Hell Week
The coaching staff has confiscated the Buckeyes’ iPods, cell phones, laptops, TVs and anything else that can remotely be considered an idle distraction. This week, known as Hell Week for it being in the same spirit as what the Navy SEALs do, is designed to get what should be a very young Buckeye team focused on the task at hand. This confiscation of networking toys is new for Ohio State football, as far as I know. It seems to be an experiment to see what type of response it elicits from the players as they embark on an important stretch of fall camp. Apparently, the reaction to this is mixed. Some understandably don’t like not being able to talk to their sweeties or surf the ‘net for hours out of the day. Still, others like Jake Stoneburner, seem to be responding positively to the idea, and what the end goal is during this week. We’ll definitely have to see how this goes. I already love the idea of it, but it’s obviously not me being completely sequestered for a week. I don’t watch much TV, nor does anyone call my cellphone. However, I don’t think I could live a day without my computer.
Godspeed, young Buckeyes.
Vico,
Interesting decision by Tressel. Actually, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. For chrissakes, it’s only for a week. I remember ‘back in my day’ at the two-a-days for the Fighting Muskies, I’d be so dogassed tired and sore, all I wanted to do was sleep, eat, drink (as in rehydrate), and hopefully have enough energy to thumb through the playbook.
The technology for these distractions wasn’t here yet. If you wanted to talk with someone, you either called from the dorm house-phone or walked downtown (such as it was in New Concord) and used a payphone.
These young Buckeyes will be fine.
I think this is a good idea. Most kids these days don’t even know who they are. They’ve never been unplugged from The Collective/The Matrix their entire lives. I know I did Army basic training, at the age of 17, and loved it. All those hand grenades, M16s, machine guns, rocket launchers, machine guns, and polishing trash cans, does a body good. I learned how to march and curse, read maps, and open C-ration cans with a bayonet. Fun stuff. Of course, no internet.
It can be tough on parents too. I remember the first time I sent my (then) 12 year-old son on an airplane to visit relatives. I wasn’t prepared the the primeval response of leaving the airport without him. The same feeling you’d get if you left him at a shopping mall, and got home realizing he wasn’t in the car. I couldn’t shake it. Parents used to constant feedback from their children will need to adjust too.
They’re all going to have to learn to communicate with low-bandwidth audio-visual, and even semaphore (hand signals). Maybe they’ll even have time 2 lrn 2 spl rite … nah, that’d only be a distraction.
Seems like a sensible move during an important part of camp.
I think this is a fantastic idea to get the younger players focused on the year ahead. The only downfall I could forsee is when you get too attached to technology it almost becomes a drug.. nay, an addiction.
About a year ago I found myself completely shut off from the outside world. I had no car, no job, no internet, one cell phone I couldn’t afford to put money into, and the only thing I had was NBC. That was the closest I ever came to going completely insane. BUT.. the key difference between my experience and that of the young Buckeyes, is that they have a task to focus on… I did not.
The worst part is the initial -shock- of knowing you can’t surf the interwebz on a whim, knowing you’ll have to read the newspaper to find out the weather for the day, etc. Once the initial shock wears off, you’ll cling to any other form of interaction and in this case it will be Football.Football.Football, which is good!
I wish this program luck, and I hope they flourish!
Looking back, it looks like they should have taken the iPods away AFTER the Navy game, not before it