The Hawks have made a great kick start to the new season facing Buffalo Grove and Wheeling High Schools with an exciting ending of 35-24 against Buffalo Grove and the Hawks dominating Wheeling 42-7. As the team continues to strive for greatness, it is essential to recognize the team core values and structure to be able to perform at their best ability on Friday night lights.
Being an athlete as a Hawk is not just about being an athlete on the field, but off the field as well. It is prioritized for the boys to demonstrate hard work and determination without football being in active session. It is important to utilize the life lessons that come with being a student athlete because it serves a greater purpose beyond the field.
“I’ve learned that this is the easiest it’ll ever be in life, so I spend my time doing things that I need to do for myself and taking advice from people that I know I can benefit from,” said Jaquan Fields, junior.
This season, the Hawks are preparing for a more skill-based and level-headed season. It is important to the Hawks that they find ways that they can still incorporate healthy habits off the field so that they can slowly but surely adapt and develop having a healthy daily routine as a student athlete.
“I apply the same motives and goals for my academics as I would as an athlete,” said Will Carlson, senior.
Finding that balance between having fun and getting the job done can be difficult when they have priorities because we all have needs and wants. The Hawks balance their lives in a way that still is beneficial to their dreams and goals. For example, being able to manage their time efficiently. Understandably, discipline is one of the many key components they use to excel.
“Making sure I make time for everyone such as family, friends and school is how I manage my time so everything works out smoothly,” says Liam Patrick, senior.
The sweat and devotion all pays off, but sometimes that takes doing things that other people don’t do because everything doesn’t work for everyone. They have to be willing to make that sacrifice of being able to be stronger than their excuses; excuses make everything easy for that moment, but we have a whole life ahead of us.
“Patience and being comfortable with the change is what I incorporate in my daily life that has benefited me as a student athlete,” claims Jaimie Wisdom, senior.
Their mind has to outweigh their emotions or they’ll begin to lack every time. This doesn’t necessarily mean to hide your feelings, but rather to think before you respond out of emotion on the field. Football is a very competitive and high intensity sport that requires a lot of emotional maturity. It’s easy to get really defensive during games but players understand that they can’t let how they feel dictate how they play because this is not an individual sport: you win and lose as a team.
“Being a good example by going 100% even during a loss is how I keep my teammates feeling positive and motivated. When they see this, it makes them want to go 100% as well,” says Tony Carlson, junior.
Being able to acknowledge the fact that when they want to be the best at something, they’ll have to go through seasons where they feel like the worst. You get the best of both worlds. There are good days and bad days, and on the bad days is where they train harder.
Understanding the importance of a growth mindset can prevent themselves from hindering their football game. Developing positive self-talk is essential to performance because they’re in control of how confident they are.
Playing football as a Hawk is about playing with their heart and enjoying the opportunity they have to leave a legacy behind. Setting goals is easy, but it all narrows down to how hard and how much they’re willing to sacrifice in order to make it to the finish line.
“I’m so passionate about playing sports because they give me an opportunity to go to college and get a free education and hopefully play professionally and help put my family in a better situation,” said Nathan Cleveland, senior.
As a team, the Hawks allow each season to teach them how to handle defeat, but also embrace the success. Morally being committed to a sport is being committed even during losses to help build character development. Knowing how to react when things go left is solely beneficial to the self.
“Showing up is where it starts. You have to fail a couple of times to be successful,” says Jaquan Fields, junior.
To know for some that this is their last ride as a football player at Hoffman may you all lead each practice with wisdom and diligence to maximize the team’s strength moving forward with hope of a winning season.
“School goes by very fast when you play sports, so don’t take anything for granted because sooner or later it will be gone,” says Cleveland, senior.
