A paper about me. By Aidan Zordich
To be honest it is a subject not often broached and I say this without insecurity, without the weight of any shadow, without resentment.
Typically, I am asked about my family first. My father was an All-American at Penn State who played in the NFL for 12 years and now coaches. My brothers are both Division One athletes. Michael is a LB/FB and Alex is a QB. There is a lot of football talk to get through before anyone gets to me. When they do, when they ask how I am, what I do, I tell them I'm a cheerleader-- just like my mother. It's a nice little package. Sometimes, as a family, we laugh at the implication. I am sure that any outsider would imagine that we sit around the dinner table discussing strategy, perfecting acceleration, eating raw meat, doing herkies after dessert.
Don't let my humor discount what football means to me. Football has taught me to be humble in success and perseverant in failure. It has taught me to focus on the goal at hand without looking at my competitors, but directly into myself. That it in the end, there will always be a win or a loss. That a tie is a loss. Through football, I understand that sacrifice comes in many forms. Because of the game, my family is scattered across three states, but that only strengthens our bond. It is a blessing to learn early that commitment can be expressed in many ways. That love is defined by how much you encourage one another. That even in distance we carry all successes and burdens together without thought.
Football taught me that it is not what you have done, whether right or wrong, glorious or inglorious, it is what you do from there. That you're only as good as your last game. Because of our ties, I understand that I seldom represent just one person, but a team, a community, an organization. With that comes responsibility and I live every day of my life knowing that I represent my family, their teams, our community.
I have watched my father handle the ending of his career with grace. I have watched my brothers both win and lose championship games with dignity. I have watched my mother pursue her own work with passion and I have watched my family handle adversity with resilience. I am the last to leave in a family that has flown off to pursue their dreams. And you know what? I am so ready! I am a product of my environment and the product of a great game: football.