8th grade football banquet with Colts' head coach Jim Caldwell

Christian was fortunate enough to play football on his middle school team who had an 0 - 7 record. It was a really tough year to be on the Zionsville West football team, but he stuck it out and it paid off at the middle school banquet held at the Colts' training facility. A teammate's dad is connected with the Colts and he was able to arrange for the team to have their banquet at the training field. But, what made it even better was when Coach Jim Caldwell came in the room to talk to them about their season. He explained that a lot of players are on losing teams at some point. Even he was on a losing team while playing for Iowa. He went on further to tell them that football is about character and perseverance. Anybody can quit and be discouraged from a losing season, but it takes someone with determination, perseverance and character to work during the off season and come back the next year stronger and ready to play. He spoke to them like a head coach would and gave every player something to think about and strive for. He was very inspirational and it was a great night for the team and for the parents. I was very impressed!