We host a first-round playoff game on Friday night — Halloween.
A fitting night for us to play.
For more than 2,000 years, dating back to the Celts who wore costumes on October 31 to disguise themselves from wandering spirits as they celebrated the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, people have been dressing up.
We tell our players they get to wear costumes every week. We ask them to walk the halls of our school and the streets of our community, mild-mannered and humble — like Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, and Peter Parker. But on Friday nights under the lights, when they don that helmet, strap on those shoulder pads, and pull over that jersey, they become Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man — or any other hero they choose to be.
In some ways, we ask them to personify an ideal — an ideal athlete, teammate, and version of themselves. Not as they are, but as they could be at their very best: a servant-leader who lifts others, puts the team before self, and competes with integrity.
This Friday, children and adults alike will dress as witches and ghosts, sports heroes, and movie characters. But for us, the helmets are our masks and the jerseys our capes. We’ll step onto the field as superheroes, measuring ourselves against the ideal versions of who we could be — this Friday night, and for as long as we keep playing.
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
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