(S2) - PT #2 - Locker Personalization

[cosbornballboy]

I know I haven't made it into the league yet, but I remember my college locker well. The slick Scarlet Red and Black of the Aztec jersey, and the sickening smell of Febreeze that Coach Long so adamantly demanded we use. We weren't the most talented, but we were a tight-knit bunch. In my locker I had my game cleats, cause you can't practice in the same cleats you play in, I had my jersey, some IcyHot for the hard fought battles, some athletic tape, a few photos of my niece, bless her. It was nothing fancy, but it was nice and quaint, just the way I like it. It was always cleaner on game days because that's when the staff would come in and make sure everything was ready. I always kept some snacks in there if I needed a little pick me up before a practice or a game, and of course, I had all my pads. What more could a football player ask for? Nothing, but it was still given to me. Chase and Tyler, they were senior walk-ons, were the greatest locker mates ever. Funny, worldly, conversational. They made the experience that much better. But still, those were my college days. As much as I love them, I can't WAIT to get into the League.

Word Count: 221

[Theo667]

Joseph Tkachuk loves his personal space, anything from a cubicle to a locker. He's always decked out his locker, from high school to college to now. With his locker in Arizona, he personalized it to the maximum. He has a small Bluetooth speaker that he uses to play his pre-game pump up music, much to his teammates' chagrin. Straight up classic Rock and Roll fills the locker room before and after practices and games, with a mix of everything from the Kinks to AC/DC. Outlaws memorabilia and decorations line his locker walls, featuring a picture of the team with the Ultimus Trophy from Season 1. His Outlaws-themed mirror lines the back of the locker, so that he can motivate himself before games. Pictures of his loving wife and kids litter the sides of the mirror, also serving as an inspiration to him. A box of protein bars sits at the locker floor, from which Tkachuk takes a bar after every practice or game. Gotta feed the big man, and the food the team provides just isn't quite enough for him. His teammates all have similarly personalized lockers, with about half of the single players featuring pictures of Stormblessed's mother. She really is a sweet woman, she's so kind to share her love with a truly baffling number of people.

219 words

[Blaster]

With a name like Blaster Blade, obviously he must have crazy items in his locker. Well, he has some pretty generic stuff. First off he always has AT LEAST a pack of gum. This dude goes through gum like no one I have ever seen. Literally insane. He'll eat gum in the street, during practice, and during games. You rarely see him without gum in his mouth. Next up he has his old Outlaw jersey on the bottom of his locker. It was the first team that picked him up and he won a championship with them. He wants to perform like he did with the Outlaws, but this time for the Colorado Yeti. Then after that, we have some more interesting items in Blade's locker besides the gum and the jersey. He also has a Reggie White jersey. Simply, he wants to model his game after one of the greats and also become better than Reggie. Reggie changed the game and that's what Blade will do in the near future. The final item in Blade's locker is the American Flag. He knows he can only play football due to the fact that he lives in America, where we are protected by the troops who put their lives on the line, every day.

[bovovovo]

What’s in Bork Björnsson’s locker? Right now, a bunch of raw fish and coal.

You see, it’s customary for each team in the NSFL to haze their rookies, and all traditions are different. Some teams make them carry the vet’s pads to and from practice, some make them pay for the team’s meals, and others traditionally hurl insults at the rookies during their contract negotiations. The Yellowknife Wraith’s traditional rookie hazing strategy is to ambush them in the locker room, pick them up, carry them out of the stadium, and throw them into the frigid Great Slave Lake.

There’s one little problem though… Bork is too heavy. During the struggle, three chairs were broken and a hole was made in a door, but Bork escaped un-thrown in a lake thanks to his. The vets had to think of a new plan.

And thus, a new rookie hazing ritual was born. What two things does Yellowknife have in abundance, other than Canadians? The city was founded as a mining town, and has a strong fishing industry, so the natural answer was fish and coal. The vets gathered as much raw fish and coal from the local Sears (which they apparently still have in Canada) and stuffed Bork’s locker full of it.

And now all of Bork’s clothes and equipment is a sooty black and smells like fish. The fish smell he’s well acquainted with, being from Iceland. But the chalky dust will take some getting used to. Nonetheless, this welcome certainly helps Yellowknife feel more like home.

(256 words)

[Jiggly_333]

A picture of his fiancee, a picture of home, and his CD collection.

[Kronen]

Ragnar Kronen has many items that distinguish his locker from those of his teammates. It's impossible to escape the Norwegian flair on display in his locker. Hanging in the back of the locker is a small photo of the harbor in his hometown:


Just behind the shoe drying rack, you'll see a small tchotchke troll sculpture his brother gave him before departing to the University of Minnesota:


You'll also find a family heirloom ring hanging on a chain. He never wears the ring onto the field for fear of losing it.



But more importantly than these the personal touches is the multiple books of sports psychology that Ragnar has come to rely on throughout his career. Sports psychology has been a mainstay of Ragnar's approach to the game from primary school and he often finds himself reading and re-reading old texts.

The chief reference text for Ragnar and quite possibly the most famous sports psychology book of all time, is the classic The Inner Game of Tennis. Why would a football player read a book about tennis? Well the answer can easily be found in its pages. The text dictates a clear program for improving confidence and execution in whatever sport you may play. Ragnar particular finds the demarcation between conscious control and subconscious action influential as he practices the fundamentals of football. Being able to trust and rely on his own practiced abilities allows him to react in the moment to whatever the opposing offense throws at him.

Ragnar suffers mightily from a strong fear of failure. Before passing, his father gave him a copy of Susan Jeffer's Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. The copy has become dog-eared with also a break in the spine, but Ragnar continues to find it useful particularly when thinking about Agnus Winchester's sideline reprimands.

Since coming to America, Rangar has come to love the work of sport's psychologist Don Greene and his books Fight Your Fear and Win and Performance Success. The visualization and centering techniques in these books have made Ragnar's pre-game routine much more effective in calming and focusing his mind.

tags for player reference:
@timeconsumer

[Kendrick]

My locker is very clean as I have minor OCD and that basically tells you that what you see is what you get. I have a framed picture of my teammate Stormblessed that is signed by him. He also was generous to write a note on it that says "To the #1 WR in the league, my former teammate". It sucks he was traded but getting rid of the dead weight is a good thing for our football club.

I also have a golden bears mini Riddell helmet as I went there in my college career and i figured I didn't want to lose sight of what got me to where I am today. I had my championship ring in my locker but that is now at home in a framed glass box. There is black and white photo of my hometown Chico, California. I think I have about 5 pairs of cleats in my locker that all change given the weather conditions. I have about 10 layers of under armour hanging on hangers in my locker stall as well. There is a championship team photograph at the back of my locker signed by all the players as well as the coaches.

[TheMemeMaestro]

In College at Notre Dame, I, Antonio Sandoval, had a lot of things in my locker. I had a picture of my family who would always push me to be my best. My family were the only people who saw past my brother and believed that I could become a true star. I also had my phone, with Spotify on it to get hyped before my games. My girlfriend is an important part of my life and that was shown by a picture, and a letter from her in my locker. She has always believed in me and when everyone else was saying that I couldn't make the league, she told me I could. I also had the California flag hung up on the back of my locker. This is because no matter where I go, I need to remember where I came from, San Diego, California. Along the same lines, I had my high school jersey hung up in the back. As everyone knows, the locker is a place of importance for every player. I tried to show everything that represents me in my locker. All facets of my life were fit into a stall holding my football gear.


(200 words)

[PointGod]

Moving into the San Jose SaberCats arena, Sammy Walters brought some items with him that truly reminded him of home.

Aside from his football uniform and gear, he has a few pieces of clothing that don't see the field. One is his Stony a Brook Univesity sweatshirt. That thing is about six years old, as he was a fan of the school before even going there, and has been worn on many an occasion, but nonetheless, you can still find Sammy Walters wearing it before and after practices and games. He also has a few headbands to make sure all that hair stays in formation and looks good to boot.

He also keeps a few pictures of his girlfriend of two years in his locker, which teammate A.C. Hackett described as "headass but o.c. cute". ( @Deusolis ) Then there's also a picture of himself with his nine friends from college, who used to congregate at a place called "The Rec". Basketball was actually Sammy Walters' first love, and before he found a place in football, he spent his days at the courts, dishing out assists and building strong friendships. In fact, he still finds a basketball court whenever he can and will play his heart out no matter what. Football is his job, and he loves his job, but basketball was always number one.

That's why "the rec picture", among many other things, makes Sammy Walters' locker all the more personal!

[daBenchwarmer]

It shouldn't be any surprise that one of the more superstitious players on the San Jose Sabercats roster, Ethan Hunt, has some fairly odd things in his locker room. Aside from the cute and typical photos of himself with family and loved ones to motivate the player, and his gear plus personal belongings, one object to note is a small plastic bag filled to the brim with rice.

"It's a sign of good luck in some Chinese culture." Hunt told media when asked about his locker after a morning practice. "I picked up on it after a Tinder date and stuck with it. I thought it was pretty interesting, and so far it's kinda worked out for me, although I'm down for switching things up."

Other objects to note is a baseball with various signatures and dates written on it in permanent marker, a simple looking silver ring with the words "Most Outstanding Student Athlete - ISU - Ethan Hunt" etched on it and a small teddy bear that looks like it has been dragged through thick and thin.

"Oh Mister Furball?" Hunt joked when asked about the teddy bear. "He's been a good luck charm since I started football. I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the amount of good luck I get whenever I stick him in the back of my locker. A couple of the guys give me a tough time for it but honestly, I'll let the results speak for themselves and block them out, hahahaha."

----250 Words