Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Sports

As I left, Coach highly suggested I take several ibuprofen. He constantly tells his players to take it. When I hit my pillow that night, I completely understood why - I wasn't sure I would ever move again.

Confidence in my mobility hadn't returned by the next day. I seriously considered calling my editor and asking if one day was good enough. But after some prodding from a friend, I sucked it up and went back out.

My reward for coming back out was hitting day. Coach said to go get the suits. However, what I saw weren't suits. They were more like samurai war garb and I was supposed to run headlong into these guys wearing these?

Yeah, right.

The funny thing was instinct seemed to just take over, and I found myself smacking into senior captain Tony Giubardo. I can honestly say that was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Probably also the most painful, but that's beside the point.

Afterward, all the bashing and crashing seemed more natural. In one hit, I found a new level of respect for the team. These guys work hard and deserve massive respect. They aren't animals when they play. They are something so much more.

And how about my performance on the field?

Coach said I really showed some talent. He said I could be good with some practice.

Thanks, Coach, I appreciate that. Now I'm going to ice down my entire body.

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