Dec. 27, 2008
Day Five - Entry One - 4:45 p.m.
It's been another busy day for the Huskies, with lots to report on.
The team, along with the Louisiana Tech players and others opened the day at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast. I skipped it (7:30 a.m. breakfast? No thanks.), but I heard good things from Coack Kill, Larry English and Chandler Harnish at the press conference. More on the presser later.
I met up with a group of seniors who were returning from the breakfast, and immediately hopped on a bus for Louisiana State University Medical Center, where the Huskies helped bring some Independence Bowl spirit to several children with serious illnesses. The kids got autographs and pictures with the players, helping brighten the kids' day, but the Huskies may have gotten even more out of the experience. The visit visibly moved Chase Carter, who has a healthy 20-month-old daughter named Nevaeh.
"The first thing that came to my mind was my daughter. I had to walk out, because I couldn't bear to sit there and see it," he said afterward. "I know it's somebody else's little girl laying in a hospital bed."
Chase said he enjoys trying to cheer kids up, and how spending time with an NIU football player can make their day. And while the players showed the kids a good time, I think the kids gave the players a renewed appreciation for how lucky they truly are.
I had to jet from the hospital a little early to make it to the press conference at Independence Stadium, where Coach Kill, Larry and Chandler addressed the media. Without a doubt, Coach Kill addressing the incredible and varied benefits of the bowl system was the highlight. Here's (in my opinion) the best bit of what he said:
"Our experience here at the Independence Bowl, seeing the growth of these young people over the past month and past week - I am all for the bowl system. I don't think we should get away from it. I've been in the playoffs and the thing that people forget is this thing is about the kids, and their experience has been unbelievable. They have seen a part of the country they might never get to, they get to have experiences that can't be replaced. There's nothing like the bowl system in how it rewards the kids and how it helps them grow." Good stuff.
To finish the afternoon, the whole team headed back to Independence Stadium for a walk-through. But strong warnings from local meteorologists about an incoming thunderstorm proved prophetic, as heavy rain slammed the stadium just after the Huskies arrived. So the team improvised, breaking up into positional groups and using concourses to walk through much of what they had set out for the day. The "practice" personified the character of the team this year: no excuses, just hard work regardless of the circumstance.
The Huskies are now what I call "quiet mode," with just meetings and another walk through tomorrow before the game. No more luncheons, banquets, tours, visits, or rallies. For fans there is a pep rally tonight at the Shreveport Convention Center, but for players and coaches, it seems like time to lock-in on tomorrow night's game.
Sidenote: Chandler has a strange way of eating hamburgers. He takes the pickles off, eats them, and then eats the hamburger. They can't be together. "The pickles ruin the hamburger," he explained.
RH
