The first day back never involves working out so the process is a bit like going back to the first day of high school.
Catching up with teammates we didn’t see over the break, re-living some of the moments from last year, moving back into the dungenous yet somehow welcoming confines of the locker room at Robertson and breathing in the first breath of the 2007 season are what make the first day so great. Some will have butterflies in their stomachs wondering if this year will be as good as the last, while others will have the same feeling caused by the thoughts that this season will be their breakout year.
A brief conversation with a doctor will go something like this…..
Random doctor: Welcome back…hope you enjoyed your time off!
Player: I loved it……..all eight weeks of it.
Random doctor:….How do you feel? Are there any lingering injuries or new injuries we should know about?
Player: We’ll I still haven’t gotten rid of the ones I had in mid-November, and I anticipate being sore for the next three weeks …..soooooooo
Random doctor: HA HA Three weeks? How about the next ten months.
Player: Long exhale…….another sigh…..eyes staring blankly at the floor……..Yeah I can’t wait.

And then it is over. This whole process will take about twenty to thirty minutes. The excitement will be tangible and the smiles will be contagious. The scene will be played out in thirteen different cities this year, and in every one it will represent the hopes and dreams of all of the players and fans alike. Let me be the first to officially welcome you to the 2007 season …..It starts today.

Craig Waibel