BEHIND THE LENS - December 19 2006 -

Football Stars For Tomorrow - www.storkmontgomery.com

The Championship
Giving it away
Recruiting - one minute it's hot, the next it's not

This it it. This will be the last "From Behind The Lens" for 2006.

It has been a great year; I have three topics, so let's roll.

The Championship
I dressed as Jolly ole Saint Nick for the Championship. Yes, I was in a full Santa costume from head to toe.

Watching the game from high above the stadium brought a lot of joy to my heart. I thought about all the great moments that have happened through out the year as the Bulldogs did what they do best. They were on a collision course for the 5-A State Crown.

I will admit there were times I had my doubts. I still think in order to win big games you must have played in others in order to be prepared. When we beat Riverdale, I truly thought we were on our way to victory lane.

The adrenaline rush at the end of the game when you win something like that is a one time thing. It’s like winning a new car or being crowned sales person of the year. You are so worked up you can’t talk.

Santa did deliver after the game as I had the only available copy for Coach Shadowens. Guess what? He had been a good boy.

Giving it away
Well now that you won the championship, how do you pay for the rings?

Football is the most expensive sport to play. Helmets are 174.00, Shoulder Pads run from 225.00 all the way to 300.00. It takes a lot of cash to protect a kid on Friday Night. To run the electricity for the lights, the grass seed it took last spring, the water it takes to make the field look nice. Folks all those bills are due today.

Even me, my camera cost a lot of money. I have it insured in case in falls off the press box. To film a game the blank tapes are 7.00 a piece. (It takes two to cut a game) The broadcast video blank is 2.00 the plastic cover is 2.00. The VCR I use is not from Wal-Mart.

I feel like a fisherman who fills up his boat with 3.00 a gallon gasoline to run up and down the river to catch a fish. You don’t do it to make money. You do it to give it away and make a difference. The hours I spend helping kids is countless. You give your time, your knowledge and part of your cash to be a part of something great that money can’t buy. I think folks loose sight of the reason why we are here. God put us here and God gave us what we have. He can snap his fingers and take it away. He gives us those things to see what we do with our skill set. Remember life is a test.

BTW (By The Way) Each Ring cost a little over 300.00 a piece from what I have been told. I am cutting copies of the championship game, giving them to the school to help raise money for those who can’t afford a ring.

Recruiting - one minute it's hot, the next it's not
Golden Tate is going to play for the Golden Dome (Notre Dame). What an athlete they got. When a player like him commits to college, it rocks the 5 other schools who thought they had a chance to get him. Now the other schools are forced to look else where.

The colleges are required by NCAA rules to take a break through Christmas. Some call it "quiet time" or "dead period". Winning your bowl game can sway a decision.
If a college gets blown out in their particular bowl game, you will see decisions that were once welded shut be changed. Kids like to be a part of a winning program.

Colleges will be recruiting during the "quiet time", but it’s not face to face, it's done on the field. A college can sway a lot of kids by winning and creating a vision on TV that is the place to go to school. It is a wonderful time of the year, but we still have a ton of recruiting left on the plate.

PS: I will be reporting from the road the next time I write, so stay tuned as we pack up the equipment and head out. I will take some pictures and upload them as we bring it all to you.

That's A Wrap
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I have truly been blessed. Santa gave me memories that nobody can steal and I captured them all "From Behind The Lens".

Thanks to all of you who read this rag and I will see you in 2007.

God Bless and Take Care

From Behind The Lens.
The Stork
“A man who truly delivers”

Football Stars For Tomorrow - www.storkmontgomery.com