A light feathery snow falls sporadically onto the field turf of Modling Football practice facility about 12 kilometers south of Vienna, Austria. The soccer team is finishing their practice under the lights and the American Football team known as the Kornmesser Rangers of the American football are extracting equipment from a nearby shed. They will soon be setting cones onto the soccer pitch to make some semblance of an American football surface that is marked for the football of Europe, aka Soccer in America. They carry out blocking dummies and shields recognizable on any football field in America. When the soccer team leaves, they line up and begin their stretching.
Our practice begins like most. Form tackle, individual position drills; group drills; team drills. Special teams tonight include kick off cover. At the end of the two hour and thirty minute practice, the practice field lights go off automatically. No “one more play” syndrome from an overzealous coach here. The head coach calls the players together for information, a talk from one of the players, and to break out of practice and send the players home.
These are similarities to just about every football team with which I have been associated for over 40 years. Now for the differences in my most recent experience and the other years in the states:
1. The practices are conducted in English but players and coaches alike revert to German regularly. Many times to explain a point made by an English speaking coach.
2. The practice field is field turf. It matters little that it is not marked for football
3. As mentioned earlier, the football team had to wait on the soccer team to leave.
4. I overheard the field manager explain that the football players couldn’t wear cleats on the field. Even though the soccer players have the same length cleats.
5. The locker room was SHARED by a football and a soccer team.
6. No conditioning. Players do it on their own; usually on non-practice days.
7. Practices are 7:00-9:30 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only. Games are on Saturday.
8. Players were mostly in their twenties, but some were in their thirties.
9. One of our players came to practice wearing his Army uniform. After practice, he returned to his duty at the base.
10.Both the practice facility AND the team’s workout gym have not only sports drinks, but also serve beer.
From a personal standpoint, I didn’t have to deal with eligibility, physicals, power of attorney, concussion forms, and training policies. No purchase orders, budget requests, transportation requests, van requests, prior travel requests, facility repair requests or classroom computer repair requests. I did not supervise the locker room before or after practice nor did I need to wait for rides to arrive or to drive anybody home.
I got to coach.
Coach players that hung on EVERY word.
That strained to do even the smallest suggestion.
Correctly.
The first time.
Then I came back to an amazing three story house in a quiet neighborhood. In the back yard, a tree taller than the third story balcony on which I now stand, towers over a back yard with a patio, pool and gardner’s shed.
There is a video surveillance camera near the entrance and a control panel with phone on every floor with which I may screen visitors while they wait outside an electric fence that I control from the control panel (one of which in near the head of my bed).
If I sound like I’m bragging, I’m not. I AM, however, unable to contain my thankfulness to God and Susan Hepner (neither of which I would be here without their approval). Now, I can’t wait to share it with the only one previously mentioned that is not here.
Hurry up, Susan!
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