Even though the week was slow in terms of things going on outside of the normal routine, it was nice to be back in the familiarity of it all. Practices on Wednesday and Friday were attended well enough to practice as we hadn't since before the last game I had played in, the Hamburg game on July 7, and on Friday I was even interviewed for a local culture magazine. I'm interested to see how that turns out. I became fairly comfortable with interviews over my time at Kenyon, but speaking with someone as the representative of a professional team and in their third language was a bit more daunting than usual. I'm sure it will turn out well. The piece should be published around August 28, so I'll make sure to include that in the blogpost around then. If nothing else, it will be cool to have an article about myself to take home and keep that no one will ever be able to understand.
On Saturday, at long last, two of our Serbian teammates returned from home. In order to satisfy requirements of their visas, they had to go back home right after the Hamburg game for a time. What we didn't know then was that complications with paperwork would arise, and their absence went from the planned few days to over a month without much knowledge of when they would be able to come back. Due to some missing paperwork, Vlad still hasn't been able to return, but we hope that the issue will be sorted out within a week or so. For now, having Branko and Strahinja back is great. At this point in the season we need every single player we can get, and having two of our best is invaluable.
On Saturday we played the Bielefeld Bulldogs for the second time. The first game was the third of the season, a close 28-35 loss. Since then, we have evolved offensively, and play quite differently than we did then, but we have lost quite a few key players to injury and other circumstances. Bielefeld had been undefeated for almost two straight seasons last time we played them, but between our two meetings they suffered a loss. So, while we were diminished in some ways, we were eager to have a shot at a team that now knew it was not invincible. Bielefeld is not only the top team in our league, but also the closest geographically to Osnabruck. Due to this closeness, they brought more fans than any other team has to our field. The atmosphere was electric. After the youth team played a great game against the top team in their league, it came time for our time to do the same.
Coaching the youth before our game
Toward the end of the youth game a storm threatened to blow in and it began to rain, making us think that yet again we would have to play through the elements. Thankfully, this held off, and we took the field to optimal conditions.
Aftermath of reaching the ball around the pylon...if only the photographer was a bit quicker***New Pictures, one was!
From there it was off to the races, for both offenses. Bielefeld go the better of us in the first quarter, scoring 21 points to our 6, but every other quarter was neck and neck, 14-13, 7-7, and 14-13, with them just ahead of us in each set. It felt great to be playing again. I stepped right back onto the field and into the swing of things, through the tackles and into passes and touchdowns. After a full month of rest and conditioning and lifting, I may actually have felt better than before the break. Once again, because of our depleted roster, I was asked to play some defense, and I was able to stay on the field for that and nearly every special team. I took a few hard hits, something to be a bit nervous of after over a month off, but I never missed a play.
I definitely took a few shots.
Unfortunately, we couldn't quite keep up with them, and our thin defense struggled to contain their depth at the skill positions. By game's end the score was 56-39, and we played well offensively in another loss. I had one of my better statistical games: 20 carries for 118 yards, 1 TD, 2 catches for 27 yards, 1 TD, 2 KRs for 31 yards, and 2 tackles.
Celebrations after touchdowns are fun, but it would be much more satisfying to celebrate another win.
Apart from the game, it's been quiet here. Unfortunately, this is the first week I've failed in my goal to read a book a week. I'm currently only 64% finished with A Storm of Swords, the third Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire book. I think that I'd been at a two a week clip for almost the entire break makes that a bit more acceptable though. I've been writing a bit, and looking into some options of what to do with any work I might finish over here.
Tomorrow, Kenyon fall sport athletes report to school for camp. For the first time in four years, I won't be returning home. It's an odd feeling, and time continues to move faster than I'm quite prepared for. No matter what I'm doing tomorrow, I think I know where my head will be. One good thing about setting a date to return home, which we tentatively decided earlier in the week, is that I can start planning when I'll get to make it to Kenyon for a home game. If any of my former teammates are reading this: take care of the place. The foundations we set last year were only a base. Now, it's time to build off of it. I'll get there as soon as I can.
This weekend, we travel about seven hours to play a game in which we might not have even twenty healthy players. I'll be given a large role, and I look forward to playing it. No matter the outcome, I'm confident that next week I'll be writing about a good game, and a good week. The key is to have one after another, until it's more than just good weeks. It's a good time as a whole.
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