A Walk On The Dark Side by Julie Wicher, Sirens Half Back Perspectives Editorial Volume 2, Issue 8 June 10, 2003 In our last game of the 2003 regular season, I had the opportunity to play defense; weak side linebacker to be exact. Due to injuries and an overall feeling by the coaches that we never want to feel under-prepared for a game, a few players, including myself, have been cross training on both sides of the ball. You gain a new respect for other players when you are put into an unfamiliar situation like that. From the sidelines, nothing ever looks as difficult as it really is when you’re part of the mix. Standing off and watching the play develop you sometimes wonder how it is that those on the field did not see where the ball was. When you’re on the field however, it is much more difficult to determine where the play is going to, who has the ball, etc. It also makes a big difference when there are blockers coming after you to take you out of position. My chance to play a little defense was short lived. I went into the game at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Up until this point I have been playing mostly runningback (with a little special teams work thrown in there), so I have been taking a lot of hits over the course of my Sirens career. I was excited at the opportunity to dish out a few blows of my own. I have always joked with the defensive coordinator, Coach Butler, that some day I would make the transition to defense, to go over to “The Dark Side” as they like to call themselves. Finally the chance had arrived. We were playing the California Quake. After a couple of unsuccessful plays, the Quake were faced with a forth down and decided to go for it. They ran a sweep around to my side and I made a beeline for the girl. I hit her hard and forced her out of bounds short of the first down. As I was making the tackle I grabbed her legs and as I was hitting the ground I landed flat on my back. This all occurred on the Long Beach sideline which I think must have been made up of a mixture of grass, mud and concrete gravel. When I hit the ground the back of my head hit hard but did not hurt. I skidded a bit across the ground and when I got up I had what looked like road rash on the back of my arm (which is why I think the sideline must have had some gravel thrown in there). I was pretty happy with the play and jogged back to our sideline where I stood and waited to go in on the next defensive series. One of our coaches walked behind me on his way down the field and commented “hey, did you know your helmet is cracked?” I had no idea what he was talking about. I took off my helmet and there it was; a good 3-4 inches up the back of the helmet, from the base up to the top. On the bright side I did not hurt my head at all so I guess the helmet did its job. On the dark side my “walk on the dark side” was done for the day. I was amazed at how many players on our team (both offensive and defensive) offered me their helmet so I could continue to play; what a great family we have. I later commented to Coach Butler that it was a sign, that having me play defense was just not meant to be. His response was “welcome to the dark side, that’s what defense is all about.” Every once in a while you need little reminders not to take things for granted and this was one of those times. I learned a great deal from that moment in time. I learned a whole new respect for all that our defensive players do to make our team what we are. I learned that at any moment something unexpected could happen to change the course of things and you need to be prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead, both expected and unexpected. I learned that with the family we have there is nothing we can’t accomplish as long as we work together. Finally I learned there is always a lighter side no matter how dark things may seem, although dark is not always such a bad thing. Perspectives Archives