College sports offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to student athletes.
For some players on Penn's sprint football team, that opportunity's arrival is better late than never.
This year, the team includes four seniors playing on the team for the first time. They took very different roads to get there, but all are grateful for the opportunity the team has given them.
"I didn't play in high school," first-year defensive lineman Jesse David said. "My school didn't have a football team."
Sprint football offers opportunities to athletes who otherwise may never have them. Only players under 172 pounds are allowed to participate, and most importantly, no one is cut from the team.
This allows those who might be too small to play on the varsity team, or perhaps who don't have the required experience to also enjoy college athletics at Penn.
"I've always wanted to play football, and it is a unique opportunity that we have with the sprint football team that allows people like me to play," David said.
A senior this year, David realized that this was his last chance to play football at the collegiate level. Despite his lack of experience, he decided to give the team a try.
"It's now or never, because there's not going to be another season ever once you graduate," David said.
For some athletes, it's not a matter of taking advantage of an opportunity they never considered before, but rather one that they never had before.
Such is the case for defensive lineman Ryan Gilman, a senior who never previously met the weight requirements of the team.
"This summer for health reasons I lost 40 pounds, so the summers beforehand I couldn't play," Gilman said.
Once the weight was no longer an issue, Gilman was able to take part in something that he had been missing since his high school days.
"I played three years in high school‹¨«‹¨«freshman, sophomore and junior year," Gilman said. "I haven't played football in five years though, so I'm really, really rusty."
Because no one is cut from the sprint football team, Gilman could join the team despite the rust of four years of down time. Instead of being turned away, he has been using the experience to gain his skills back, and to sharpen them as the season goes on.
"I'm all right, but I definitely need help with my skills. There's a lot of stuff I forgot that I just need to pick up again," Gilman said.
For yet another first year senior, the team offers a unique opportunity for a different reason.
Running back Scott Pickett, who will certainly receive the most playing time of the first-year seniors, previously played two years on Penn's varsity football team. Realizing that football would not be in his future after college, Pickett turned away from the varsity squad.
"This is my ninth year playing football," Pickett said. "I played two years on the varsity football team. I took last year off, just as an opportunity to study abroad."
Following his time abroad, Pickett realized that he didn't want to deal with the amount of time required of a varsity football player.
"Time commitment was the major reason [I played sprint over varsity], time commitment and playing time," Pickett said. "I didn't have a lot of friends around campus, so this is a great way to meet people."
This sampling alone shows the broad range of players present on the sprint football team. There are both polished athletes, who have played the sport for years, and newcomers, just looking to take advantage of the opportunity.
"I think it's really amazing how [the coaches] are able to conduct a productive practice for such a wide range of talents," David said.
"It's a pretty awesome opportunity I think. It's a great environment to play competitively, to play hard and also to learn."
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