Blue White Illustrated

111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S Acknowledging that I had been lob- bied by Franklin and other staffers to participate, I said that I remained a solid no. "Do it! Do it!" they persisted. Then another, and another, and an- other. As each hour passed, friends and family urged my participation after they'd read the tweets and the Facebook and Instagram posts from Penn State that had, unsurprisingly, gone viral. The influence of bad advice from folks with no skin in the game slowly began to work. I queried the team's sports infor- mation director to find out what the re- sponse had been from others. It had been positive, I was told, and although I had made no mention of wanting to par- ticipate, the question itself was appar- ently the equivalent of a verbal commitment. "I'm signing you up," the next message read. "You want to do it." Maybe she was right. I had already Googled "how to catch a punt," so the seed had evidently been planted, even though the results of my search were less than illuminating. The most useful piece of advice I could find was from former New York Giants return man Phil McConkey, who, paraphrasing leg- endary coach Bill Parcells, said there were four golden rules that had to be followed: "Sprint to the ball. Get set. Don't drift. Catch it." The nuances of trajectory, wind and spin would need to wait for another day. Instead, understanding the basic princi- ples would have to suffice as prepara- tion. Still second-guessing my decision as I stepped onto the field alongside 15 other brave souls, I made one last-ditch effort to glean some pointers in the hope of in- creasing my chances of success. With Franklin making the rounds to offer his thanks for being good sports, I asked for at least a few tips in return. Turning back, he gave me a piece of advice that was even more straightfor- ward than McConkey's. Whatever you do, he said, show no hesitation. Decide where the ball will land, run to the spot and go after it. "You're either going to look ridiculous or you're going to catch it," he said. "You don't want anything in between." And with that, the steady air assault began. The punts boomed in rapid succession off the feet of starter Blake Gillikin and backup Dan Pasquariello as two lines of media members filtered through. At my place deep in the second line, maybe 12th overall, the on-field experience of watching punt after punt sail through the air proved beneficial. The distances weren't wildly different from punt to punt, but the locations from sideline to sideline often were. Finally, my name was announced over the Beaver Stadium loudspeakers. Pasquariello's punt soared to my right, and immediately, the golden rules came into play. I had been able to track the di- rection of the punt, but getting into po- sition to catch it was no easy task. I'm short and stocky, so my "sprint" to the ball was more like a beleaguered rumble. Even though I was able to get close, the ball slipped through my outstretched fingers. Although two or three colleagues ahead of me were able to actually secure their punts, I wasn't able to join them. I headed toward the back of the end zone, where Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers was awaiting me, nearly in tears laughing at my near- miss. Still, what I had suspected was con- firmed by him and others. I almost had it! A better kick and I would have been on to the second round! That wasn't so difficult! Reflecting on the initial challenge, having avoided abject embarrassment while still taking in a unique experience, I was glad I decided to participate. "We thought that would be fun," Franklin said. "And just so you know, I'm dead serious." It was fun. Even though I had res- olutely rejected the idea at first, I'm now determined to give it another shot next year. And just so you know, I'm dead seri- ous. ■

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