A Rainy Night in Troy

Friday, August 1
11 p.m.

It is the end of another day here in the Troy equipment room. We reported to work at 9 a.m. to do some small tasks around the place, as well as wash laundry that is coming in throughout the day. It was mostly another ordinary day around here, with the exception of some more accessories from Adidas being delivered. Other than that, it was pretty much quiet.

After lunch, we continued to cycle laundry and relax in the equipment room. In our down time, we usually just sit in the office and watch TV. We just cut up and have fun when there is nothing that needs to be done at the moment.

Right before we went to dinner at 4:30, we did the usual routine of putting the practice equipment onto the field. We knew there was going to be a chance of rain, so we watched the weather cautiously to make sure it was okay to put the practice balls onto the field. Water and leather do not make a good combination.

Just as we were beginning to put the practice balls onto the field, it began to rain heavily. Fortunately, only two bags had been put out at that time, so we quickly picked up those two bags and retreated to the awning at the front entrance of the field house until the rain stopped.

While the team was waiting for the game field to drain, we were finally able to put out all of the practice balls, as well as move up any equipment that was on the lower practice fields. The practice fields are usually soaked after heavy downpours like this, so we usually have to move all of the practice equipment to the game field so that all positions could practice on the artificial turf in the stadium.

The artificial turf here is a thing of beauty. It has saved us many days of lost practice time and longer rain delays. The best example of this was the heavy rainstorm we had right before the Oklahoma State game last year. Despite the heavy rain that fell right before the game, the field was safe and playable due to the fact that it drains very well.

Today was the first day we were in shells (helmets and shoulder pads). There was some moderate contact today, but there was still a heavy emphasis on technique. There was a short simulated scrimmage towards the end of practice. It was pretty back and forth between offense and defense. I don't think we looked much different today than we had at this point in previous years.

Afterwards, we did our usual routine of picking up practice pads and balls. However, tonight was a little bit different since we had to move all of the practice balls into the storage room. This is the usual routine after any rainy-day practice. We take all of the practice balls out of the bags and put them onto the shelves so that they will air dry.

Check back later for another post. Good night, and have a pleasant (and drier) tomorrow.

Jeff

Troy University Athletics

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