Hey Johnnie fans. Sorry it has taken me so long to write a new post, but school has been busy for me lately. Today we are fortunate enough to have the day off. For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about, it’s Heritage Day here on campus and that means no classes!
I recently sat down with the two kickers on our team, Russ Gliadon and Brady Beeson, and asked them what it was like to be a kicker and what life is like in general for them.
Pierskalla: Run me through a typical day at practice for you guys.
Gliadon: Well I usaually arrive early to warm up, bike, then stretch, do a little punting, perhaps a few kickoffs then into the punt team. Gary (Fasching) says, “Kick off return!” and we do some kickoffs. Then he says “break it down”. I’ll either run some scout team wideout, go inside to lift or just hang out and B.S. with everyone.
Beeson: Life is quite simple. We have to make sure that we’re well warmed-up before practice as we kick off right away. After kicking off we have nothing on our agendas until the end of practice, which is when we kick field goals. Therefore, with all of that free time during practice Russ and I have been known to run through scout plays as wide receivers, go inside to get a lift in during practice, or sometimes we just like to relax, soak up some sun and watch our boys get better.
Pierskalla: Wow that sounds rough. Switching gears now, what is your gameday routine like?
Gliadon: Church, grub, put iPod on, get pants on, bike, jog, stretch, to field early to kick and punt, catch balls that the little kids throw back after practicing field goals, go in get shoulder pads on, get my eye black on and hit the field with the team. Then I’ll continue to kick into the net during the game when a punt or kick situation is coming up.
Beeson: Game days always start with team Mass, and then a big breakfast. Russ and I are out warming up on the field far before everyone else, so we have to be ready to go a bit quicker than most footballers. We both stretch a lot, especially when it gets cold out, and then we go out and try to get some good kicks in before we get all of our pads on.
Kicking is very mental, so you will see Russ and I getting very focused prior to the game. However we never get too serious, as we joke around with each other, laugh and try to stay loose and positive. We’re close friends and roommates, so we work together out there, encourage and push one another to do the best we can do. Our duties are pretty cut and dry, so we want to do them right every time.
Pierskalla: Do you have any good stories about being a kicker or is there anything that John has said to you that you want to share?
Gliadon: John calls Brady me pretty often when we don’t have our jerseys on. I let (Andrew) Gurbada kick a kickoff before practice the other day and he did. It was a shank and it was heading right for Gary. Gary turned around right as the ball was about to hit him; all of a sudden he swatted the ball out of the air and said, “No”. It was pretty funny.
Beeson: For a while, before I actually became a part of the active roster and began to kick in games, John Gagliardi just referred to me as “kicker.” He didn’t really know my name yet since I hadn’t played, but now he refers to me by my real name. Any time I made a mistake or he needed to get my attention he’d just yell “Hey kicker!” All of the kickers would turn around and look not knowing who he was referring to until he would finally point at the correct player. So I usually just went with it. For a while I just thought of putting “kicker” on my helmet instead of my real name!
Pierskalla: Those are pretty good stories. Let’s do a couple of quick questions to help people get to know you a little better. What is the most played song on your iPod?
Gliadon: “Pimp Juice” by Nelly
Beeson: The most played song on my iPod is “Evenflow” by Pearl Jam. That song has always been a pregame song, and Pearl Jam has been my favorite band since I was a a kid.
Pierskalla: What is your favorite movie?
Gliadon: The Mighty Ducks trilogy.
Beeson: Sandlot
Pierskalla: If you were not a kicker, what position would you play?
Gliadon: Wide Receiver
Beeson: Quarterback. I have a lot of respect for those who play that position and the amount of time they have to put into it. All of the guys on the team know how badly I wish I were a quarterback.
Pierskalla: What is your dream job?
Gliadon: Professional Baseball Player
Beeson: I would have to say a rock star. Not even for the money, but to be able to perform in front of people who paid money just to see you make them happy. It’d be quite a feeling to know I was doing that.
Thanks guys for the taking the time for this. Johnnie fans, we hope to see all of you out at Homecoming festivities this weekend and stay tuned in for more “Inside the Huddle.”
