Family Business
A.J. Blazek
Thursday May 31, 2001
These were not just football teams; they were families.
This week, I noticed something about the Chicago Rush football team. Like those great teams of old, we are becoming a family. Last week was a very physical game against Milwaukee. We had a lot of guys that were great at times and not so great at other. Some of the teams that I have been associated with argue and complain amongst one another and will point fingers at the first sight of adversity.
This football team is constantly helping one another and being critical of one another, but always for the better of the team. This makes every player show up more prepared and more responsible which in turn makes us a better football team.
I got a minor concussion last week and was told by team doctors that I had to wake up every hour the night after the game just to make sure that I was fine. To show an example of the family atmosphere within our team, Jim Stiebel, Tony Henderson, Vernon Broughton, and Jaime McGourty were just a few of the guys that called or stopped in Friday night after we returned from Milwaukee to make sure I was waking up and was doing fine. Even knowing it was nothing major and would keep me out this week, these veterans still went out of their ways to make sure another member of the family was fine.
This is just a recent, personal example of the togetherness and family-like atmosphere that is growing daily here in Chicago. I think that any fan that comes to games will see that we play tough as a team and passionate as a family. This is not only the players, but also the coaching staff, the training staff and even Randy Ventors, the head equipment manager. We have no individuals on this team. We are one big family. One that will be a very successful family in the near future.
That`s it for another week inside Chicago Rush football.
A.J. Blazek was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2001 season.
