toward the end zone. The less astute fan will see only the end score. This year, however, even the inattentive spectators have realized something is different with the team. They see the record, currently 5-1, but I see the spirit.

When a group of people spend two to six hours a day working, struggling, and overcoming obstacles, it is no wonder that this team is uniquely bonded. Once game time comes, they must trust each other to make the right decisions and work as a team.

Unlike other sports, one person cannot carry a football team. Each player works for the advancement of another. Even if individuals are not playing, they shout words of encouragement, tactics, and congratulations from the sidelines.

At halftime, the fans in the stands watch as a losing or winning team trudges down below. At halftime, as I follow them with the medical kit and water, I see a team determined to carry their heads high. The players try to forget what has already occurred and focus on what is to come.

Angry, frustrated words may echo behind a closed door, but only words of hope, determination, and belief carry out onto the field. After halftime, the team faces a new opportunity to show their pride and determination.

In addition to the team spirit, I am in awe of what these players go through every day. More than half of the team walks into the training room before every practice or game, waiting to be taped, wrapped, iced, heated, or medicated. Under all of the pads, the fans do not see the multiple injuries supported by tape and gritted teeth.

Football is not only about running into each other, scoring, and impressing the female population. It is about pushing yourself to the ultimate limits and helping others do the same.

As I walk back and forth along the sidelines, trying to squeeze myself in front so I can watch the game, cheer the team on, and hand out water, I am proud to have had the opportunity to work for such a fine group of guys who take the meaning of “the love of the game” to a whole new level.