Fleming 1 Tanner Fleming Ms.

Rebecca Agosta English 1101 18 Nov 2013 Life Behind Pads Introduction: Most people, on any given day, move between and within several communities. They encounter their families, neighborhood, friends, immediate colleagues, people who share recreational or entertainment interests, and people who share their geographic area. In each community, there are conventions about what can be talked about, what gets assumed, and how things can all be seen in their own unique and different ways. These conventions shape into what we refer to as a discourse community. As a student-athlete I am exposed to discourse communities in an entirely different ways contrary to the life of a student who is just involved academically. Also, what makes my experience a little more unique, this is the first year the University of North Carolina Charlotte has had a football program. I will share how behaviors, languages, communication, and literacies have changed throughout the year based upon observation and my own involvement in this program.

Behaviors: On July 31st, it was officially time for football season to begin. On day one everybody showed a tremendous amount of excitement because it was time to start back at what we loved. It basically seemed obvious that this was the start of something special, as it is for any football team. There was a slight sense of resentment towards our first practices simply because of the

Fleming 2 summer heat which was constantly hovering around the 95-97 degree range. As you take this into account it makes it safe to say that football camp is a bittersweet feeling. We all want to play the game, just not in the tough conditions (multiple practices a day in taxing heat). About halfway through camp the closer we were getting to August 17th, the more excited we were to see a break and relief. Honestly, you could say that our camp is a small-scale representation of the entire season based on our mentality as a team. The beginning of the regular season was great; it was almost like we looked forward to our practices then. While as opposed to now, the off-season cannot come soon enough. Because we are in the early formation stage of a team, we started in the acquaintance and familiarization phase. This means getting to know each members personal background, skills, and personal traits or behaviors. As individuals get to gradually accept each other in a team, understanding individual behavior is an essential step in the initial stage of team development In the long run, a team should generate a collective behavior that is complementary to each member to be more effective. Being on the team isnt something everybody can do. I mean football is primarily a boys sport, however there have been exceptions in high school but never at the collegiate level of play. From a coachs standpoint, they have to see a significant amount of potential and a high performance level to make it to where we are. I know that across the nation, statistically, high school football programs tend to generate 1-3 potential scholarship-worthy athletes. But there are always the cases where some schools see no players making it to play in college as well as those that have a handful in a given year. High school athletics are considerably lesser in the work load in a schedule based outlook.

Our typical week begins at 6am on Monday morning when we meet together as a team to briefly discuss the previous game (which was the Saturday before). Usually, people begin to arrive as early as 5:40am to start getting their practice gear on before meetings (thermals, athletic

Fleming 3 clothes, practice jersey). When we arrive that early in the morning nobody really says much, if anything at all. Its almost like everybody is sleep walking. From 6am-6:50am we meet with our designated position coaches: quarterbacks, running backs/H-backs, offensive lineman, defensive lineman, kickers/punters, linebackers, and defensive backs all have different coaches. The coaches interact with us as we evaluate film by going over our missed assignments and putting together a plan that will better us for the next opponent. When the meetings are over everybody immediately heads back into the locker room to dress out for practice which begins at 7:15am. From 6:50-7:14 all athletes are allowed to see trainers for taping and adjustments. I want to say around 90% of the team gets taped before every practice which could mean their ankles, fingers, wrists, shoulders, etc. need support or cushioning to prevent or limit injury and pain to prior injuries.

Practice on Mondays are on the game field and begin with a ten to twelve minute dynamic warm up. After stretching, we go straight into conditioning which consists of 4-10 100 yard sprints. Our practice is divided into twelve, five minute periods in which we participate in individual position and team drills. The first eight periods are designated for individual drills while the last four are team oriented. Obviously, some drills are harder than others and require more physical strain. Others are centered more around knowledge and demonstrating correct technique. The players behaviors tend to reflect on how the coach is acting. If the coach is serious, we are serious. As the twelfth period comes to a close, the team regroups in the middle of the field for a quick briefing from Coach Lambert. His attitude at this time is always an indication of how he felt our practice went that morning, which typically is good on a Monday. This is where coach makes any announcements and reminders that we should be focused on. We then meet again at

Fleming 4 4pm that day to review our practice that morning and begin our scouting process for the next upcoming opponent. And this is just a Monday. When we return to the locker room the players shower and get ready for class. During this time, everybody is fully awake and visibly livelier than we are before position meetings at 6am. Everyday somebody hooks their phone up to the speakers and we listen to music (hip-hop, rap, with occasional country). There seems to be a sense of relief when practice is over. Football is like a job; and not an easy one at that. So when we realize that we are basically done for the day, it tends to brighten our spirits. Although, we do have a scheduled lifting session as well as position meetings later in the day. As I had mentioned earlier it is really important to have a strong relationship as a team in order to complement each other to our fullest capabilities in all aspects on and off the field. We spend more time with each other than we do with our families or other classmates. In a sense, we become family to one another. Every Friday before a game we have go to the movie theatre to watch a recently released film just to feel a little more human. Afterwards we have a dinner together and just get a break from our lifestyle. Starting a season most teams tend to share common goals which are all generally centered on winning every game or at least having a winning season. Winning is the clearest form of success that everybody can understand regardless if they are in the community or not. Larry Ogunjobi, a teammate in his sophomore year here at Charlotte, was asked about the typical goals he sought out he answered, Well, we obviously want to win. I also believe that each individual wants to better themselves so that they can have more of an impact to reach their own personal goals (statistically). Mid-season practices really started to take a toll on our bodies and mentality particularly because we had started to lose a few games up to this point. The locker room had a

Fleming 5 lets just make it through another day rather than a great, another day of football thought process. With just one game left, I feel that there is more excitement towards making it to the offseason which outweighs the excitement of getting to play in another game the upcoming Saturdays. I hear a lot of Man I cant wait for this s*** to be over, Just a little longer, guys, Were almost done. When Larry was questioned about how he felt about our daily schedule and lifestyle he responded, Its nice, I guess. Sometimes you just really need a break from things and thats hard to find with what we have to do and how we prepare. Even though we are in great shape and conditionally well off it all just has caught up to us from the first summer practices up until the last week of the season. Fatigue. Everybody walks around tired. The nicks and bruises are starting to come more and more apparent as the season is reaching an end. But Larry also went on to tell how being a part of the environment and community has affected him as a person. I know that this community has made me a better person. I constantly find myself striving for excellence whether that is on the field playing or off. Thats just how the game changes you. Its hard to establish a definite behavior characteristic that stays consistent throughout the year because of the on-going emotional fluctuation. However, I do believe it is safe to say that people outside of the community feel differently. Football is a sport that most people love to watch be a part of. Especially at the level we are playing at now. Youve got the parents who have been supporting their kids from the first game they played regardless if they were 7 years old when they started or 15, as well as the other college students that have something to do on Saturday. I asked Larry what he thought about the outsider perspective and he stated, I feel like the campus loves it. It brings a new atmosphere, people have a reason to stay on the weekends rather than going home. Its growing, and as we continue to grow, so will the interest in the student body. As far as family, I feel like they love it

Fleming 6 as well. They show up at every game even if its a couple hour drive. Some people use it as an excuse to come out and consume a little alcohol and get rowdy in the crowd cheering or acting foolish. While others see it as a time just to watch the game they love to see and support the school they go or went to. Its particularly interesting in our case as an inaugural season here in Charlotte because many people in the community have been craving it since Chapel Hill, NC State, East Carolina, Duke, etc. all have their own team to support. I just know that most people think its nice to have something to cheer about in such a high populated area even though we arent what is referred to as a football town similar to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Not yet anyways. I guess the only thing that makes us different from another community would be our terminology and schedule. Our terminology is consistently demonstrated in our playbook which includes dozens and dozens of plays which give each individual a separate assignment in a game situation. For example we started off at the beginning of the season simple by executing plays that were straight forward and as the season progressed and is progressing we advance into more complex assignments and stunts, if you will. Example of a simple play: Okie Two Now: Stem Okie Field Dog Twist 3 Rock The community is separated in a sense that there are novices and experts on the team. Coaches and athletes in their senior year or those with most experience tend to demonstrate leadership and knowledge that others have not quite developed. The coaches are our teachers and instructors as well as our structure. Our seniors (which there are very few) are more commonly seen as leaders who are sought out by the younger guys for advice, tips, inspiration, and also maturity when that seems to be lost at some points.

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Works Cited Ogunjobi, Larry. Personal Interview. 6 Nov. 2013.