It has been too long since the last Long Snapping Lifestyle post! This summer, all of the seniors and juniors on the University of Northern Iowa football team have been asked to share what motivates them to do what it takes to be a college athlete. Everyone has their own story, each one of them as great as the next, but I felt like this was a good opportunity for me to share what I had written with everyone that keeps up the the LSLS.
I have a lot of motivating factors in my life, it was difficult for me to narrow it down to just one thing. When I think about what drives me day in and day out, it all comes back to family. It's simple, those are the people that want to see you succeed, those are the people by your side through everything, and those are the people you can depend on when shit gets tough.
I do this for my blood. I do it for the name on my back. The name given to me by my father. The same name my little brother wears on Friday nights just down the road. The name my children will wear someday. You can bet your ass I want to make my family proud.
We all get to represent that name that was given to us. A lot of things about a person can be forgotten when someone leaves this Earth, but a name can represent a family forever. It is my job, my responsibility, and my honor to pass that name, and all that it represents, down to my children some day.
I do this for the panther logo I get to wear on my helmet, the brand that I represent on and off the field. Each and every one of us has a common history in this building, in that dome, in the purple and gold that we wear. There are people all around this town that want nothing more than to see us succeed. We have a room filled with incredible athletes because of the purple and gold that we represent. I know that Jackson Scott-Browndoesn't want to let his family down, I know Jaylin James isn't here to just be average, Aaron Graham didn't stick with football just to let this family down, and Trevor Allen doesn't want to compete with sorry athletes. We are here to be great and to succeed.
The last family that I work for is the flag that we all live under. I graduated high school with 7 other football players, all 8 of us loved football; only I get the opportunity to continue playing this amazing game. 5 of those men, my brothers, went on to serve our nation's military. 4 of them have seen tours of duty, from places like Afghanistan to Syria to Korea. They risked their lives to give us this opportunity to play a game. A simple, fun game. If they can put their life on the line then we can finish through the line.
If you're not willing to give everything you have, not willing to push yourself to be great, not willing to run through that line, then the door is right behind you. You aren't a part of this family if you aren't willing to do what it takes to succeed.
I love talking to people about what really drives them. It reveals a lot about their values and what they hold close to their heart. I want to encourage everyone to leave a comment about what drives them to be great!
I want to apologize, it has been forever since our last blog post! There is no better time to drop a post about snapper superstitions than on Friday the thirteenth. In high school, I hated superstitions and I never wanted to give in to those ideas. Now that I am a specialist I've bought all in about the superstitions. Every...
This week we are covering everything there is to ever know about long snapping. There's no need to go to expensive camps anymore, no need to examine film, or work on your technique. I have created the ultimate guide for long snapping. Follow these three simple steps and you will never ever have to worry about a bad snap ever again:...
Now is the best time of the year to work on your long snapping skills! With the off-season in full swing there are plenty of camps all around the U.S. to provide you with coaches that have a lot of knowledge on long snapping. (Feel free to hit me up if you want to snap in Iowa) A lot of...
