A Day at Camp

A few days ago, I wrote about how cool it is that fans can get involved with their football teams by going to the team’s training camp sessions on the weekend. On Sunday I found out exactly how awesome that feels when I was able to connect with my squad, the San Francisco 49ers, for the second time. I went to the training camps last year, but this year I sensed a different attitude. There was more team spirit both from the fans and the players and more energy coming from everyone. It really feels like we’re going to win this year!

You have to understand where the 49ers have been for the last few years. The team hasn’t won very many games or found a quarterback who stays under center for more than one season. The memories of the five Super Bowls the 9ers have won (an NFL record) are a distant memory. Really, for a team that was so used to winning for most of the 1980’s and 1990’s, the recent past has been a hard hit of reality.

Today was different.

I could see it from the stands, even though I was quite far up in the bleachers. The determination to win was showing in the energy that the team put into making the catches, the cuts and big throws that go into making great plays. Fans cheered as the offensive line (a normally weak spot) held its own against the pass rush and then as the defense made the high jumps to block floating passes. Topping it all off was the fierce competition between the 49ers three quarterbacks (Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, and J.T. O’Sullivan), which saw every man determined to win the starting job.

Such energy is something you can’t see on TV, or hear on the radio. The only way to pick it up is to actually be there, a beautiful part of sports that may be getting lost in the new technology world. I only hope that everyone can remember to be with their team, even though its more convenient to be separated by a screen.

What things are you looking for in your favorite team this year? If you could go to training camp, what would you go see?