Robert Bilbrew
“Hello, my name is Robert and one of my favorite sports is football. I've always wanted to play football but I just started playing my freshman year, mostly because my parents didn't want me to get hurt. At my first football practice, I noticed a few players tackling and I’ll admit, I got a little scared because they were hitting super hard. That didn't change my mind about wanting to play through. I couldn't wait to get on the field and give it a try.
I remember the day me and my dad went to go get my football gear. When I got my helmet it was extremely heavy on my head. For the first couple of days, it probably slowed my speed down a little bit but I did eventually get used to it. A couple of practices later that week we got our pads and started to hit. I was nervous but my first hit felt good and I think this is when football started to become one of my favorite sports.
The position I tried out for was wide receiver. I wanted to be an Odell Beckham Jr. (OBJ) or Randy Moss with a megatron body. I always watched the great wide receivers and was amazed at how they caught the ball with two or three people on them. I get super excited when the quarterback throws a bomb that looks uncatchable and the receiver tracks the ball and makes an amazing catch. For example OBJ with his legendary one-handed catch, or Justin Jefferson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyreek Hill with their speed and footwork. Watching all those players make spectacular plays is what made me want to try out for wide receiver. I also have natural hands, some good speed, and was 6’1 at 15 years old which gives me an advantage over most of my opponents.
After experiencing a full season of football for the first time, I can tell you I love the game even more than I thought. I didn't have the season that I wanted, but I promised myself I would train hard during the off-season and return a much-improved player. I'm working on becoming stronger, faster, and having the best hands out of all the wide receivers. I want to be such a good player next year that the coach has to put me on varsity. I understand that getting up and putting the work in especially when I'm tired or don't feel like it is what will make me great.”
-Robert