By Deborah Lanham
Filing into Milton Football stadium for a Friday night game is one of my favorite things to do. As I glance out ahead of me I can see the bright field lights illuminating our big red “M” and I watch footballs flying as players and coaches warm up. Soon I make my way past busy Dad’s manning smoky grills and stop at the concession stand to grab a tasty cheeseburger and a cold Pepsi. It’s a great hang. A community of football parents sitting together to cheer their boys on and at the end of the night we’ve watched an exciting game. We hug and kiss our sweaty, stinky kid and go home. Yet beyond the Friday night lights, tucked back in a small red, brick building, awaits a team of coaches immediately prepared to discuss next week’s game. Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Head Coach Scott Walker and asked him to describe for me what a typical day looks like for him. Here’s what I discovered:
5:45 AM – Rise & Shane
6:00 AM – Arrive at Office – Shower and dress for the day.
6:20 AM – Begin paperwork/Administrative tasks like email etc.
7:00 AM – Position Meetings with Coaches and Players
8:00 AM – Player Development/Recruitment Letters to Colleges & Universities
8:20 AM – 12:30 PM – Teach Weight Training classes for Milton
12:30 PM – Lunch with wife and baby daughter
1:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Meetings, Discipline matters, Interviews with Media, fills water coolers for the players, prints off practice schedules for each coach, prepares scripts that contain opponents offensive and defensive plays.
3:45 – 6:30 PM – Leads Varsity practice
6:30 – 6:45 PM – Watches feeder teams practice – 6th, 7th and 8th graders
6:45 – 8:00 PM – Watches films from that day’s practice with coaches
8:00 – 8:30 PM – Discusses strategies/changes for next practice.
9:00 PM – Lights Out at the Field House!
You will also see Coach Walker “punching the clock” beyond the weekly schedule. I was surprised to learn that Scott and his solid staff of coaches not only show up on Saturday mornings at 7:00 AM finishing up around 2:00 PM but return on Sunday afternoons and work until 9:00 PM. That’s at least seventy hours a week our Milton coaches are putting into building a better football program, better football players, and better young men. This is a dedication we can all be proud of and should have the greatest respect for.
When I make my way to a Milton football game, I love having my Touchdown Club parking pass and my comfy red seat cushion. But now I will think passed the things that make it fun and enjoyable for me and remember what went into preparing this night’s match up. It’s a whole lot of time, hard work, sacrifice and heart that lie beyond the stadium lights.
Thank you Coach!
