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+---- Thread: *Offseason Time (/showthread.php?tid=40556)
*Offseason Time - TheHammer43 - 08-03-2022
For some it's amazing and for some its pain. Offseason. I personally feel a little bit of both; on one hand I get to go home and visit some family! Never been this far away from home in my whole life, hell, I rarely ever left the province of Ontario until I was drafted into the DSFL. It's been hard, part of me thinks being this far from home plays a part on the field for me. When my parents visit it really makes up for it and I'll admit I play a little harder than usual. But something as small as snow plays a big part for me. I lived in Canada for my whole life and coming to Dallas and never seeing a single flake of snow really hits me. So this offseason I'm definitely spending some quality time with the family, might go visit some of my favorite places! Going to take a little trip to my old university McMaster, they set up a little ceremony up for me to unveil a banner with my name and number on it and that really tugs at my heart strings. Gonna surprise a few people at a restaurant I used to love going to called "Hutches On The Beach" It's got memorabilia from my local CFL team as old as the early 1950's and it's truly beautiful to see!
Now, on the other hand, of offseason is the bad part... if you have an early offseason that obviously means your didn't make playoffs, and when you don't make playoffs that means there's a lot of work to be done, so unfortunately that means that my trip home has to be a relatively short one. There is work to be done. Now we all see where the problems are. We're at risk of losing a couple of the boys on the team, and we have a couple of spots to fill this upcoming draft, but myself? How am I going to spend this offseason? Well, I'm not only going to be hitting the practice field a lot along with the weight room, but I'm going to be studying, and by studying I mean studying. I'm going to be spending my time watching the ISFL playoffs and seeing who is who and why they make an impact. I've been given a player or two to keep my eye on and see what their strengths are, and not only have I been doing that during the season, but I'm really doing it now. I won't mention any names because I don't want to inflate any egos, and that's something I want to avoid when I get into the ISFL, maybe I'll tell them, once they finally retire. But once I get into the ISFL them having that mental advantage over me could be a game changer. So for now I watch in silence and learn. That's what you get for not making the playoffs, It's not all fun, games and vacation during the offseason, and if it is for you then it's gonna reflect on the field. Offseason should be a sign to you that there is work to be done, take this little hint if you've made it this far, Stay away from the beaches and the bars and stick to the locker room. You're teammates need you, not only do they need you to progress your game on the field, but they need you to inspire and encourage them, if they see you putting in the work day in and day out then maybe they'll do the same, I'm not sure if anyone really thinks about it, but no one should want to be the one weighing the team down, no one wants to be the one who feels like they're not putting in the same amount of effort as the rest of the team, and if you do then the ISFL isn't going to be a pretty place for you.
So that's a look into my offseason. Got a week and a half with my family back in Ontario, little mental break for myself to get back to one hundred percent, exactly where I need to be and then right back into work baby. Dallas... next season, we're leaving it all on the field! Maximum effort all around! Go back and look at all the hate we were getting and hold that dearly, take it personal. Next season is Bird Dog season!