11 August 2008 America’s Fall Fun – Football, in the Far North!!

Journal

Saturday, August 9th, 2008 was the first game of the season for the Barrow Whaler’s Football team. They were playing the Skyview Panthers who traveled up from Anchorage for the game. A long way to go, and a little pricey with the standard fare being around $280/ person. Both teams were ready to play some exciting football when they took the field.

End Zone View - Cheap Seats - What Seats??? — The end zone view captures the size of the field. This field appeared smaller due to the limited sideline space as well as size of the bleachers.

There’s more to this story than the standard one high school team playing another. Most surprising is that the Barrow Whalers team is a little more than two years old. The story is told in detail in the article link that follows, the summary version is that the team was put together as a way to inspire students to do better in school and subsequently in the community. A very large contribution came in, a field was made, a team was created, and the Barrow Whalers continue to improve.

Background story are available at:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2008-08-07-alaska_camp_N.htm?csp=34 http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=tundra

First Down Play!! — The blue field is one of the most colorful parts of Barrow. The players on both sides appreciated the upgrade from a gravel strewn "field".

I enjoy watching events where athletes play because of the sheer joy or excitement of the sport. These kids played hard, as did the cheerleaders, on a cold, windy day, in the end the Barrow Whalers came out on top 36 – 27.

Half Time With Smiles — Half time with smiles for the team with the lead. They're serious, while having fun.

Half Time - Complete With Cheerleaders!! — The half time program did not have a band but it did have a sound system and cheerleaders out there doing their best to keep the crowd entertained. Everyone appreciated their efforts.

Hopefully, the game meant more to the players than winning or losing. I watched from the sidelines as a woman came to ask a question of the star running back for the visiting Panthers. The player, #26, came over and said, "Yes, ma’am, I’m #26, how can I help you?” she explained that the official roster was wrong and she needed to know his name, he told her and both went back to the game. The player showed the poise and grace that so often is missing in sports these days. The game was about respect for this player.

Attached below are some amateur audio clips from the first half of the game as well as my first attempt at doing play by play. It’s comical, clearly shows the windy weather out here, as well as my lack of experience. At the same time, the audio shows how we all have to try to do new things, whether you are a football player, a cheerleader, a parent, or an archaeologist. Trying new things allows us to be learners, to figure something out, and to have fun. Thanks for joining this learning experience.

PS: I don’t think I have to make plans to announce Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, FL next year.

PPS: Audio files will be loaded tomorrow. Check it out!!

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