JORDAN MCLEMORE
Columnist
I am all for school spirit, but you’re going to question that if you read this article. That’s my disclaimer.
Apparently we are ushering in a “New Era” here at Northwestern, in regards to the new football coach and staff. This includes new plays, new field, and yes, multiple early morning practices during “Hell Week.” Notice I mentioned a new field. This means all early morning practices are held at the intramural field in the middle of campus. I should probably go ahead and say I live in the closest room in South Hall to said field.
This article might seem like I’m ranting about being awaked at 5:30 every morning they are out there; that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I love that they are trying to turn around the football program, which definitely needs it. With a record of 3- 7 in the 2014-15 season, I would say some improvement is needed. But isn’t this the “off” season? They are going harder now than ever before! With all of the hype behind the new head coach, field, and “New Era,” I seriously hope they pull off a few more wins this coming season, and it’s worth getting up so early. Many of the new recruits have no idea what they are in for if they keep this regime up in the fall.
I feel like the football team and even staff are incredibly inconsiderate of their fellow students. Just like the players like to get a good night’s sleep on the nights they have to be up early, we like to be able to sleep until our alarms wake us up. Maybe one of these nights I’ll park my car outside Ament and blare my horn, making it impossible to sleep. I shouldn’t be taking out all my anger on the players; I’m sure you guys just love being up at 5 a.m. for early morning workouts. But the coaches mandating this early morning practice, especially during midterms, are crazy!
Speaking of midterms, where are the players finding the time to actually study? With several hours dedicated to early morning competitions and getting enough sleep to make it through them, class, and jobs, they aren’t going to be able to commit enough time to studying for these incredibly important exams.
And the kicker (yes, punt intended) of being up so early? The air horn that ensures I stay awake, which sounded for every player quitting a specific drill during this so called “Hell Week.” Well, it’s Hell Week for all of us here at Northwestern. Oh, and make sure to follow me on Twitter for a live update of their early morning practice.