Que hora es??

Translated into American, that means "What time is it?"

Now say it in your exclamatory voice...What time IS IT???

Not only is is 11:15PM as I sit in the lobby of the Greenville Marriott-where the interwebs are free...IT'S FOOTBALL TIME!!! (I don't know how to say that in Spanish...)

I couldn't resist starting off the first blog of the season with that title for all of my new family members. You see, my baby sister got married last weekend (because nobody in their right mind gets married during football season) and I told her I'd dedicate the first blog of the season to her! And...she's in Spain right now, so she'll really appreciate it. Miss you, love you, mean it! She's a big fan and alumna of TROY, by the way. As all of my family is...

They say confession is good for the soul, so I must confess why you haven't heard from me since New Year's Eve...I've been really, really, reaaaalllly busy. Plain and simple. I've baked over 220 dozen cupcakes, spent two weeks in Italy on a mission trip, and filled my "free" time with lots of fun crafting projects, on top of all the normal mom, laundry, housekeeping, and life stuff. I'll share some of them as we go along this season, maybe.

I am glad to say I'm back! I've missed this therapeutic writing thing that I do. Hopefully I can share some insight with you that you can't get anywhere else. There are some things that are just too good to write down, so you may have to stop me on the sidewalk one day and get me to tell you some of the "good" stories.

I will start by saying, hands down, I have the best job in the world! TROY is the best place to do what I do. I have grown up here in the halls of Eldridge and Sartain and now in the beautiful Stadium Towers. This is where I belong, doing a job I absolutely love. I am a Certified Athletic Trainer and this is my platform to tell you what we do.

We were reminded at our faculty pep rally for the year that we should be grateful to be engulfed in an atmosphere that spends so much effort supporting a GAME! I do agree to that statement on many levels. It's a wonderful beginning to my work day to walk through the weight room where potential professional athletes are honing their muscular physiques. My conflicts with those words however reflect the dedication I have to my profession, that of recognizing injuries, educating about nutrition, concussions, hydration and such, holding the hands of injured or ill athletes. These are my babies, all 450 of them!

But this is more than a game...Scrabble and solitaire are games. When people die because of things that happen during a 60-minute session at your work, it's more than just a game. Every day, every practice, every game, the Athletic Training Staff is ready to save someone's life. We know how to spineboard an athlete with potential damage to their spine, how to recognize numerous life-threatening conditions, and work seamlessly, side by side with orthopedic and general practice physicians to deliver top-notch healthcare to these young men and women who have dedicated their lives to a sport. Luckily I've never had to call on those "big" skills, but colleagues all over the nation have had to do just that. THAT is why it's more than a game.

[stepping off soap box] I can't express to you my excitement for the upcoming event tomorrow at Clemson. It will be soooo hot at game time. That is my only complaint. Other than that, I live for the excitement - from room check earlier tonight, to pre-game taping, to the locker room in preparation, through half time rally speaches, and singing the fight song after a victory. Sprinkle a leisure jog across the field and to the locker room and back and it'll be a good day at the office. I do have a license to run with scissors, but don't tell my mom!

For a little peek into the game tomorrow...we're in good shape. Physically, we've made it through camp with minimal issues. Nobody has been injured in the air scrimmage (Jared Flemming) and other than a few bumps and bruises, we're looking pretty scrappy!

I never know how to feel about a game. Surely there are games on the schedule supposed to win. I don't think this is one of those. They have a bigger stadium than we do, more fans at the games, and more money in their bank accounts most likely...but we've seen those teams fall before to TMTDM!!

We'll give it a good Trojan try and see how the ball bounces. I remember a comment by Coach Blakeney that went something like this "We don't have to be better than them all the time, just better than for 60 minutes."

I'll be the one with the pink bow in my hair, screaming and coercing best as I can. But you can guarantee that I'll be counting to 11 every time the whistle blows to end the play. And if I don't see 11 get up, you may just see me smoke Chuck Ash as I run past him to the rescue of a player in need.

There are many things to share, but I've got to get my beauty rest. A little game day jog to get things going early tomorrow morning and then we'll be off to "Death Valley." Again, not a name given to a place where you play a game...

GO TROJANS!!!
Alyson