Here I am, sitting in my family room watching a rerun of The Colbert Report on TV in my own family room. It's unbelievable, in a way. I grew so accustomed to living in Osnabruck that coming home almost didn't feel real, like it was just another trip I was taking. But here I am, completely entrenched in the absolute normalcy that is Chesterland, Ohio.
Before going home, though, I had one last game to play. Bringing things completely full circle, we played the Lubeck Cougars, the team that we played in our first game on my first weekend in Germany. The actual playing of the game was mired by the fact that neither team wanted to play. The management of both teams had been working to have the game cancelled because its playing would have no bearing on either team's results within the league. It was a long season, and we didn't want to play because of our issues with fielding a full team and the injuries that we've had throughout the year. I'm not sure why the Cougars didn't want to play, because they seemed to have a full roster. At least compared to us.
The game was a tough one. It was strange, knowing that this was most probably the last football game I would ever play. Before the game the coaches asked me to run out in front of the team with the team flag as we entered the field, which was an honor.
The Lubeck defense was very strong. They made running tough, although I managed to gash them a few times early. We went into halftime tied, 10-10. Then their defense really tightened up and moving the ball got harder. Due to an injury sustained early by a defensive player (of course, it was our last game, someone was bound to get hurt) I was playing safety along with my offensive and special team responsibilities. I felt good though, until I was forced down on a poorly blocked play and pulled my hamstring. It was like several other injuries I've had before, but it was severe to the point of falling down as I tried to stand up the first time. Afterwards, I took an offensive series off before stretching, putting on a thigh sleeve that I had from my previous hamstring troubles, and taking more Ibuprofen. I played on offense for the rest of the game, and had a few decent plays, but I had no explosion. When you have to walk with a limp, your ability to sprint is more than a bit altered. Still, we played close, and the difference in a win or a loss was an unsuccessful two point conversion attempt. The final score was 27-26, Lubeck. I finished with 45 yards rushing on 14 attempts, 3 receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown, and 4 tackles.
Last touchdown
Postgame with Oli for the last time
After the game we had a party, which was a lot of fun. It was good to be able to see teammates one last time and say goodbye.
This season was good for stats. Because I'm lazy I'll just copy and paste what I put up on Europlayers:
Rushing - 181 attempts/1464 yards,(8.1 ypc, 2nd in GFL2), 21 TDs (1st in GFL2)
Receiving - 47 receptions/687 yards,(14.4 avg), 5 TDs
Passing - 3/3 for 17 yards
Returns - Punts: 4/44 yards(11.0 avg), Kickoffs: 7/177 yards(25.3 avg)
ALL-PURPOSE - 2377 yards/182.8 avg, Led team and ranked 4th in GFL2
Leading Scorer in GFL2 with 26 TDs and 1XP for 12.2 avg
Top 5 in 4 Offensive Statistical Categories for GFL2
Best Individual Performance of 2013 for GFL2 in Points Scored(36), TDs(6), Rushing yards(333) and Rushing TDs(4) 17.08.2013 vs. Cottbus Crayfish
6 games over 100 yards rushing (2 over 200), 2 games over 100 yards receiving
14 tackles, 2 PBUs, and 1 interception playing sparingly on defense
Here is a link to a highlight video I made from the season:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRx4ezOcKts
The last few days were a whirlwind of packing and goodbyes. On Sunday, the day before Mitch left, head coach Jovi and his wife Natalie came over to the Klietsch household to say goodbye. They gave both of us fantastic books about Osnabruck, something that Mitch and I agreed we never would have thought of, but definitely wanted. Doing that showed how much of a family organization the Tigers is. At every step, Jovi and the rest of the people in charge did their best to assure that I was comfortable and had everything I needed. It was beyond a manager-employee relationship. Especially considering stories Mitch has told me about the experiences he had playing for a different club in Austria, which ended largely negatively, I cannot express how thankful I am to have been a part of such a family-based organization. We may not have always done right in terms of football, and other decisions, but the heart of the Tigers was always in the right place, which means the world to me.
After that, we had a last dinner with Eike and Anke, which was wonderful. It was amazing this summer, moving to a place where I knew no one to leave with a family. The next night, Monika and I went out to a restaurant and I had my last schnitzel and beer.
I left at three in the morning on Tuesday to catch my seven AM flight on Tuesday. I had to catch three flights, and it ended up getting all of them. After Heathrow, in London, it became surreal because I was retracing the steps of my flight to Germany. For the first time in months I was among things that were familiar, albeit from only one day five months ago, and I was transported back to the state I was in then. Turning my phone on in JFK in New York was the strangest feeling of all. My messages were still there from May 20, the day I flew over. It was as if that part of me existed in some sort of stasis completely separate from the self that was overseas, waiting, while I and the circumstances of my life changed more radically than I could have ever imagined. It was a strange and, honestly, uncomfortable sensation. As was flying into Cleveland. It was similar to being in the train station in Osnabruck. Since Cleveland was the first airport I flew out of, I thought it was huge and overwhelming. I thought the same about Osnabruck. When I came back from seeing Amsterdam and Hamburg for the first time, I realized how small Osnabruck really was. Returning to Cleveland after Heathrow and JFK was the same. I never realized how small an afterthought Cleveland is. Strange. It's still home though.
So here I am, back. I have no real idea what's next for me, to answer that question. As of now I'm retired from football. I've updated my profile on Europlayers with my highlight video and my stats from this year, but I won't seriously entertain any offers from teams unless it's something that's too good to be true. I'll hopefully find something to keep me occupied for a while, grad school beckons, all of that. If anyone reading this has a job for me though...don't hesitate to contact me. But seriously, I'll figure it out sooner or later.
To everyone who helped me in Germany, thank you. I appreciate everything you've done. Especially thank you to Jovi, the Klietchs, Mitch and Kaye. You all helped me stay comfortable in a foreign place. I'm thankful for this experience because of all I learned, which, especially right now, is immeasurable.
Right now I feel like I've not given this last post as much focus as it warrants, but it's not easy to sit back and reflect on the entire experience. So I'll just close in saying thank you to everyone for reading and their support throughout the summer.
Love to all.
Brett
