“I’ve been talking to Coach Mason, David’s quarterback coach, about getting the team ready for next year. David came to me and gave us some good ideas. I talked to Coach Mason about them, and he had an alternative solution. It’ll cost some money, so I called Mrs. Sullivan to see if the boosters would help.
“Coach Mason suggested I check out the National Strength and Conditioning Association,” Coach Hope said. “A rather legendary strength and conditioning coach named Boyd Epley founded it. He is considered the father of all the fitness programs found in football today. He was at Nebraska in the ’60s and ’70s and helped turn them into a national powerhouse.
“The NSCA offers different types of certifications. The one that Coach Mason recommended was the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, or CSCS. It’s for professionals who design and implement strength training and conditioning programs for athletes in a team setting. He suggested that Ms. Kim and Ms. Grimes get their certification. I talked to both of them, and they would both agree to do it. They are even willing to commit to stay here for at least two years after they get their certifications, assuming we pay for their training.
“In the meantime, we need something now. I’d like to hire someone to come in and help us implement a program for all athletes at Lincoln High. Then whomever we hire would come back periodically, check our progress, and make any tweaks that are needed. Of course, Ms. Kim and Ms. Grimes would be involved in all of this and eventually take over the program. Coach Mason tells me that this is the quickest way for us to get the results we need. He assures me that they can help players like Jim and Johan put on the bulk needed without endangering their health and without losing speed or agility. They can also help players like Ty with their speed work,” Coach Hope said.
I always believed in getting professional help when you needed it, so I was an easy sell. Mr. Hicks was worried about what all this would cost. I found it amusing when he was fearful that he might have to pay Jill and Becky more if they had certification. The condition that they would stay on for a specific time after they got certified would help, I thought.
The next topic made me perk up.
“I’ve been in contact with Coach Rector, the defensive coordinator for Springfield. As some of you know, Coach Zoon is leaving us. David can attest that Coach Rector is one of the best high school defensive coaches around. The only problem we have is that he’s asking for more money than there is in our budget for that position. He has agreed in principle if we can come up with the funds. He’s promised to stay at least two years and to groom his replacement when that time comes.
“I believe I have a solution to at least next year’s money situation. I’ve found a replacement for Coach Diamond, who’s leaving us to be the head coach at Washington, and this replacement has volunteered his time. Coach Mason has agreed to take over as offensive coordinator. I doubt David’s going to be happy with the change because Coach Mason has told me that he’ll no longer be running the ball,” Coach Hope said.
“I’ll just play defense,” I said.
“Dream on,” Coach Hope said, then turned back to everyone. “Please remember that nothing is finalized, and what I just shared with you is not for public consumption as yet.”
Mrs. Sullivan took over the meeting after we all agreed.
“The Booster Club has five facility projects that we’ve proposed for the coming year. I wanted to come to you to see how you thought we should prioritize them. The first project is seating for football games. We can currently accommodate five thousand fans, six if we add temporary end-zone bleachers. We’d like to double the amount of seating and would also like to build a much larger press box.
“The second project would be to replace the hospitality tents with a pole barn. Our idea is to include storage for tables and chairs, plus a permanent kitchen big enough to handle the crowds we’ve been getting.
“The third project would be to upgrade the baseball field. We talked to Mr. Herndon, and he suggested that we skim off the infield and put down the proper dirt and that the baseball mound be redone with clay. The stands have seen better days, and we’d like to add to and replace them.
“The fourth project is the swimming pool. It needs to be drained and resurfaced. I’ve also been told that the equipment should be upgraded. There are some options to significantly reduce the amount of chemicals we need to use.
“The final project is the track. We’d like to remove the old cinder track and put in a new state-of-the-art synthetic track surface.”
It didn’t take long to come up with a plan. The first project was the baseball field. They thought they could have it ready for baseball season. Then the football-related projects were given the next highest priorities. The pool and track would be tackled over the next couple of years. Mrs. Sullivan wanted to talk to me before she left.
“I was wondering if you might be persuaded to make a donation to the Booster Club. For the football projects, we want to put together plans to present to the school board, and we need working capital to do it.”
“Of course. How much do you need?” I asked.
She told me, and I sent Caryn a text to take care of it.
“My manager will send out a check today. If you ever need anything, let me know.”
“Thanks, and one more thing: are you going to save me a dance at the awards banquet?” she asked.
Our second annual awards banquet was scheduled for Friday night.
“Of course I will. I’ll see you there.”
I left to get ready for practice.
◊◊◊
Coach wanted to show us some film from our previous game. He highlighted the play in which Ty scored.
“I’ve had a chance to watch the previous game again and break it down. I wanted to show you this play because it highlights why we won. They had a human boulder as their nose tackle, but Johan was able to move him. No one’s done that all year. Controlling the center of the line was the key, and everyone needs to see how much Johan has improved this year.
“I didn’t want to just single out Johan’s center play because the whole offensive line did a great job. Last year we were a little shaky, but everyone has stepped up their play, and you’re becoming the strength of this team. I want to congratulate you and Coach Stevens. Good job.
“Now let’s look at Unity,” Coach Hope said.
We watched game film of Unity, and they were everything you would expect in a team that made it to the State Championship game. They were senior-laden and led by a quarterback who’d accepted a scholarship from Iowa the weekend they’d canceled my recruiting trip. I hoped the whole Iowa coaching staff showed up for the game. I wanted to show them what they’d passed on. It was exactly the motivation I needed.
The Lincoln Field House was purpose-built for a day like today. I almost felt sorry for Unity, because if they were practicing today, it was outside. We were able to do our run-through in shorts and t-shirts. Coach Hope told us that tomorrow we’d go full pads and keep it inside. If I played college ball in the north, I would make sure they had an indoor practice facility.
◊◊◊
After practice, I was walking to the parking lot with Brook, Cassidy, Pam, and Tracy in tow when Jan approached us.
“David, can I ask you for some help?”
I looked around at the other girls to see if they had any clue as to what she might want.
“Of course. Do we need to do it somewhere private?”
“No,” she said. “I’m Yuri’s girl, and I don’t want anyone to get any different ideas.”
Wow, this was new.
“What kind of help do you need?”
She wrung her hands a bit and then looked up at me.
“You thought I could help Yuri with school, and recruiting, and scholarships and such, and I don’t know where to even start,” she almost pleaded.