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College football or skiing?

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gr4
Posts: 1499 - Karma: 945
Alright i know newschoolers isnt the best place to get advice on serious subjects, but i thought it would be interesting to see what someone else's view on the dilemma is.

To start out with, I just moved to salt lake city from albuquerque, new mexico to attend the U of U. When i was in albuquerque i played football for UNM and somewhat enjoyed it. When i transfered to the U i talked to the coaches and ended up being invited to play for the utes. This was pretty cool because it gave me the opportunity to play for one of the best teams in the country. The first couple of weeks in utah were great, skiing 5 days a week and enjoying all the city had to offer. Then today i went in for the first day of winter training with the team. It was down right awful. It was the hardest workout ive ever been though and i had 6 coaches screaming at me for an hour and a half. I came out of the weight room literally hating life and it took me a full 30 minutes to change clothes. The players on the team were not the friendliest people, to say the least, and i could tell that they were not at the U to get an education, but to collect scholarship checks and look good for nfl scouts. to top it off i found out the schedule for the entire spring semester and it includes 6 workouts a week, 3 at 6am, that progressively get harder. The other 3 are at 2 and i have a class that gets out at 1:45 two miles from the football practice facility, which means showing up late and getting "punished" all because i want to pursue my degree. Then the worst part, no skiing allowed.

basically i want to see what an outsiders view on the situation is. is it really worth all the bullshit to play football or should i live the dream and ski 5 days a week? if feel like being a jackass just fuck off and dont hit the reply button. im really not in the mood for that type of stuff.
Jan 25 2010 7:11PM
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elle*
Posts: 252 - Karma: 13
well, do what makes you happy.
skiing well let you get a degree and enjoy the legendary snow that utah has to offer..
Jan 25 2010 7:13PM
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gstaff
Posts: 1017 - Karma: 12
live the dream
Jan 25 2010 7:14PM
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Thenowhereman42
Posts: 5682 - Karma: 65
Do you have a shot at going pro? If you don't, might as well just ski. Its more fun. I remember when I quit football in high school haha. I sort of regret it I guess but people take football way too seriously.


Jan 25 2010 7:14PM
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Freeheel4real
Posts: 909 - Karma: 95
if football:
makes you unhappy
makes you hate life
doesnt allow you to ski
prevents you from focusing on your education
puts you in a position with a bunch of assholes

then i say go for it. go for the dream - the all american dream.
Jan 25 2010 7:19PM
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THATS_STREET
Posts: 2250 - Karma: 33
as someone who never played organized football but follows both college and pro football real hard i say sit down and really think. whats more important to you? are you playing football because of family pressure? are you actually gonna get to play or are you gonna work your ass off and never play in a game that means something.

i say if your not gonna be playing in games its not worth it. but thats just my opinion.Also as someone who went to the U the football games are mad fun. i also knew some kids that lived on my floor freshman year and both transfered to smaller schools wear they were gonna actually play more.
Jan 25 2010 7:20PM
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eastcoastplanker
Posts: 964 - Karma: 70
take skiing...football is fun but skiing 5 days a week is just to good to pass up
Jan 25 2010 7:20PM
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hendriab
Posts: 990 - Karma: 404
Uh, i dont think that many pros come out of the utes.  and they are not one of the best programs in the nation.  who came from there, alex smith, steve smith and jamal anderson?  i dont think any others....why would you want to do something that you hate, plus your prolly a walk on, which means you get, what, one credit to play football?  i would say skiing.  plus you may f your knees up during football, and destroy any hopes of skiing, or playing with your kids in the future.
Jan 25 2010 7:24PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
As someone said above, if you dont have a chance at going pro in football go skiing. Education is more important anyways.
Jan 25 2010 7:27PM
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TheErtManCometh
Posts: 34 - Karma: 10
Don't get me wrong, I love skiing as much as anyone, but, I would have to say football.  You have the rest of your life to ski, and ski hard.  At most, you have four years to play college football, and not many people can say that they have had that honor.  But, that's just me.  You have to do what makes you happy; you have to do what you love.
Jan 25 2010 7:29PM
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THATS_STREET
Posts: 2250 - Karma: 33
theres more pros than just those three, they are just the most prominent Kruger on baltimore and weddle on San diego are two names that stick out to me from when i was at the U that are now in the pros. also sione pohuoa the backup nosetackle of the jets is a ute
Jan 25 2010 7:33PM
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BEARS.
Posts: 5380 - Karma: 696
flip a coin?
Jan 25 2010 7:36PM
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TheErtManCometh
Posts: 34 - Karma: 10
Because skiing has never ruined anyone's knees before.  Besides, if the knees get too bad, there are 2 options: knee replacement, or a sit ski.
Jan 25 2010 7:40PM
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Scott0_robot0
Posts: 3291 - Karma: 212
yo if you wanna go pro go for football of course, but i didnt like that kind fo shit either i couldnt stand having tomse dude yelling at me and the ridiculousness of it all, skiing 100% better in my opinion.
Jan 25 2010 7:44PM
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Dylan_
Posts: 9824 - Karma: 1,403
what position do you play
Jan 25 2010 7:44PM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
You have the rest of your life to ski, you only a couple years to play football on a national stage. Once you have played, and are done, NO ONE can ever take that away from you. You are a UTE for the rest of your life. Are you going to regret not chasing that? And yeah, I'm sure practice sucks balls. I didn't like HS football practice, so I can't imagine what a national level D1 football is like. But like the saying...."nothing that is worth is, comes easily". In the grand scheme of things, a couple years of busting your balls isn't that much. And think about what you're going to get out of it. Physically, you'll be a huge dude, in the best shape of your life. Mentally, shit, if you can take the practices and training, and whatever else they put you through, real life will seem easy. I'm sure the other players seem cold to you. You're the new guy! The noob! Just like on NS, you have to win them over. Be seen and not heard, do a little more than everyone else. Pretty soon they'll see you're there for the team. And I'm sure the coaches were on your ass too. They wanted to see what you had in you. See if you're mentally ready to play D1 football.

And just think man, what if next year Utah has an amazing season, and goes to a BCS bowl or plays for the national championship.....how much would you regret not being part of that?
Jan 25 2010 7:46PM
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RickAstley
Posts: 953 - Karma: 32
Yea so true!
Jan 25 2010 7:49PM
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gr4
Posts: 1499 - Karma: 945
To the people above. Im a kicker. and if you think utah isnt a top tier team youre ignorant. # of pros doenst equal how good a team is, college and pro football teams require very differant types of players. i know its a once in a life time oppertunity, but ive already played D1 football for 2 years and there is a darker side of it that the public doesnt see. alot of sketchy shit goes down.
Jan 25 2010 7:55PM
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THATS_STREET
Posts: 2250 - Karma: 33
how many kickers does the team carry?


and yeah college football has sketch shit going on everywhere at the D1 level ahha
Jan 25 2010 8:01PM
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THATS_STREET
Posts: 2250 - Karma: 33
and to the people saying utah doesnt have a good football program GTFO
Jan 25 2010 8:02PM
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selkirks
Posts: 1978 - Karma: 59
Go with football--skiing is a lifestyle sport; football is not. In short, skiing will always be there later; football will not. Take the opportunity if you have a reasonable chance of getting a reasonable amount of playing time.
Jan 25 2010 8:03PM
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butter161
Posts: 111 - Karma: 12
skiing, football seems like its gonna set you up to be in a bad mood 24/7 and not focus on getting anywhere, and who doesnt want to live the dream and ski that much? id say if you do pros and cons of each youll fins skiing with nearly all pros and football with nearly all cons
Jan 25 2010 8:15PM
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skithebert
Posts: 2163 - Karma: 16
why did you transfer?
Jan 25 2010 8:19PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
could you give us some background of this sketchy shit? I'm actually quite interested
Jan 25 2010 8:20PM
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PAuL_Hellar
Posts: 1355 - Karma: 62
in my opinion you should play college football that is a once in a life time chance that is if you are going to get on the field otherwise its up to you how much you are dedicated to it but you can always ski after college
Jan 25 2010 8:25PM
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.brian
Posts: 1710 - Karma: 233
share?

But if I were you I would play football. Utah is a great football team and often are BCS-busters. Winning a BCS bowl game would be unreal, no matter how much you were involved in it. It would make all the practices worth it. Also, all these workouts could result in you being a better skier, because you will be jacked and ski stronger. Finish college and play football, then ski for the rest of your life.
Jan 25 2010 8:37PM
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gustafari
Posts: 726 - Karma: 50
as dope as it would be to play college football, if your just going to be pissed all the time because of it then its not worth it. especially if your trying to graduate and finish your degree. for me at least, skiing puts me out of bad moods and its sort of a stress relief. i'd say go for skiing but in the end just do what makes you happiest
Jan 25 2010 8:44PM
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.jesus.
Posts: 2288 - Karma: 22
yup four years to fuck your knees up and never ski again i think football is fucking stupid anyways just ski 5 days a week my friend
Jan 25 2010 8:45PM
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RickAstley
Posts: 953 - Karma: 32
Click for larger image
Jan 25 2010 8:50PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
I feel you man.

I went to university to run track and field, thought it was what I wanted. Got there didn't bond with my teamates, didn't like my coach and hated the pressure.

I realized that skiing was what I wanted to be doing, and after a year decided I would quit the team. I think its import to do what feels right and makes you HAPPY, not what others say is right for you.Good luck on your choice.
Jan 25 2010 9:02PM
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B.Pol
Posts: 1750 - Karma: 59
Ski a lot now, get a kickass job, then ski a lot again.
Jan 25 2010 9:45PM
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,549
play football and be cool....NOT



FUCK FOOTBALL!!!

FOOTBALL IS A STUPID SPORT AND FOOTBALL FANS ARE EVEN WORSE, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, GET OFF YOUR ASS AND PLAY FOOTBALL YOURSELF OR GO DO SOMETHING.
Jan 25 2010 10:00PM
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TheButterHashira
Posts: 9691 - Karma: 1,702
if you are already paying for college then all you are doing is hurting yourself(grades, unhappiness) to play for their team. Unless they want to pay for your college I wouldn't do it.
its a tough decision, I am assuming you just wanted to see opinions and not actually listen to these idiots.
Jan 25 2010 10:05PM
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skibikeclambake
Posts: 2346 - Karma: 27

I was in the same type of situation this fall.

I had the chance to play for a rugby club that is consistently among the top clubs in the country, or to enjoy my free time and party with them instead.

I chose to party with them instead of playing on the same team as them. Long story they won the new england champs. and have a birth in the national champs.

regretting it right now.

Jan 25 2010 10:18PM
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gigi.d
Posts: 1588 - Karma: 302
The way you are talking about it sounds like you don't like the football schedule. I would go with skiing, but that is just my opinion.
Jan 25 2010 10:20PM
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FerrisBueller
Posts: 8280 - Karma: 5,173
lol wut
Jan 25 2010 10:22PM
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JNew
Posts: 227 - Karma: 10
If you think you'll look back in a couple of years and say, "I really wish I would have played Division 1 football." then just bust your ass and play football.

The snow will still be there when you graduate.
Jan 25 2010 10:26PM
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123ski
Posts: 7374 - Karma: 1,415
You are right, a team that has won 2 BCS bowl games in the last 6 years as well as having 16 alumni currently in the NFL is not one of the best teams in the country at all..

I am sure you would say that Alabama is one of the best teams in the country..they only have 22 alumni currently in the NFL.  Alabama has only gone to 2 BCS bowls in the last 7 years, and only won 1 of those (1 loss was to Utah).

So no, Utah is not Florida, Utah is not Texas, but Utah is definitely one of the best college football teams in the nation.
Jan 25 2010 10:35PM
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Backyard.Skier
Posts: 5397 - Karma: 1,497
go pro get rich then retire early and ski for the rest of your life.
Jan 25 2010 10:38PM
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steezeaholic.
Posts: 894 - Karma: 39
life is too short to waste it doing something you don't enjoy. if football isn't a priority than you should be skiing! i mean i know i'd kill to have that opprotunity. and why surround yourself with unpleasant people. i'd personally just drop football. its obvious you were happier without it
Jan 25 2010 11:00PM
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Wis_Skier_23
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 245
play football man....you can ski for the rest of your life  you cant always play college football....Im going through the same decision of whether to play college football or not at the moment and i will say its tough but i say go for it, its worth the hard work
Jan 25 2010 11:02PM
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DJohnson
Posts: 444 - Karma: 11
go football first then skiiiii
Jan 25 2010 11:20PM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
Give it more time before you make your decision, but keep in mind that skiing is always going to be there.  Don't be hasty, you've only gone one day.  Swimming was always hell (especially with 4 teammates training for Olympic trials), but I felt so good after and got really close with my team.  It takes time to know what you want to do.
Jan 25 2010 11:47PM
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garrett.
Posts: 9304 - Karma: 3,670
i was presented with the same situation but for baseball, think of it this way.  your only going to get one shot to play at the next level, but you can always come back to skiing, if your 18 there is still plenty of time to shred.  if football turns out to not be your thing then its not and you can shred, but you should at least give it a shot.

my 2 cents
Jan 25 2010 11:51PM
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hewy
Posts: 1355 - Karma: 205
I'd say play football, it's a once in a life time experience, and who knows, you may just find yourself in a BCS title game in the near future
Jan 26 2010 12:02AM
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remove
Posts: 2566 - Karma: 1,026
ski... or do what makes you happy. Wait isn't the college football season done during winter????
Jan 26 2010 12:04AM
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gr4
Posts: 1499 - Karma: 945
thanks for the input. im gonna talk to the coach tomorrow but basically im soooo burnt out on football. so much so that i wont even watch it on tv, which is sad because at one point in my life all i could think about was football. being a walk on its really tough to stay motivated because you put in just as much work, if not more, as the scholarship players and all you get in return are some free clothes and stuff. The worst part is that they can cut you at any time for no reason at all. As far as sketchy shit in college football, i have so many stories, but basically it involves a lot of lying and string pulling. I transferred to utah because i changed my major to something that my previous institution did not offer and because i loved having the mountains so close to a good school. Football was just an afterthought.
Jan 26 2010 12:30AM
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Governator
Posts: 116 - Karma: 18
do what makes you happy.

if you believe you're good enough to get on the field at utah and contribute to a bcs contender, and that's something that would make you happy and make the hard work worth it, stick with football.

if it wouldn't be worth it, drop it and ski.

think about it this way: if you think you'll turn on the TV january 1st and watch utah playing oklahoma in the fiesta bowl and be jealous of your former teammates and wish you were there in uniform, you're going to regret leaving the team for a long time and you should stick it out. being in front of 70,000 crazy fans, even if its only a few times a game as a kicker, is an incredible experience. i've had the chance to be on the field at beaver stadium, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Jan 26 2010 12:46AM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
I already posted in this thread, and I'm not going to try and change your mind (if it's made up). But just some more to think about.

I guy I played against in high school, walked on to the University of Wisconsin football team as a safety. He's 5'8" and was about 180 lbs. He came from a town that was 2 square miles, and 105 people. By his sophomore year he had earned a starting spot. His senior year, he was awarded a scholarship, set NCAA records for punt returns, and WI records for defense. He also ended up as an All American. His name is Jim Leonhard, and he's now a starting safety for the Jets. I'm sure walking on sucked balls for him too, but hey, he's making it big now. You just have to keep that dream in your head and that fire burning in you gut. Hopefully your coach can get that back to you.

I'm not sure where you are on the depth chart, but think of it this way....Imagine in a couple years, Utah playing in a bowl game, or even better, a national championship. You're down by 2, 0:03 on the clock, and you have a field goal from 40 yards. Think about that feeling of watching your kick split the fucking uprights. Think of having your entire team rushing the field to pile on top of you. The fucking rockstar you would be around campus. Every single TV, Radio, and newspaper would have you as the top story. I'm sorry, but skiing will NEVER give you that feeling.

Just think about it.
Jan 26 2010 12:51AM
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bsuthjwu
Posts: 320 - Karma: 8

thats crazy you got asked to play for utah, they're great. once i saw your main photo for your profile i was wondering what position too. so the kickers work out like crazy w/ all the other players?

and to give you feedback, i say go with what makes you happy, which seems to definitely be skiing. plus, if the dudes are assholes and you have no other social life besides team activities, fuck that

Jan 26 2010 12:52AM
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BC.
Posts: 1551 - Karma: 86
Growing up in Southern California I was raised on a steady diet of football pretty much my whole life. My father played it, my older brother was all state in high school and went on to play at Brown University, my twin brother and I were both relatively highly touted recruits all throughout high school. I play quarterback for 13 years and my brother receiver. Both he and I received a lot of interest traveling all over to look at various schools, USC UCLA Berkley Utah etc. My freshman year after high school I tore my throwing shoulder rotator cuff due to just plain throwing too many footballs. I was dropped from my pending scholarship at Berkley and sent back to Santa Ana College in Orange County to rehab my shoulder. One thing led to another and I started to doubt where football was in my life and its importance. It had alienated me all throughout high school, I had decided to go to a different high school than all of my friends so that I could pursue a better athletic program and transfer to a bigger university. I really didn't have the opportunity to hang out with friends as much due to just time restraints from school, football, and work.

If theres one thing an athlete knows about rehabilitation is it gives a lot of time for thinking. During my athletic downtime I realized my passion for snow sports was alive and well within me, just unable to be expressed previously due to lack of time. This past winter I made the very tough decision to put down the cleats for some skis, and to be honest all in all I am pretty happy with the decision. I definitely loved football and the ethics it taught me. How to tackle adversity, learn to overcome fears and doubts of myself and my teammates, how to take care of myself both in the gym and on the field, and taught me many life lessons that I will carry with myself for the rest of my life. I am happy that I played football everyday of my life, however if there is one thing that is universally true about football is that no matter what it has to end. The sport simply takes too large of a beating upon your body and its effects can be felt literally everyday you wake up. I view my career as a football player to be moderately successful and I walked away from the experience a better person than when I entered.

I cannot tell you if you should not play football or not, playing at a large scale University like U of U is a commitment bordering on obsession and quite frankly if your heart is not in it you will not enjoy it. Likewise if you do feel committed to it then you will have the time of your life. The vast majority of college football players do not go to the NFL and they still loved their college football expierence and wouldn't trade it for anything. Simply not playing due to a lack of chances to be drafted is not a sufficient reason, at least for myself. Simply look to within yourself and decide where your life and heart wants to go. No one can provide this answer for you, but I assure you, like myself, things will work out as they should. If theres one thing I have learned so far in my twenty one years on this earth, is that life definitely does not go according to plan.
Jan 26 2010 5:23AM
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