As we wrap up the ‘08 calendar year and look at what is in store for 2009, I have some reflections, observations and predictions for what will happen over the next year for me, the site, and D3 football in general. It has always been a “tradition” of mine, so to speak, to spend the time leading up to New Year’s Day in reflection. I try to look back on everything I’ve accomplished this year, so that I can appreciate what I’ve done and what a great year it’s been. I do not make the traditional resolutions (which, I might add, are rarely kept), but instead I think about where I am right now in relation to where I want to be, and who I want to be.

I’ve accomplished quite a bit in the realms of football and writing, my two passions. Instead of walking on at a DI school, I decided to commit to D3 Colorado College, and I feel like it’s a perfect fit for me academically, athletically and socially. I was able to do quite well academically during my first semester while playing my first season of college football, during which I played every offensive snap of every game en route to earning Honorable Mention All-SCAC. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, as proud as I am of these athletic accomplishments I have begun to work even harder so that I may perform at an even higher level next season.

This website has similarly performed beyond expectations. Since starting the site in mid-July, TheD3Experience.com has been featured on SI’s On Campus section twice, and D3Football.com twice. According to my hosting provider’s records, in these first few months I’ve received roughly 22,000 visitors, a number I consider rather extraordinary for a start-up blog with such a specific niche.

I am thankful to those such as D3 Football Editor Pat Coleman who have given me the necessary exposure to make my site grow, and I am additionally thankful to those CC Football parents who have followed my blog with such dedication. Without wonderful people such as these folks, I would not have been able to accomplish anything on the web. As it stands, I’ve been able to accomplish quite a bit with my writing. The demand from visitors has forced me to write even when I don’t feel like it, and subsequently I’ve improved my writing ability.

God willing, I hope to continue writing my success story one post at a time throughout the ‘09 year. Hopefully you’ll continue reading it.

Questions? Comments? E-mail me at chris@thed3experience.com All original material copyright © 2008 Chris Jarmon

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Back in September I received the following email from a hopeful college football recruit:

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Another phase of the football season has arrived: the offseason.

After taking about a week off after the game against Centre, I returned to the weight room along with most of my teammates. We tested our max lifts and began our offseason lifting workouts, which occur four days a week.

On Friday we finished up with our fourth block of school, which was a relief for me. I completed one of the hardest classes I’ll take as a potential English major at CC, Introduction to Literary Theory. It was a pretty brutal 3.5 weeks academically, so I was glad to only have to contend with daily lifting rather than in-season football practice. Now we have a month off, which is pretty exciting for me as a freshman. In high school, we usually only got about two or three weeks, so a full month to spend with family and friends will be a welcome relief.

So as I watch Mt. Union defeat Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Stagg Bowl, I prepare myself mentally to continue working so that at some point we can play at that level as well.

Although I will be lazing about over my much-needed holiday, I will still be working hard to build on my individual success from last year. I received Honorable Mention All-SCAC honors, but rather than making me complacent it makes me want to work even harder than before. Last season I wanted to start and make all-conference, and I got to my goal somewhat. This year I’ve made my goal to win the starting job again, and make first team All-SCAC and D3Football.com All-Region honors.

I’ve already set my goals for the 2009 season, but I’m not focused on the goals themselves anymore. Now I am totally focused on the process of attaining that goal. My high school coach, Spencer Colter, influenced me in this life lesson. Once I set my goals I know how hard I have to work to accomplish them, so I direct my energy at the process of becoming that player.

Thus, I have devoted myself to making myself a better player every day over this winter break. I will enjoy the time away from school, but I certainly won’t be taking any time off from the 2009 CC football season.

Wikipedia defines failure as the “State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success” or “an object, person or endeavor in a state of failure or incapable of success”. Thus, in the eyes of some (if not many) people on campus and in Division III football, our season was a failure. After Saturday’s close 20-7 loss to Centre, we have finished the season 0-9, something I never imagined actually writing. The game showed that despite our record, we are as good as any team in the conference. According to CC’s Media Relations department, “[CC] gave Centre, 7-3 overall and 5-2 in league play, all it could handle, forcing three turnovers and holding the visitors to 85 net yards rushing. Thanks to a spectacular goal-line stand late in the second quarter, CC came within 37 seconds of holding the Colonels scoreless in the opening half.” The game was tied 7-7 heading into the fourth quarter, but “in the end, however, it was the Colonels who were able to make the plays – a 15-yard TD pass from Tyler Osterman to Rob Pope with 9:38 remaining and another scoring drive that ate up all but 36.6 seconds of the final 7:38 – that made the difference”.

Perhaps that’s the one thing we’ve been unable to do this year. All too often we could not make just a few key plays that ended up deciding the game. My high school coach used to tell me that in football, “you’re going to win some games that you should have lost, and you’re going to lose some games that you should have won.” Knowing this, it is beyond frustrating to know that all we came away with were games that we lost but should have won (in my mind, the games we truly should have won were against Sewanee, Austin, Birmingham Southern, Depauw, and Centre). Those few key plays I spoke of become the difference between 5-4 and 0-9.

For the sake of our seniors, I wish it had been 5-4. They epitomize what it means to be a teammate and a brother, so it hurts to have been unable to give them even one win during their last season of football ever. Nonetheless, I find it to be a testament to our brotherhood that despite all the adversity we faced this season, we stuck together as a team. Often in losing – especially winless – seasons, players become irritable and try to place blame on one another. We never had that problem; if anything, losing made us closer. When you go 0-9, pretty much the only people surrounding the program are the dedicated ones: the players, coaches, football alums and families will be there no matter what.

Thus, we must look again at the definition of failure. Was this season a “failure”? In the eyes of outsiders, perhaps it was. Casual onlookers – students, mainly – take one look at our record and judge us as a team that “sucks”. Thus, our season (and the brotherhood that resulted from it) reminds me of a quote from Teddy Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Our season will never be a failure in my eyes. What we have done and what we have learned together is what makes our time spent on that field meaningful. The 0-9 season will be remembered as one of the best of my life.

Questions? Comments? E-mail me at chris@thed3experience.com All original material copyright © 2008 Chris Jarmon

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Saturday came and went, and so did another loss.

We flew down to New Orleans and drove to Jackson, Mississippi to play Millsaps, the number four team in the country. We lost 50-6. The loss is especially hard to swallow since they really were not that much better than us. I have now come to believe that there is little difference between an undefeated team and a winless team in Division III, I’m just not sure what that difference is.

It certainly isn’t physical ability, as we were able to move the ball on offense and make stops on defense. Our special teams were not at our usual level, as we had two punts blocked (one for a safety, one for a Millsaps touchdown). For the life of me, I can’t figure out why we haven’t won a game yet. I suppose it is our inability to execute our fundamentals on a consistent basis. Too many times this season, we have defeated ourselves.

We’re 0-8 now, and just saying that feels strange. It’s hard to believe that with all of the talent and confidence we entered the season with, we’ve been unable to win a single game. I feel especially bad for our seniors, who have busted their tails for four years and deserve better. Regardless, going into our last game, the team camaraderie is stronger than ever. If there has ever been a more confident 0-8 team, I certainly haven’t heard of them. We go into every week with confidence and swagger, and we know that one of these Saturdays, it’s all going to come together for us. Time is not on our side, though. We have just one more game this season against Centre, a good team that beat Trinity last week. We’re as confident as ever that we can get that win, and we need it. Our seniors need it. I plan on doing everything in my power to help my teammates this win, in return for all the help they’ve given me. It’s our last chance, and we know we can do it.

Questions? Comments? E-mail me at chris@thed3experience.com All original material copyright © 2008 Chris Jarmon

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