Chason slowly made his way across the field, but he wasn't walking. He and his teammate were on the ground rolling towards us from the far north end zone. It took about ten more minutes, but eventually they made it across the field and finished about ten yards past the south end zone. For those who aren't familiar with football, the field is 100 yards long, so they rolled approximately 115 yards! It was barely audible, but as they came closer you could hear one say, "I throw interceptions" and the other, "I turn the ball over" each time they rolled over. It became very apparent they were paying the price for their mistakes during the practice.
By the time they finished there was only about five people left in the stadium as everyone else had escaped the brutal heat of a typical Fresno summer. I told Chason that I felt bad asking after what he had just endured, but my son wanted to take a picture with him. He responded politely, "no problem!" After giving him a few minutes to gulp a sports drink and rest, we got our pictures and headed on our way.
There were several things I took away from this experience.
1. It makes no difference if we are the quarterback of the team or an employee in the office, even the best of us make mistakes-and our mistakes always have consequences.
2. Too often we only see athletes and musicians at their best, but we don't see the hours of preparation that is required. Most Bulldog fans will see Chason tossing touchdown passes or scrambling for long runs under the bright lights on Saturday nights, but hardly anyone witnessed what we saw that day. The games will look easy because of all the hard work done behind the scenes.
3. Sometimes we will face pain and punishment all alone. Sometimes others are suffering and we leave them alone. The rest of the team had already left for the cold showers while their teammates were rolling across the field in the heat. We should be there for the ups and the downs.
4. We don't always look like what we have been through. After enduring all the extra work he had to put in, Chason put a big smile on his face and took a great picture with my kids. The picture shows a young man who appears to have no worries and certainly doesn't indicate the extreme discomfort he was undoubtedly feeling.
I hope Chason Virgil has an incredible career at Fresno State and beyond. Regardless of what the future holds for him, I know he has at least three life long fans-me and my sons. I know they will never forget seeing him roll across the ground and then gladly take a picture with them. Someone did a good job raising him and I can only pray that my kids are as considerate and gracious as this young man showed himself to be.
Thanks for reading!
By the time they finished there was only about five people left in the stadium as everyone else had escaped the brutal heat of a typical Fresno summer. I told Chason that I felt bad asking after what he had just endured, but my son wanted to take a picture with him. He responded politely, "no problem!" After giving him a few minutes to gulp a sports drink and rest, we got our pictures and headed on our way.
There were several things I took away from this experience.
1. It makes no difference if we are the quarterback of the team or an employee in the office, even the best of us make mistakes-and our mistakes always have consequences.
2. Too often we only see athletes and musicians at their best, but we don't see the hours of preparation that is required. Most Bulldog fans will see Chason tossing touchdown passes or scrambling for long runs under the bright lights on Saturday nights, but hardly anyone witnessed what we saw that day. The games will look easy because of all the hard work done behind the scenes.
3. Sometimes we will face pain and punishment all alone. Sometimes others are suffering and we leave them alone. The rest of the team had already left for the cold showers while their teammates were rolling across the field in the heat. We should be there for the ups and the downs.
4. We don't always look like what we have been through. After enduring all the extra work he had to put in, Chason put a big smile on his face and took a great picture with my kids. The picture shows a young man who appears to have no worries and certainly doesn't indicate the extreme discomfort he was undoubtedly feeling.
I hope Chason Virgil has an incredible career at Fresno State and beyond. Regardless of what the future holds for him, I know he has at least three life long fans-me and my sons. I know they will never forget seeing him roll across the ground and then gladly take a picture with them. Someone did a good job raising him and I can only pray that my kids are as considerate and gracious as this young man showed himself to be.
Thanks for reading!
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