Football program is about more than sports
I grew up an Army brat in a small community near Fort Bragg, NC. Almost everyone around us had some sort of ties to the Army. Most of our parents were transplants from other states. So that meant most of our grandparents and family members were from out of state also. Sometimes all we had was each other. The bond we created as children remains strong today. In fact my first childhood friend from NC attended the football game at Lucas Oil earlier this year. She now proudly wears her Linton Miner shirt on games nights as she cheers from NC.
I am beyond excited that my kids are able to create these same bonds through the football program. These boys spend just as much time with their teammates and coaches as they do at home. Its more than a practice or a game. It’s a brotherhood. A bond that can never be broken. On the field, they spill their blood, sweat, and tears to protect the brotherhood.
Off the field….it’s the same. Two years ago, a bond was created that no one will ever be able to break. Our freshman boys, then 7th graders, lost a teammate in a tragic accident. I didn’t know how to tell my son that his friend was gone. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do as a parent. There was nothing I could say or do to take away his pain. The only thing that could ease his pain was to be with his teammates. I stood in the funeral home as the Jr. High football team paid their last respects to the family, my heart hurt yet I was filled with such pride. These kids came together to honor their fallen brother. Something changed in the boys that night. They walked in broken boys and came out as brothers.
These are the most influential times of our children’s lives. The bonds made now, through whatever triumph or tragedy, will never be forgotten. I couldn’t pick a better group of people to share this bond with.
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