It was my privilege to have the opportunity to ask some questions of George Jackson about his participation in the sport of football here at MHS. The transcript of our conversation via email follows.
LAZ: Hello, George! I'd like to gather some information about you to post as an interview on the class blogsite; I'm hoping you have the time to answer a few questions for me.I couldn't help but notice that you play football for MHS. As you might know, I'm a big football fan--have been since I started high school myself (so that's about the past 25 years). So naturally, I'm curious about your thoughts on the sport.
Q: How long have you been playing?
A: I've been playing for 8 years.
Q: What position do you currently play? Has that always been your position, or have you played others?
A: I've always played defensive end.
Q: What do you like about football?
A: My favorite part is when you get a big hit...I like the sound the pads make.
Q: Since the state championship season in 2007, MHS has struggled to come up with wins--and this season is starting down that same path. To what do you attribute the team's current difficulties?
A: We could be doing better if we fixed all of our little mistakes.
Q: Friday night's 31 - 6 loss to Shawnee, while regrettable, is actually an improvement from the 47 - 0 annihilation MHS suffered against Timber Creek. What kinds of things did the coaches and players work on over the past week to start the team moving in the right direction?
A: We just tried harder and Shawnee isn't as good as Timber Creek.
Q: What kinds of things do you predict you'll be working on this coming week to continue that improvement?
A: Oklahomas and tackling drills.
Q: When a team is enduring a losing streak, it's very hard to keep morale high. What do you in particular--and the team in general--do to keep a positive attitude?
A: We don't dwell on a loss. We just look forward to the next game because you can't change the past by crying about it; you're only hurting your chances of winning the next game.
Q: How supportive are the other students at MHS, especially now, when the team is struggling?
A: They aren't supportive.
Q: Bands, cheerleaders, and dance squads are all great high school football game traditions. How do you feel about their efforts to keep fans interested in the game?
A: They are the only ones who believe in us so we appreciate them a lot.
Q: Do you intend to continue playing football into college?
A: Yes. I'd like to play in college.
Q: My son is just turning 12, and is in his 4th season of rec-league football. What advice would you give to young players like him about pursuing the sport?
A: Just try your best and never hit with the top of your helmet.
Q: Do you play other sports during the rest of the year?
A: No other sports.
LAZ: Thanks for your time, George! I'm sure the rest of the class will find your thoughts as interesting as I did.
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