Post request by tareshannon:  What are your thoughts about this year’s football tourney and Team United?

Another football season is starting up tomorrow!  If I had to pick a sports season that is my favorite, it would be football season.  Playing on Team United is so fun and exciting.  Mission Bowl is awesome.

This season, I am excited and I am nervous.  I think I’m playing a main leadership role this year which surprisingly, I think I’m okay with.  God has so gracefully prepped me each year for the next.  This will be my third season with the team and I’ve definitely grown a lot each season.  The first season I was kind of just a bystander, a participant – you tell me what to do, I’ll do it.  I didn’t want anything to do with being a leader.  Second season – I was pushed to play QB.  Yikes, do you know how scary and stressful playing QB is?!?  And I don’t know how – but somehow I ended up in a co-captain position.  I acted as a very passive co-captain.  I sent out the emails and never said much – hey I didn’t come here to lead, I came here to play.  It took me awhile, but I did realize the responsibilities of playing QB.  The QB must command the game.  The whole offense is looking to the QB to set the plays and execute them.  The QB position is naturally a leadership position.  If the QB is weak and cannot act as a leader and command the field, it will be very hard to succeed.  This is also why, QB is honestly an extremely high pressure position to play.  You can call the plays, people can run the routes, but if you cannot get the ball there, you do not advance.  As I realized the importance of taking charge of the game as QB, I began to slowly experience what it meant to lead.  I’m still learning but I’m getting there.

This year has been quite a roller coaster ride in terms of growth.  I’m feeling more confident but that’s not to say I’m not scared or nervous.  The good thing is that I actually feel ok about it and that is huge for me.  Well, I guess we’ll see as the season progresses since we haven’t actually started anything yet.  This post has started to turn into rambling about myself so let me try to regain my focus.

My concerns for this season was lack of players.  Many many of our AWESOME players have moved away!!!  As I was thinking about the football season months ago, I began to count how many people were gone or weren’t going to play.   That scared me.  So what did we do?  We made this awesome promo video!!  Well, I didn’t but F did.  I heard from a lot of the girls that they are bringing friends out.  Some girls from Exodus are even going to check it out which is awesome.  It’s important to me to make people feel comfortable.  It’s OK if you don’t know how to play, it’s all ok.  It’s okay because we will teach you.  I love playing football so much, it really brings me pleasure to share football with other girls.  I want to show them that they CAN play.  Empower people.  I want to show you that it’s fun and that you can really play too.  (Wow, imagine if we all had that type of passion for sharing the gospel – that is another whole topic on its own.)

The tournament is in February which is really not too far away.  I guess I will have more thoughts as I see the team come together.  I just hope that all the new people will be comfortable, have a good time, and for those who don’t know God, that they would experience Him through this experience with Team United.

Being able to play on this football team and tournament is such a blessing.  I feel pleasure when I play football.  Play for His Glory.