North Carolina State University Athletics
Football Preseason Diary, Day Three
8/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 9, 2001
Raleigh, NC - It was a sleepy-looking group of guys that stumbled into my media relations workshop at 8:30 this morning! (And the media relations director was a little sleepy too, but she got over it!). Actually, the guys were very attentive and I think enjoyed themselves. We talked about their media responsibilities, our rules and regulations and even played some clips of some professional athletes and their interviews. The "don'ts" got a much better response than the "do's" - some of the bad interviews I play for them are pretty hilarious. I'd like to think that my presentation was the most entertaining part of their morning, since the rest of the day was academic-type stuff. I can always tell what type of guys we have by the way they respond in this meeting. This group was attentive, interested and enthusiastic, which means a bright future as far as I'm concerned.
The varsity began officially reporting in this afternoon (it's not like we had a chance to miss them - they've been around all summer!). Most of them have already taken care of their physicals and other medical obligations, but they did have some business to take care of in the equipment room. They filled out size forms, got fitted for helmets and shoulder pads (I guess maybe some of their heads might have gotten bigger since last season!), and got fitted for their practice and game shoes. I should write sometime about the cost and time it takes to outfit a football team. You wouldn't believe all of the equipment that these guys have to have.
The whole team will eat dinner together and meet for the first time this evening, so I guess that officially kicks off the 2001 preseason. Tomorrow morning, the team will meet with the student-athlete development folks, hear presentations about the training room and equipment rooms, and listen to people from housing, the ticket office, the training table and the compliance office. Yours truly will also go over our interview policies with the whole team.
Tomorrow afternoon is the running test, which I'm sure is dreaded by all. Sixteen 110-yard sprints? I think I'll stick to my office job!
