One Glove to Rule Them All

Human beings grow attached to things the more they do, the longer they do things, and the more that they experience. In this case, over the many years of football that I have played, I specifically idolize my gloves, for they, are the object that I wore throughout my entire career. They were there throughout all of the best moments, and also all of the worst.

It all started when I was 8 years old. It was most of my team’s first game of football and one of many to come. Our very first play, after the kickoff, was a handoff to me. Of course, I am wearing that pair of black and white gloves. As soon as I get the ball I see open field near where I was supposed to go. As I ran through that hole There was nobody in front of me except another scrawny kid, just as I was. As I run he waits for me and there is another person to my left, if I stop I will not score a touchdown so I decided to juke in between them they butted heads and I scored. My first Touchdown was now completed, in a fashionable way as well.

The next year all of my memories of my old team, quickly vanished, as I was ‘traded’ to another team. But in that team’s final game of the year to determine who gets first place in the division. Was a game that would be one of the memorable moments in my life. Long story short, I was a very small yet very fast kid, but the coach ran me up the middle three times and hoped my agility could get the team a big play. And I did. I scored all 3 times that I ran up the middle as the smallest kid on the field. And yet I was still wearing those gloves which are still a little big for me at the time.

Then, three successful, healthy years later, was where all those memories met their first true test of time. I got injured. My shoulder was going through a growth spurt and kept popping in and out of place, I was out for half of the season. But while I was out, my gloves were placed on my dresser reminding me what I like to do the most, play football. This made me eager to return to the field as soon as possible. But when I had finally returned was the biggest turning point in my life. My mind couldn’t go through another injury like that again, so I was in a state where I was afraid of tackling and getting tackled. But I overcame my fear of getting tackled but never of tackling because I rarely played defense.

The next year, my 8th grade year, was the most memorable years of football ever. But, I am still stunned by that injury and I am afraid to tackle people, so I only played offense. After the season was over we were 8-0 undefeated and now heading into the playoffs. We won our first game, the second game and now it was the Championship. It was the coldest night I have ever experienced in my life, I want to say it was around -15 below zero with wind chill. The only part of me I was worried about getting cold was my hands but I had my gloves and a hand warmer. I was ready as can be. It was a nail biter they were about to score with a minute left and take the lead, but, they fumbled, I run towards the ball and swoop it up, I take off, next thing I know I’m in the endzone and my team running towards me because we’ve won, WE’VE WON. I couldn’t believe it, we were 11-0 and had won a Championship.

Next year, I played Highschool football. I was still afraid of a re injury, so I was very tender with myself, and because of that I did not get to start. I was upset with myself every time the coaches put me in and I missed a tackle. They could tell. They now knew what was wrong and didn’t let me play but made me practice with the linebackers as the smallest kid on the team. I would now say it is a mental problem more than a fear because I now know I can and will be unharmed but it was something that has bothered me for so long. And yes I was still wearing that same pair of gloves that year

Another time that I had struggled at a point in my life doing something that I liked was when I was in 8th grade. To sum it up, I was grounded, and my teammates where playing video games in that time that I was gone. Now we were playing an actual team, if we beat the we get to join, which at the time was a very big deal. I was very nervous. We did end up winning, and got to join a pro team. I had kept my cool because not only was it my first match in a few months, I also believed in myself and was reminded how good I was everyday that I didn’t play because I saw my controller laying there everyday. Sort of like my football gloves.

I believe in my football gloves because they show me to this day, whatever struggle that I go through now, I will always be repaid with a memory that I will remember for the rest of my life. I isn’t just football for me it is also a few other hobbies, one of which is video games.