Our Kicker....

Another Aunt Kris photo!

Get your game face on, Tod! Spring Football starts on Wednesday and Tod has successfully walked on to Louisiana Tech's SPRING Football Team. Truly is amazing to me! I feel like pinching myself....thousands long to play NCAA Division I football...and Tod is now getting his chance to BEAT OUT five (possibly six) other kickers. Three kickers are on Louisiana Tech's team now...adding Tod made 4, and apparently they are welcoming another walk on next week. They have scholarshiped a senior out of Texas for the fall as well. So, as we love to say around here....get out there, leave it all on the field, and K-I-C-K- E-M....Kick 'em, Tod, Kick 'em!!

There is an amazing difference between high school ball and division 1 college ball...especially at practice, and at LA Tech. Kickers work out FULLY with the team...hitting drills and all!! I wish so badly that I had had video footage of Tod coming off the field after his first official college practice. We perhaps could have won America's Funniest Home Video! He limped into the trainers room with two (one of each ball of his feet) half dollar sized blisters that they drained blood off of before leaving. In addition, he had a shoulder pad sized bag of crushed ice on his left shoulder. (Which later resulted in x-rays and a ever so slight seperation of his AC joint) As he walked out to the his car, one of the his close friends, John (also attempting to walk on...but as a wide receiver), said in what I am calling his Saturday Night Live Tracy Morgan sound alike voice...."Tod, what in the WORLD happended to you?" And the beauty of this whole entire post is that Tod also enjoys laughing about it...and yes, can handle the ribbing he gets from others....he laughs and responds..."Apparently, I forgot how to barrell roll!!" This barrell rolling running drill was new to Tod...so not only did he have a bit of a learning curve issue but he also had not moved some of the muscles required in quite sometime (eventhough he works out every single day!)....after all, he is only THE KICKER. At one point during the drill he apparently was the SOLE player sprinting forward 10 yards....at which time he shared..."Oh, yeah, I knew I messed up the second a hand slapped my back, grabbed my shirt, picked me up, and put me back where I was supposed to be!"

Outside of the fact that God has blessed Tod with a cannon of a leg, Scott, equally a blessing, has been the sole "teacher" for Tod in regards to football. And Scott is a kicker. So hitting, tackling, blocking, etc. are essential to learn...and Tod is learning them for the first time at LA Tech. Says a lot, doesn't it, about kickers today, and especially Coach Wunderlick at Jesuit. A lot has changed since then....thank you, God.


If you would....say some kicker-position winning prayers for our Tod. Selfishly we would love to sit at every home game cheering on the Bulldogs with Tod kicking. More importantly, though, we want Tod to bring glory to God with his gifts...which don't always involve his leg!


We will keep you posted.....