One week until the Syracuse Orange starts the 2014 college football season with a Friday night game in the Carrier Dome against the Villanova Wildcats, and so it’s time to pay tribute to …
The boys were practicing hard this week at Norwood Park.
The Eastwood Bears. The youth football teams are also gearing up for their seasons at their home base, a grass field with no roof, friendly Norwood Park, the destination of so many walks for beloved rescue mutt Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I.
We wandered past serious practicing Tuesday night, and I asked one father on the sidelines how our kids looked so far this season. He said it was too early to tell. Perhaps he’ll have a better grasp after a scrimmage.
There’s more than one age group.
Coaches had different age groups scattered about the complex, providing instruction.
The older the players, the more attentive the seemed to be to the plays being designed.
Huddle up, young Bears.
But that did not mean every level of squad did not receive the utmost in preparation for this season to come.
As I walked with Elle B and snapped pictures with my iPhone 4, one coach said, “Hey, a scout,” sounding much like he thought I was trying to find stuff out for an opposing team. “No, I’m an Eastwood guy,” I assured him.
Parents watched with interest.
On the field where the younger squads practiced, parents lined behind one end zone in portable chairs.
It was a slice of Americana.
Over on the side, girls listened to cheerleading coaches.
A clubhouse to store equipment, and sell food at games, too.
The Bears’ banner boasts of both programs.
I took a picture of them, too, but a woman coach ran over and told me that concerned parents told her to inform me that I was not welcome to take pictures of their children without getting their permission.
I can understand their concern, but it’s unfortunate that icy emotion has become as much a part of our culture as that more warming slice of life pictured above.
Thus, there’s no photo of the girls receiving their cheerleading instruction.
Norwood Park for the others.
For siblings and friends not so interested in the football, the Norwood Park playground sure came in handy with its swings, slides and other staples of good, old-fashioned exercise.
Kids and parents ran over to pet Ellie B. She smiled at them.
On Saturdays, we can hear the Eastwood Bears home games from our back porch. We walk over. Ellie B likes to watch, but her attention span isn’t that long.
Have you spotted youth football teams practicing in your neck of the woods? Have you had sons or relatives play football, and were you in favor or against it, and why? Yay or nay about my taking pictures of the Tuesday night happenings at Norwood Park for this blog?
Mark Bialczak 
Fall football at the local level, is so special and gets me in the mood for time to get my sweaters out, Mark! I loved my days of marching band, being on the side of the team, playing the ‘fight song’ and riding home in the band bus. I feel that these memories really just came from your post, thank you! I have been hearing our local band practice over on OWU turf, since they have the space to practice, while the football team is over on the football field practicing. I liked your photos and your slice of American Pie, today!
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You have a great slice of Americana in your backyard, Robin. Hearing the marching band practice if spectacular. My goodness, I know where my sweaters are in my closet, too. Time to put them on the top of the shelf. Almost!
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Nay on me watching football. Yea about your taking photos of them playing. I know some parents get weird about photos of their kids, but I think it’s “newsy” and you did a great job. 🙂
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The photographs of kids. What a sticking point Rachel. Thanks for a photographer’s view!
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Any time, my friend. 😀 You’ve got a great eye. 🙂
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I thought if they were in “public,” you could take anyone’s picture, especially since there are surveillance cameras. Awful world we live in, where you can be accused of being a scout or a possible pedophile all in one moment. Those boys look comfortable. We have received several prayer requests for our local school football players to not pass out in this incessant 102 heat. Glad kids are still allowed to gather and form teams to compete. I hope that’s not called “bullying” soon.
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Football in that heat is awfully dangerous, Kerbey. I add my prayers for your kids. Our kids up here don’t have that to countend with.
Yes, the photo issue, I will not fight with anybody’s wishes. Not worth it for this little blog here.
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Terrified. But the pads are in his 7th grade locker for Monday and he’s ready to be the A team’s center, or left offensive line man….we shall see.
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I can hear your parental fear, Aud. I hope for only the little nicks and ouches of the game. Have fun between the anxiety, my friend.
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That whole picture thing is something that pops up when I go to local events. I’ve just taken to asking if it will be a picture that is close up and one can make out the face. If it’s far away like some of your photos in this post, I just snap away.
Kids are an exception, Either I don’t take them at all or I ask, and tell parents exactly where I’m using the picture, give them a business card, etc.. Still I bet it’s less scary because I’m a woman and people don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that I am a predator?
It is sad that the world has come to a place where we fear for our children in this way…
Diana xo
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oh, this really is a slice of americana, you are so right. i love the teams, filled with littles of all sizes, and you just have to root for them to win, they are so excited about it all. i’m all for team sports, i think it teaches a lot of really good life skills to be part of a team, to have to listen to a coach, and to follow rules and learn discipline and work towards a common goal as a group. very nice of you to support them too. i thought he meant you were a scout looking to recruit for the big leagues, wasn’t thinking about the ‘spy’ factor )
as they get older, and the sports get more intense, i do worry about the long term effects of the head injuries from aggressive play. i’d really have to have a long conversation, if i had a son who wanted to play at a higher level before making that decision.
sad state of affairs about the pictures and it is the way of the world these days, and something is lost in that. in general, i do have to ask permission when using kids for my blog, unless it is a random street shot, and i know that with the rise of social media, and everyone having access to pictures, parents want to protect their kids more than ever from people who might prey on them. it’s a tough balance on both issues.
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Hey Beth! About your concern around head injuries. You’re not alone. There is a technology now that has sensors in the helmets that transmit to a terminal at the end of the game. It records every impact and rates it against a scale of seriousness. It does individual as well as cumulative impacts. The coach can pull a player or send him/her to a doctor before any permanent injury occurs. It is quite expensive yet a few professional teams are using it. Once it gets into production, no doubt the cost will come down enough to make it feasible for amateur teams as well. It will also likely end up being a wireless product that can give real time data. More improvements are necesary yet, but it won’t be long before it is in the hands of the public. http://www.isthq.com/Products/HIRTS1HighgHelmetImpactRecorder.aspx?gclid=CNvKrJjppsACFcI-MgodSQwAlg
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good to hear, paul –
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That sounds like great technology, Paul, but sort of after the fact to me. I want technology that stops the concussion, not treats it. There are those that say it was better before the big, bulky helmet.
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I love the values that these sports teach, Beth, I am with you on that. And, yes, football is tough on the body at all ages, but more so as players get bigger and the collisions become more aggressive. It would be a hard decision at the junior high and high school level for a parent, but I would acquiesce to a child’s wishes. Yes, a daughter of mine could play football if that’s what she wanted. (Easy for me to say because mine played softball and field hockey, perhaps, but I do mean it.)
About the pictures, I do understand for the closeups of the kinders that you share, yes, asking permission is wise and graceful. But the faraway, fly-on-the-wall photos I prefer … I just like to point and shoot and hope for art that doesn’t hack anybody off.
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i agree with all of that ,mark –
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It’s good to see all the participants – so many in a world where we are all accused of being couch poratoes. It’s great. The picture thingy – well, I guess you have to obey their desires. Funny how decades ago we read in National Geograpic and other such discovery publications,and we laughed that some tribes that did not allow their pictures taken for fear of their souls being stolen. And now we are them. I understand their fears and I abhor the fact that we have come to this.
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Yes, Paul, I agree that it gives me great pleasure to see the park in my neighborhood alive with so many people having fun with these activities.
As for the photo issue, I pledged at the beginning to not go around “asking.” Snap and publish is my world. Our world. I don’t take compromising photos or star photos or embarrassing photos. I’ll take down anything anybody requests me to, or won’t publish anything anybody asks me not to. It is sad that people have these fears that they are being invaded for evil reasons.
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