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A Football Community with Laura and Jeff Wasyln · Cover IV Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to cover four.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: This is your podcast.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm coaching.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: We have two guests today on cover four.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: They are synonymous with the Owego football community.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Laura and Jeff Wazlin.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, how are you?
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: Glad to have you guys.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate it.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for taking the time to share your story with us.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: They act they have three young, well, actually not young anymore, but they have three uh son sons in their family.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Anthony, who is in the military, and I want to thank you and uh for his service.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate that.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: I can uh equate to that.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: My daughter is also in the service, and uh you know you really don't find a lot of people stepping up today to take on that responsibility.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate that.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: Their other uh children are Michael and Nicholas, and Nicholas is still currently a student athlete at a Uigo Free Academy.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna start off, we're gonna have a little chivalry here.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: We'll go ladies first.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Laura, I'd like to begin with you and let us know how you became the guiding force.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: And when I say the guiding force, I'm talking about being front and center in the Ouigo football community for 13 years.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: So if you'd share with us your transition into this leadership role and the efforts that you go through to keep this community running, uh specifically the Ouigo concession stand, which I understand you nicknamed the Snack Shack.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Take it away, Laura.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so it started in 2008.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: We moved to the Owigo School District, and we signed the boys up to play football.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And the coach at the time reached out to the parents that were in the uh on the sidelines and said, Hey, is there anybody that wants to help out?
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Anybody that wants to coach?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: And Jeff and a couple other guys kind of looked at each other and said, Why not?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: We'll step in.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's kind of how it all started.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: And uh slowly I became more involved because obviously, you know, my husband's a coach, I'm down there uh, you know, watching the kids, um, you know, made some great friends uh through the first year or two that we were involved in the program.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then because Jeff was part of the coaching staff, we came became more involved in the board meetings.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and because Jeff was there, I was there.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And it just kind of, you know, it slowly, it just slowly morphed into what it is today.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um I started out volunteering, helping out the the board that was in place at the time, uh, took on a little more responsibility every year, um, ended up on the executive board of the what was then the Owigo Junior uh Football League program.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, it just kind of spiraled from there.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And Owigo is such a wonderful community.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: We're a small community.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, everybody is family.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, everybody made me feel welcome from the first moment we stepped into the into the program.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we really truly did it as a community.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: I I can't say that you know that it was just me or just me and a couple other people.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: It really is a team effort at every level, whether the kids are on the field or the parents are running the Snapchack, you know, everything from making sure that we had an announcer that day to running around selling 50-50 tickets to um, you know, making sure the coaches and the and the players had everything that they needed, coordinating all of the travel when necessary with all the programs.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um so it just kind of built into um a truly a family affair.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then, you know, after a few years in the youth program, um Michael aged out first, of course, and we were kind of transitioning at that point.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um Michael went into the modified program, Nicholas was was still in youth, and so we started um getting involved with the school programs a little bit more, um, got to know some of the coaches, uh, got to know some more of the administration.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, again, being such a small community, a lot of our teachers, our administrators, our coaches are also parents.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: So we got to know them on a personal level as well as a professional level.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um excuse me, as Jeff began coaching and getting more involved in the youth coaching program, um, he also began to build a relationship with the coaches.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: And we got to got to know the coaches and the administrators a little bit more that way as well.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a very smooth transition from youth into the school programs uh when our kids both aged out and both began playing at the modified level.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, Jeff hung on for another year, maybe two, and coached while I busied myself with being part of the modified program at that time.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um again, you know, just very slowly uh got into the program at the school level, um, having already known the coaches, um always volunteering to help, say telling the coaches and the administration, if there's anything you need, I can I can be there, I can help.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then when an opportunity came up to be part of the booster club for the school program, I jumped in first as the football parent rep.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I was the the parent contact for the entire football program modified through varsity.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I was kind of the the coach's um right-hand girl, I guess.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And anything that wasn't football related, so anything that didn't have to do with the guys being on the field and the coaching, I let that be on my on my shoulders.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So it was the snack shack and the fundraising and all of the post-game meals and the end of season banquets and all of those things.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just kind of took those over for the coach, so the coach could concentrate on coaching and the parents could concentrate on giving the kids a spectacular uh season.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually, I ended up um being voted in as the booster club president, so that expanded my my um horizon a little bit, I guess you could say, but it expanded my my reach of the sports programs.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: So my first love was football, of course, but now we're involved in basketball and lacrosse, and you know, we have a part of the swimming program, the bowling program, um, you know, tennis program, all of the sports programs that are out there for these kids really matter to us.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: And we've said this before, you know, we don't just have two kids in the program.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: We've got 200 kids in the program.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they're really important to us, they're really special to us.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: These sports programs are such an integral part of these students' lives.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, academics comes first, but without all these activities, the sports and the music and the arts, um, you know, these these kids would struggle.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you know, for me, it was very important for me to take on that role and make sure that the all of the athletes and all of the programs had a great experience.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Laura.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: And one thing I want to want you to touch on a little bit is the Snack Shack concession stand.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: You don't just go to a game and flip a switch and unlock the door and everything's ready to go.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: I understand you spend upwards of close to five hours pre-game doing everything from running to getting, you know, the errands and the supplies and things to making sure it's staffed and and uh saying cook them all, we're gonna feed the players when the game's done, that kind of thing.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: So just take us real quickly through that five-hour scenario pre-game that you're getting the snack shack ready.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh, you know, it's a good thing that I've been employed as long as I have and have a lot of vacation time because boy, did I use it during the fall season.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: I took a lot of PTO during football season.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, it's it's a it's a big task.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: But again, what a fantastic group of of um family and friends that we have in this community.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And it really made the job so much easier.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: It was just organizing and delegating and getting everything prepared.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, on a on a typical home game day, um it wasn't just that day.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: It was going down, doing an inventory, seeing what we needed for the game that night.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Who were we playing?
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: That was really important.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of fan base were we going to have at the game that evening?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that made a difference on how much we would have to have on supply.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: So then it was a pre-order, you know, a day or two before, go to Sam's club, pick up, you know, maybe sometimes over a thousand dollars worth of supplies, load it all in my car, and thank goodness for Nana, because she was always there to lend a hand when I needed it.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I would go pick everything up, get down to the snack shack.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: I was usually down there by probably two, three in the afternoon at the very latest, getting things set up.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: And most of those days, Nana had beat me there.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: She was already there, had everything opened up, started you know moving things around, getting things set up.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then it was a lot of prep.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I really relied on the sign-up genius.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of you familiar with that, Tim.
• 9:38
  unknown: Yeah.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Use the sign up, yep, use the signup genius to um recruit our parents and family members to sign up to work in the in the snack shack.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: On a busy game night, we generally needed anywhere from 10 to 14 parents in that snack shack to make it work.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it was it was a very busy night.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: It was a lot of fun.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we had a great time.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: The the Snack Shack for football and any program will tell you this, makes a lot of money, as long as it's run correctly, of course, you know, and you have to be careful what you're buying and what you're selling.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: You don't want a lot of leftover, but it's a great, great fundraiser.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we're we've been very fortunate over the years that we've been able to do the Snack Shack and that money goes back into the football program, and those funds go directly to the players.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: We use that money for, you know, the end of season to cover costs of uh, you know, maybe special sweatshirts we're buying the kids that year or special socks for, you know, during October when we do the pink games, um, you know, those types of things.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: There's so many different things that that money can be used for.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that that Snack Check money is really important.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, it's a lot of work.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, throughout the evening, of course, I had kids on the field.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: So my job was to get it all set up, and then the parents would come down and work, and I could go watch my kids play.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: It really worked out well.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: You had mentioned Nana.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Let everybody know, let us know who Nana is.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Nana is Jeff's mom, Louise Wazlin.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody in the Owigo community calls her Nana.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: Every sporting event, every player, every parent knows Nana.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: She is there for everything.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: She doesn't miss a game, she doesn't miss a sporting event, a concert, nothing for these kids.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, when we do our apparel orders, you can order online for apparel for the different sports, right?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: And you can order custom with your names on the back.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: And Nana's all Nana's sweatshirts and shirts all have Nana Waz on them.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: She's great.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's nice.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's what it's all about.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: That's keeping it all in the family, but it overall, overarching, it is a family.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, I know when I was coaching there, and this is pre-Snack Shack, I had pregames and post-game meals there a lot at the at the concession stand in Owego.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I uh I really appreciate the concession stands and what they uh the service that they bring to the uh the families and the student athletes there.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: One thing uh I want to talk to you about, and then we're gonna switch over to Jeff.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me about the fat head experience with the senior class a few years ago.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we had seen the fat heads a couple of times, and we had talked about doing something special, and you know, it's always emotional.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: We've all been through the senior night with our with our athletes.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's the last time they are for most of those kids, probably the last time they're gonna play on that field.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's it can be sad.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's a lot of parents that tear up, it's a very emotional time.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: So we are trying to think of something fun.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: What can we do to lighten the mood?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: What could we do to get some chuckles?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what could we do to make the parents smile instead of cry, you know, when they're walking their, when they're walking that scene you're out on the field.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: And don't get me wrong, I teared up a little bit too.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: But but it was just something fun.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: And we had done it the year before also.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the parents had gotten together and done it the year before.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And we said, you know what, this is this is really great.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: This is a lot of fun.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna do this.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to tell you, just standing there handing out those fat heads to those parents and seeing the looks on those parents' faces was just it was awesome.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it was great.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: It made the it made the night fun, it made the pictures fun, you know, when they do the group photos of the of the parents, um, the photography was great with the fat heads, and then it was really fun because they the kids took those fat heads into the stands and they were waving them for the kids, and then you know, they used them for other sports.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: So football's over.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now we go to basketball season.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: So you notice there was a you know, there was a couple of fat heads that would pop up during the home basketball games while the students were cheering for their uh classmates, so they were a lot of fun.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for those that don't know what a fat head is, it you've probably seen them with uh pictures of professional athletes or uh pictures of uh sports memorabilia like a hockey stick or a baseball or a football.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: These were actually huge uh pictures of these student athletes' faces, and it's made of such material that you can actually just you put it up on the wall, it stays there, and you can take it down off the wall without ripping the plaster and the paint and everything off.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a really nice, very clear picture of that student athlete.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: So that was really cool that you did something like that.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: Now we're gonna switch over to Jeff.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: And Jeff, your involvement with Oigo football goes back a little further than 13 years, and actually you've come full circle.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: Can you share with us your backstory and take us from what I call cleats to clipboard?
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sure, absolutely.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having us.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um geez, it starts way back in the mid-80s when uh I was going to a Uyghur Free Academy, and luckily had had you you were one of my coaches, um, some great coaches back then, Tom Gray and Coach Bryant.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it was it was a great time.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um graduated from a Uyghur, um, and then kind of you know we we had the kids, careers, and all that stuff, and uh then once the kids got older and they started the youth program, like Laura said, it was uh it was a a last second decision when they the head coach was standing there saying, anybody want to help?
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_02: So I said, sure, why not?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: I'll help.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um it was and and looking back, I'm glad I did it.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: I would never regret it.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um some some great times.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I continued through that, and uh as a head coach, had some great assistant coaches that we all went up to different dads that did the same thing.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_02: They they said yes when it was, you know, probably really weren't sure if they wanted to, but they did, and and we all came through and we're still great friends um to this day.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um and as the boys transition through, um, obviously um for the youth program, you try to work with the varsity team for your school, try to get things so you're kind of teaching the same stuff at a youth level, so it doesn't less of a transition.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um became friends with Coach Burkler and and really leaned on him for what he wanted these kids to know, some of the basics that would they didn't have to worry about when they did get to the school program.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um so once the boys started to age out, I was lucky enough um to there was a modified coach's position available, and Berkler came to me and and asked me if I'd be interested.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, I was I was interested, and and luckily it was it was my youngest, Nick's age, and and his friends, and all those kids who I had coached all the way up through since they were seven years old.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um I was I was very lucky to be able to continue with that group of kids.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um I coached with on the modified for two years, and then we had some more movement, and I was able to move up onto the JV program, um, which was great because again, I was back with with Nick and the group of kids.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_02: It was it was awesome.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it's you know we've got Nick and Mike, but really because these kids have we've been with them since they were seven years old, I've got a whole football team.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: They're all my guys.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_02: I look out for them.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then um and that's where we're at now.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_02: This is and and my group, Nick's group, that his friends, that's our varsity team this year.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_02: And hopefully we'll get get things going here in March.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: That's that's the plan.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um but it's been it's been a great ride doing all this and and being part of these these kids' lives and teaching them so much.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, Jeff, there's a moment of pride here with what you're doing because you are one of the student athletes, the first student athletes that had operated to coach at the varsity level that has gone on to continue to coach, specifically here in the area.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: And there's probably four or five, uh maybe six or seven of you guys that I had the opportunity to coach.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really what I think helped me uh really appreciate the coaching aspects, not just the real-time coaching and life situations that I'm helping you with.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's when you go on and do this and you share it forward.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a number of student athletes here in the area.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: For example, Tommy Bellino at uh Hunter Cop, Mike Ford at Susquehanna Valley, you got Brian Mr.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: that was coach at Seaton, yourself at Ouigo.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's and I'm sure there's some that I'm forgetting, but there's a lot of student athletes who've gone into coach, and that really makes me feel good too.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_01: When I was there coaching with Coach Decker, at the end of the summer practice, they used to have a watermelon bowl.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Do you still have that?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: We don't have that any longer.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: Right now they do the uh team camp where we have the different um two other teams.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_02: We normally do that instead.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: What the what the watermelon bowl was at the end of the summer camp, and I was only there in a weego for the one season, but we had a watermelon bowl.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: There's a little bit of a scrimmage we would do at the end, and then after that, we would all uh on big tables, we had all these watermelons lined up, and then it would just have a lot of watermelons, and the parents were there, and everybody's around talking and having a good time.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I can remember one student athletic, I'm not sure of his uh first name, I believe it was Jim Arnold.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: He had was it Jim Arnold that played with you?
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: Remember, he he took the one watermelon, they're all hollowed out, and then they had chunks of watermelons.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: He took it and put it on his head like it was a helmet, and I'll never forget him running around with that.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that was that was you know one of the cool memories that you have when you're involved in a program like that.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: Now, on a personal note, with you and Laura, I know you this has got to be considered a good one for you and that good column.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: You would have purchased a heated jacket for Laura so she didn't get chilly during the games.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to tell me just a little bit about that.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: And does she have to have batteries in that, or she got an extension cord she carries around and plugs in?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, she uh most of the time she doesn't need it because she's running around so much doing so many different things.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: But no, I I a friend of mine at uh at Fast and All ended up having these jackets that uh you could get a battery pack and they're rechargeable and they last for about four hours and they're they're great, they're great.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: But like I said, some most of the time she doesn't need them because she's up and down and she's running all around and it gets too hot.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I understand.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's good stuff.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Now I want to end with a funny story that you guys can share with us.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: Now, it can be a situation that you either experienced yourself, either you witnessed it, or maybe you initiated it.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: Now, which one of you wants to tell the story or stories?
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'll I'll start, I'll start with um with the big the big press article that I I didn't know was gonna happen.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: So so Nana was watching the news and or reading the news.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not not exactly sure how she found this, but they were doing a piece on parents who were involved in the sports programs during that time of year.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: And she thought to herself, you know what, my daughter-in-law does more than any of these other moms.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna reach out and I'm gonna put her on the spot.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the young lady, it was Maggie Gilroy was her name at the press.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And Maggie reached out to me and said, Um, I'd like to do an interview with you.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Your mother-in-law gave me your name.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we have to do what Nana says because you know she could put them a like on us if we don't.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to respect Nana's wishes and decided to do the interview.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: And it turned out to be a really great night.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: She followed me around that evening and uh got a lot of good stuff, got some great pictures of the Snack Shack, got Nana in there.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: I know she had a little spot in there for Nana, and um followed me all around the stadium that evening and then said, Okay, thank you.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: We've got everything we need.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: You'll have a little spot in the paper.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, a couple of days later, unbeknownst to me, it ended up splashed on the front page.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: I walked into work that morning and everybody was patting me on the back and giving me the yeah, yeah, you're awesome.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm what are you talking about?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: I honestly had no idea what had happened.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: I thought it was gonna be a little spot in the back of the sports section.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: So somebody brought the paper in that morning and said, Look, you made the headlines.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: Are you kidding me?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: So so uh that was funny, but that was, you know, that was because of Nana and can't say no to Nana.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's right, Nana, Nana strikes again.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: For those of you like to if for those of you like to reference that, it's uh you can search on Press Connects.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's back October 25th of 2018, and you probably can search on the title.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: It says home team, uh We go football mom, any of those, and you can actually get to that particular story and read it.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: Very interesting, great insight.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: Well, uh Laura and Jeff, I want to thank you for sharing your inside stories.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's really appreciative, especially what you do, you know, with your football community.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: But I also like to take this time to give a special thanks to all the parents who volunteer and make their Section Four football community such a success, like you have.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: And it actually gives the student athletes a great example to emulate, whether they're locking it in and we're thinking about it now, or a few years down the road when they're looking back and thinking, hey, remember when mom and dad did this or that?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna pay that forward for our student athletes, those kind of things.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: So, this is what you guys are doing is a microcosm, or it's not necessarily a microcosm, but similar things are being replicated in other Section 4 football programs and across the country as well.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, again, thanks for what you guys do, and we really appreciate it.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, take care.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to click the subscribe button.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: And remember, tell your friends, Coach Smith says, visit cover4.com and get involved.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: In football and life, it's not where we line up, it's where we wind up.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening.