people she knew for the lactic acid and soreness to hit their muscles and ligaments. It always showed up the next day for her. The benefit was that it cleared sooner than the other athletes she knew.
“I might need an ice bath after this.” Jani groaned as she set the squat bar back on the rack and began removing the weights. James had come over to make sure she knew how to squat correctly. It was one of the lifts she did know so he headed back to his office.
“Ice bath?” Aileen scrunched her nose. “Sounds too cold for me.”
“The athletic therapy room is down the hall from the track. We share it with the volleyball players. There are two ice bath tubs there. We aren’t allowed to use the football’s therapy room.”
“Because we might taint it?” The idea, of sitting in an ice bath with a couple of huge defensive football players, didn’t sound very appealing.
“Sacred ground.” Jani rolled her eyes. She leaned in and whispered. “Don’t let them hear us dog them. They believe they are the end all be all of the school. Nothing is done here without their help. The alumni helped build this weight room. We borrow it to train. Nothing here is ours, or basketball’s, or hockey’s, or anyone’s.”
“Sounds silly.” Aileen shrugged. Weren’t all sports just as important as the others?
Jani lifted her hand, then raised it up a bit and then a bit more. “There’s a hierarchy here. Don’t mess or you’ll be treated like crap.”
“That’s comforting.”
“It doesn’t matter. Most of these guys will spend five years living the dream of football. A few will move on to the NFL, maybe a couple off to where I’m from to play in the CFL. The others are done. Their glory days revolve around the five years of being treated like kings.”
“Does Gatica have a lot of NFL potential players?” They moved on to bench press and took turns.
“A couple. We have a defensive line that is nearly unstoppable. In particular a Jim Thorpe recipient.
Tyler . Sigh, there was no getting away from him. “I’m not much into football.”
“Neither was I – till I came here. There’s something about college football…” Jani shook her head. “Wait till the home game opener. When you’re inside the stadium, you’ll feel it.”
She didn’t know much about the game, except what she had learned in high school flag football. Maybe she needed to start reading up on it or google the rules… or something.
They finished the rest of the lifts on their papers and filled the necessary stuff in with their pencils. Jani showed Aileen where to file them when they were done and headed to the fountain by the entrance. As Aileen bent down to drink the cool refreshing liquid, she remembered Tyler grabbing her water from the football fridge.
The glass entrance doors opened and loud, deep voices rumbled into the room. The floor by her feet shook slightly, as did the stream of fountain water.
Aileen straightened when someone whistled in their direction. She turned at the sound ready to send a scowl of disrespect the perpetrator’s way. She hesitated and blinked several times. These boys were massive. As big as refrigerators. Except for one at the front of the pack. The defense line.
He didn’t even bother acknowledging Aileen or Jani. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was not going to google over Tyler Jensen. Those days were done. “Let’s go.” She ignored Jani’s request to wait and walked purposely up the ramp to the glass doors and exited without even looking back. Thankfully Jani followed after her.
“Why the rush?” Jani asked as they stepped out into the humid, warm air.
“I thought you wanted to shop for the party? I have the academic meeting after lunch.”
“I do. But it doesn’t hurt to say hi to the football players. They have this amazing snack fridge. Best apples in town!” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t get one.”
“A football player or an apple?”
“I might need an ice bath after this.” Jani groaned as she set the squat bar back on the rack and began removing the weights. James had come over to make sure she knew how to squat correctly. It was one of the lifts she did know so he headed back to his office.
“Ice bath?” Aileen scrunched her nose. “Sounds too cold for me.”
“The athletic therapy room is down the hall from the track. We share it with the volleyball players. There are two ice bath tubs there. We aren’t allowed to use the football’s therapy room.”
“Because we might taint it?” The idea, of sitting in an ice bath with a couple of huge defensive football players, didn’t sound very appealing.
“Sacred ground.” Jani rolled her eyes. She leaned in and whispered. “Don’t let them hear us dog them. They believe they are the end all be all of the school. Nothing is done here without their help. The alumni helped build this weight room. We borrow it to train. Nothing here is ours, or basketball’s, or hockey’s, or anyone’s.”
“Sounds silly.” Aileen shrugged. Weren’t all sports just as important as the others?
Jani lifted her hand, then raised it up a bit and then a bit more. “There’s a hierarchy here. Don’t mess or you’ll be treated like crap.”
“That’s comforting.”
“It doesn’t matter. Most of these guys will spend five years living the dream of football. A few will move on to the NFL, maybe a couple off to where I’m from to play in the CFL. The others are done. Their glory days revolve around the five years of being treated like kings.”
“Does Gatica have a lot of NFL potential players?” They moved on to bench press and took turns.
“A couple. We have a defensive line that is nearly unstoppable. In particular a Jim Thorpe recipient.
Tyler . Sigh, there was no getting away from him. “I’m not much into football.”
“Neither was I – till I came here. There’s something about college football…” Jani shook her head. “Wait till the home game opener. When you’re inside the stadium, you’ll feel it.”
She didn’t know much about the game, except what she had learned in high school flag football. Maybe she needed to start reading up on it or google the rules… or something.
They finished the rest of the lifts on their papers and filled the necessary stuff in with their pencils. Jani showed Aileen where to file them when they were done and headed to the fountain by the entrance. As Aileen bent down to drink the cool refreshing liquid, she remembered Tyler grabbing her water from the football fridge.
The glass entrance doors opened and loud, deep voices rumbled into the room. The floor by her feet shook slightly, as did the stream of fountain water.
Aileen straightened when someone whistled in their direction. She turned at the sound ready to send a scowl of disrespect the perpetrator’s way. She hesitated and blinked several times. These boys were massive. As big as refrigerators. Except for one at the front of the pack. The defense line.
He didn’t even bother acknowledging Aileen or Jani. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was not going to google over Tyler Jensen. Those days were done. “Let’s go.” She ignored Jani’s request to wait and walked purposely up the ramp to the glass doors and exited without even looking back. Thankfully Jani followed after her.
“Why the rush?” Jani asked as they stepped out into the humid, warm air.
“I thought you wanted to shop for the party? I have the academic meeting after lunch.”
“I do. But it doesn’t hurt to say hi to the football players. They have this amazing snack fridge. Best apples in town!” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t get one.”
“A football player or an apple?”
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