Illinois soldier unfit for football after basic training
Parachutecutie sends us a link to an article from Yahoo sports about the state of Illinois who won’t grant a waiver for a student, Eddie Nuss, to play football after he missed some of the summer pre-season practices because he was in Fort Benning, GA in basic training;
“There’s this overriding safety issue,” IHSA executive director Marty Hickman told the Record. “Our sports medicine committee continues to feel that being in shape and being in football shape are two different things. We’ve had this issue a number of times. It’s been brought to the board’s attention, and they’ve consistently said that they’re not interested in modifying this policy.
Yeah, being in Army basic training shape and being in football shape are two different things. I played football in high school and didn’t know what “being in shape” was until my drill sergeants showed me what being in shape was. I think someone needs to send Marty Hickman to Fort Benning, GA in the summer and let him go through the first few weeks of basic training, so he can speak to the issue with some experience behind him.
Category: Military issues
And they’re this stupid inside the classroom as well. Even Navy boot, which physically I’m sure is nowhere near as difficult as Army boot, was a real eye-opener as far as physical training went…especially Great Mistakes in July and August.
The tip off came in Marty’s statement that “the committee feels….” The committee, as a whole and doubtless individually, does not think, reason, or render decisions after discussion. It feels. As for the committee, it is comprised of 35 members, 21 of whom are high school principals. Nuff said. If you would like to contact Marty, his email is mhickman@ihsa.org and the IHSA phone number is (309) 663-6377. I wonder if the Illinois NG will provide a color guard for the opening game. Perhaps Marty himself will sing the Star Spangled Banner. Jeez.
I think they’re idiots, because I can guarandamntee you that kid, when put to a BMI measure, and body fat would kick the asses of the “football” team. I went to boot in SC. I was not overweight, but at 4’11 losing nine pounds and tightening up after being a high school runner, there was nothing pansy about me. I say the kid challenges them all to a PT test. Football agilities (sp) too.
Will the soldier have an agility or PT test to determine his fitness? No. Did he? No. The feeling-based decision of Marty’s Smarties is that Pvt. Nuss cannot be physically fit for football because he will have missed 12 days of football practice. And just what was Pvt. Nuss doing in lieu of walking through plays, watching films and visiting the local DQ after football practice? Completing 10-weeks of arduous PT. Knuckleheads.
Basic Training was a physical exhaustion ..like I have never known physical exhaustion in my life. I came home from Basic training ROCK solid.. Buns of steal.. my ass,, it has nothing on Basic training back then… Running in the AM, and then Marching all day… with Lord only knows how much gear..Up and down flights of stairs.. Road Marches My legs were like logs… and just as strong.. NOT in shape after basic..WTF??? I say that young soldier goes out and shows his coach just how… IN SHAPE … he is… I bet he could Smoke the coach and all the other players….. HEY MARTY… Pound SAND… and if you were ever a soldier.. you would know what the means..
Basic Training was a physical exhaustion ..like I have never known physical exhaustion in my life. I came home from Basic training ROCK solid.. Buns of steal.. my ass,, it has nothing on Basic training back then… Running in the AM, and then Marching all day… with Lord only knows how much gear..Up and down flights of stairs.. Road Marches My legs were like logs… and just as strong.. NOT in shape after basic..WTF??? I say that young soldier goes out and shows his coach just how… IN SHAPE … he is… I bet he could Smoke the coach and all the other players….. HEY MARTY… Pound SAND… and if you were ever a soldier.. you would know what the means..
It really saddens me to think that civilian school officials would sit on thier Throne, and not allow a young man and opportunity to play football becuase he missed a little practice.. OK,, so he can sit out the first few games.. whatever.. BUT.LETS look at WHY he missed the practice.. hum, going to basic training at 17 years old, to help pay for his education no doubt .. oh yeah,,, and he just signed up to take bullet for you… you nit wit..
It seems to me there was a pro sports player some years back who joined the military. I can’t remember the branch or who it was but I do remember he never made it through basic. It was too difficult.
You’re thinking of Riddick Bowe, the boxer. Quit Marine boot camp on the third day. More of a head case than anything else, though.
I dealt with the same issue in Virginia in 1988. WE had to go to the state level but I managed to play. Sad that nothing changes especially with all that the military has been thru and continues to go thru with so little media recognition.
Eddie Nuss at 17 years of age has crossed the Rubicon and is now in the company of men and women the majority of the public (including Marty and his committee) will forever take for granted until the water starts to rise and they are standing on the roof tops crying out for the military to come and safe their arses. I hope his Dad will give him a heads up before he comes home and encourages him to ruck up do what he has to do and never let them see him sweat.
safe=save (sorry)
Sparky, I can tell you that I was in tremendous shape after finishing Navy Boot at Sandy Eggo, also in June/July/August.
While we weren’t humping the gear that the Army was, we were continuously running, and our aerobic conditioning was excellent. Combined with the long morning calisthenics I would have put myself up against any defensive back.
I think that this young man needs to consider contacting his state’s attorney general and file a discrimination suit against this committee, and his school.
The “committee” more than likely speaks and bases their ruling on that which they know nothing about, for if any of them had ever actually been to basic they would know how hard it actually is and the condition one would be in after it.
Do you expect any good leadership decisions to come from Illinois? They gave us the worst gun laws but the highest crime rates, that weird haired crooked fellow and Obama.
Has the VFW, Legion, DAV etc.. gotten ahold of this yet? I think this group needs to get a few phone calls.
A buddy did a split-training OSUT for 19D between his junior and senior year. He said his senior year of football was a joke after finishing 8 weeks of training.
I imagine since he we went to ft. Benning school for boys he’s a grunt.
Thanks to BRAC, he may very well be a 19D at Benning (but I don’t recall exactly what date this year they started at Benning).
https://www.benning.army.mil/armor/194th/
Thank god this committee isn’t in charge of selecting our Olympic athletes. I’d hate to see how many they would deny to compete because you know they weren’t in ‘football’ shape. Whatever the hell that is.
Usually these lackwits turn to their lawyers and liability insurance for backup.
PVT Nuss, welcome to the grownup world. You walk among the children, of all ages, but are not of them.
IHSA? Idiot Has Some Authority?
Entered USMC Recruit training weighing 228lbs. Took 36 minutes to run 3 miles. By the time I graduated, I was 197lbs, and ran the 3 miles in 22 minutes. Yeah, no way that kid is not in “football” shape. Maybe the IHSA is worried he’ll hurt someone on the football field. Or maybe they just hate kids who went to the military period.
This story really steams me. What do they think he was doing in Boot Camp?
I went into Army basic at 6’1″ 130 pounds when I was 17. By the time it was over I was 150 pounds. The extra weight was all muscle. This is ridiculous.
Well, I went in during the vacation known as “VolAr.” But that was then… and this is now.
Maybe they’ve got a spare pick up in Texas? You know, to drag a few people behind until their worthless heads come off?
Having been through basic at sunny Ft. Jackson during June and July and Airborne during August I’m pretty sure I could have coped with football.
Ah, the Fort Jackson Country Club. I rather enjoyed my stay there, especially the refreshing runs up Tank Hill. Nothing too rigorous, just a light jog–weather permitting, of course. Usually we would sing songs, too, with happy lyrics about Eskimos and somebody named Jody. After our little saunter we would play fun games. Heck, we even were given a toy to play with. I knew it was a toy ’cause it said “Made by Mattel” right on it! Then there were the many times we would go into the woods and pretend there were these guys who wanted to hurt us. Funny thing was they all had the same name: Charlie. Oh, what fun we had! Anyhow, I am going too far down memory lane now. I want to thank Marty for reminding me how much tougher and physically demanding football practice is than Basic Training.
[…] to Basic Training, do not pass (the […]
[…] I’d like to personally welcome Matt Gengler, Chris Rygalski and Derek Shaw to our ranks. Gengler said he enlisted to spend time with his father who is currently deployed to Kuwait. I also commend the coach for allowing these fine gentlemen to start the football season two weeks late as opposed to the boneheads in Illinois we read about last month. […]
Here’s an update on Pvt. Nuss. Marty’s Smarties never relented and Eddie Nuss had to sit out his team’s first game. They lost. Eddie played the next two games, both of which they won. I’m not suggesting it’s a case of cause and effect but who knows…
Illinois: the new California