It looks like complete chaos, but the joy on these young faces shows the benefits of competition.Īs the band blasted out the National Anthem and the crowd stood in honor, a realization hit me like never before. In the northeast corner of the stadium, I could spot this game going on with no athlete taller than 5 feet and no athlete older than age 10. No matter where you watch a high school football game in America, another game always goes on simultaneously. As I sat and became an observer, things jumped out and warmed my heart. Kathy and I sat several rows up on the 40-yard line as Coach Bob took his traditional spot on the fence line near the 20-yard line. I have rarely sat in the stands of a high school football game in the last 35 years of my life and career, but on this night, I wanted to experience this high school football in its purest form. The lack of diversity in the Sandusky crowd was obvious to the eyes. The range of nationalities in New York was a testament to the “melting pot” title bestowed on the city. The stadium at Sandusky was surrounded by corn fields, and the only building within eye site taller than one story was the press box. Our hotel in lower Manhattan was 55 stories and surrounded by buildings equally tall or taller, with the One World building topping at 100 stories in height. The Sandusky concession stand gave us 3 hot dogs, 1 popcorn, 1 Gatorade, and one Diet Coke for less than 10 bucks. The average breakfast bill for us in New York was 40 plus dollars, and the dinner bills easily topped the 100-dollar mark. Upon entering the stadium, Kathy and I hit the concession stand as our choice for dinner. He was a true warrior on this beautiful fall night.Īt every step of the night, I chuckled inside, comparing the environment and atmosphere’s polarity. I promised Kyle at the end of our session I would come to one of his home games, and he did not disappoint. This summer, at Bob’s request, I worked with Kyle to improve his QB skills, and once I worked with Kyle, I was a fan.Ī mature athlete with old school manners, “yes sir, no sir, thank you, Coach.” An athlete that still holds on to a fading characteristic, eye contact. Her competitive fire is something I have rarely seen in a high school athlete. Kristen Guibord (Bob’s daughter) is one of the best athletes I ever coached at Marine City. We joyfully watched Coach Bob’s Staskiewicz (my mentor) grandson Kyle Guibord as he quarterbacked the Sandusky Redskins match up with the Cass City RedHawks. This weekend my wife and I had the pleasure of witnessing a high school football game in the small town of Sandusky, Michigan. I enjoyed the weekend as we experienced some of New York’s classic tourist attractions. Last weekend my wife and I visited the bustling city of New York to celebrate her birthday. In the world of modern travel, it is amazing how one can be in such different parts of America in just one week’s time. The smell and sounds in the air intensified anxiety at one end and created soothing harmonic biorhythms at the other end. The physical contrasts could not be more striking.
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