Stinky Football Players – Watch out Emma!

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Today’s Blog Post


Stinky Football Players – Watch out Emma!

I have mentioned before on this Blog that I am the Grandfather of a very interesting young lady by the name of Emma. If you think that I am kind of proud of Emma – you are pretty amazing to pick that up. I have dropped enough hints!

Yesterday was another Kinsmen Minor Football League day. Emma’s team was playing at 11 AM… so we were there in the stands with all the other happy parents and grandparents to watch our kids play football.

Now I have stated this before also. My Emma plays football and is the only girl on her team. She is shorter than most the players but gets right in there to do her best.

Emma is a kicker. On her team she does the kicking of the ball when they are attempting to get a convert… which for non-football people is the one small play at the end of a touchdown play. The touchdown earns 6 points for the team… and then Emma’s kick gets an extra 2 points if it goes over the bar at the end of the field and between the up rights.

Yesterday Emma’s kicked two good converts out of four tries. The other team’s kicker never got any. Sorry I am puffing up a little here.

Now Emma not only does the kicking she is also a ‘wide receiver’. This designated position places her out of harms way – way out to the right side of the terrible smashing and crashing that takes place at the center of the two lines. Her job is shove and push on one player that is trying to get back to the quarter back and do great damage to Emma’s team. It is pretty important and needs to be played well. It is also a good place for my Emma, so she won’t be smashed to a pulp by those other big dudes.

Yesterday her opponent that she was blocking was bigger than she was by about a foot or more. Her head was some where at the middle of his chest.

As I watched her play the position and do what she was supposed to do, it was a rather feeble effort to say the least. When the team went into action she would not really try too hard, pushing the guy a little – but not much. I know he was bigger but she was looking a bit lacklustre. The old get up and go in Emma had left.

The coach saw what was happening as well. We watched Emma come back and try hard after he talked with her about what she was not accomplishing. Emma got right into it.

Emma’s team won! Wahoo!!!

At our dinnertime together afterward I asked Emma about the blocking she was doing and why it seemed that she was not really into it.

With her face screwed up and her nose wrinkled she stated flatly the problem, “That guy stinks! He smelled terrible like old, dirty socks or something!!!”

Oh, oh the real girl in her had come against the BOY FACTOR of football that every parent knows only too well. Boys tend to stink after playing football. And if the football uniform was not washed out, which highly unlikely on this team, it will tend to stink more and more each week… until the even the boy wearing it can’t stand the smell.

Emma said, “When the coach asked me why I wasn’t blocking the other player, I told him that ‘The guy stinks!’ The coach told me, ‘I WANT YOU TO BLOCK THE GUY - NOT SMELL HIM!”

When we heard that revelation from the brilliant coach and witnessed Emma’s reaction to stinking football players… we howled around our table.

I don’t need to worry about Football Players messing with my Granddaughter… you know the classic guy girl problems at this age… because almost all Football Players STINK!

However there was one thing that my searching eye caught on the field action yesterday. I miss nothing… and what I miss… my wife catches…

Just after the one touch down by Emma’s team, she attempted the kick of the convert. Emma had missed this one. This missing can be discouraging for the best of the kickers on any team.

As the team was walking off the field Emma’s head was kind of down. That happens when you try hard and don’t get it.

It was at that moment a much taller dude on her team stepped in beside her and put his arm around her shoulder giving her a little hug. It was a quiet but definite act of kindness but Grandma caught it.

My wife said as she told me what she had seen, “It was so cute…”

CUTE! No way! She is my granddaughter and she is a beauty! She is a girl playing on a Boy’s Football Team… and they stink! And he had his arm around my granddaughter’s shoulders giving her a hug!!!! That isn’t cute… that isn’t football… that is something that I will be watching. Hey Buddy… you better keep her safe out there… and one hug is enough! Sheesh!

Emma is 11 years old now… but is beginning to think and act like a 16 year old. Oh Boy – I don’t think I am ready for this!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/