Orange Beach Preseason Diary by Katie Holtzapfel: Day Three
8/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
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As of the end of this morning’s session, we are officially halfway through two-a-day practices, and for the seniors on the team, we are officially finished running fitness tests. I was stretching this morning with Baker and Monty and definitely feeling sore from the past two days. Baker and Monty are both nursing injuries, so neither of them ran fitness with us this morning. As I’m sitting there stretching and complaining about running the 300-yard shuttles, Monty (Melissa Montgomery for those who don’t know her by her nickname) reminded me that this fitness test would be the last one I would ever run. Honestly, it’s so hard to believe that, for us seven seniors, three years have already passed, and, as of today, we are officially finished running Jesper’s fitness tests. Four of the seven seniors ran this morning, although we almost lost one halfway through the shuttles. Elizabeth Jannik had an issue with her new cleats and a blister on her heel, so she ran her last two shuttles without shoes, completely barefoot.
We scrimmaged again this evening, and now that we’re through the third day, we are really getting an opportunity to see our freshmen play. We have six freshmen this year, and all of them have come into preseason very fit, which definitely helps their chances of seeing playing time and even competing for starting spots. Speaking of the freshmen, Gillian Kilburn, one of two Canadians on the team, turned eighteen today. When we walked into dinner tonight, there was a huge birthday balloon tied to a seat waiting just for her. After we finished dinner, they brought out a cake and sang to her. The staff working for us here at Orange Beach never ceases to amaze me. Tonight, they grilled us steak, chicken, and grouper, and even made us gumbo. I was a little hesitant to try the gumbo, but one of the staff members, Don Brewer, convinced me.
I met Mr. Brewer the first night here in Orange Beach after he sought out the girl from Florence, Kentucky. For those who don’t know, Florence isn’t exactly a huge city, although for most Alabama football fans, Florence, Kentucky is more familiar than Lexington or Louisville. Of course, Shaun Alexander is from Florence, but other than that and maybe our notorious water tower, we don’t have much to brag about. Anyway, Mr. Brewer lived in Florence and moved to Orange Beach years ago. He told me he never tried gumbo until he moved to the South, and he was definitely eager for me to try his very own gumbo, and of course, he topped it with some hot sauce. He told me he knows the northern girls are used to eating pinto beans and cornbread, but since I’m a senior, I need to convert and start eating some real Southern food. Needless to say, I’ve gotten quite an education since moving to Alabama three years ago, and I’ve honestly enjoyed every last minute of it.
Well, I’m heading off to rest for tomorrow, although we only have one long practice tomorrow instead of two. Tomorrow evening we’re eating dinner at Baker’s house (Baker lives right down the road in Foley), and, depending on how well practice goes, we may have a chance to lie on the beach for a few hours. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed because we’re all looking forward to a little time off to recover.
Roll Tide!
Katie
