During this summer, one of the things that I wanted to do to better my health was to do two-a-day workouts, swimming in the morning and running in the afternoon at least three times a week.
Part of the workout process was to run the hills and across the lower parts of the Mt. SAC campus while the summer football practice was taking place. Doing this allowed me to get a glimpse of what was happening–what was the atmosphere going to be like after the Mounties were crowned 2009 state and national champs.
Since I chickened out in running the steep hills around Hilmer-Lodge stadium, I decided to make my own course and take the float roads that swerved along the field.
I ran at regular pace across the air strip that connects Hilmer Lodge to Bonita and Temple but was debating if I should crossover the intersection into campus. I wanted to run a little longer to get a good sweat going so I told myself maybe I should run a longer distance to get some worth in this puny 139-pound body.
I veered left towards Mazmanian Field in the back road that leads to the Mountie soccer field and around the outer fences all the way to the corners of Temple and Mt. SAC Way. The jog was endless, but then again, maybe it was me being out of shape. I was well out of sight of what was happening at practice and I wanted to hurry with my workout and not miss out on anything important or interesting that could happen.
By the time I reached to the corner, I was soaking with sweat. I told myself, “Forget it, it’s too hot right now … I can’t finish this run back to the field.”
So being the athlete that I wasn’t, I panted and slowly inhaled and exhaled and dragged my tiring legs along Temple Avenue catching some air.
With five minutes gone by, I finally reached Temple Avenue and Bonita and started to make my turn back into the air strip that leads to Hilmer Lodge field.
I told myself, “I’m an athlete. I can do this.”
I paced myself in my run making my jog.
I quickened my speed and started to catch a rhythm with each step.
But my legs were pulling me down so hard that the gravity made each stride feel like a five-pound weight smashing to the ground.
My legs were aching horribly. I found myself unable to run at regular pace and again I was panting for air, slowly walking towards Hilmer Lodge field. I needed to cool down-I was out of shape.
Practice was already an hour old.
I sat on the sidelines to catch a breather and to see how real athletes stay in shape.
As I sat to let the oxygen flow inside me, I noticed something peculiar. From out of the huddle of big burly offensive linemen, a face that I hadn’t seen for quite some time took approach for the hike.
He looked left, calling his play.
he looked right, calling his play.
“Are you ready? Set … Hike!”
He fell back with the ball … stopped.
With lightning speed quickness, he swung back his arms. arched his aim and tossed the ball high, so high in the air that it looked like the rays of rainbow sparkled after the flight of the football.
The ball came soaring down and his teammate Breyden Torres Keohokapu extended his arms out in front of him receiving the 45-yard catch and flying into the end zone for the score.
I looked back at the face that threw that football and I saw his game face stare. I saw his hands point at Keohokapu giving a gesture of congratulations with the catch.
I seen this face before.
Mounties head coach Robert Jastrab came up to me and said, “Recognize that kid?”
Nick Lamaison has returned to Mt. SAC.
After a roller coaster ride last season at Tennessee with former head coach Lane Kiffin stepping down as coach and the transfer of powers changing the face of Tennessee football, the new game plan for Tennessee seemingly did not see good for Lamaison. Lamaison was looking to go elsewhere.
But the school would not allow that to happen so easily.
“I tried to get a release so I could transfer to another school but Tennessee wouldn’t release me,” Lamaison said. “So I had to come back to Mt. SAC.”
But all is not lost for the for the six-foot-two-inch Covina native.
With the loss of last year’s Mountie quarterbacks Matt Faulkner and Tyler Vanderzee and Kolby Arendse (who played tight end last season), who was slated to be the next quarterback but has moved on, the need for an experienced leader to help the incoming freshman quarterbacks was the perfect spot for Lamaison to fall into.
Despite his mishaps at Tennessee, Lamaison has the chance to not only go for the state championship he almost had in 2008 and missed out in 2009, but to also fulfill this year to really put his name out there and to show and prove to all that he is someone to take note of.
By sitting out last season, especially under the guidance of Kiffin and the Tennessee offensive coaching staff, Lamaison has the knowledge and the maturity and now the true experience in leading the Mounties and hopefully taking them all the way to the state title once more.
Lamaison has grasped that knowledge and is applying it everytime he steps onto the field.
“Yes, very much so,” Lamaison said. “I have a much higher football I.Q. now, I’m mentally and physically more mature and understand the game better.”
Despite the injury problems he endured during the latter parts of his 2008 season in the state championship, Lamaison has emphasized on working on his mechanics.
When we’re in team mode, it’s hard to focus on individual fundamentals so when I have the opportunity, I work hard on my individual drills, he said.
While spending a good three weeks doing my afternoon jog, I end my workouts cooling down to watching some Mountie football practice, and every afternoon I see Lamaison out there, practicing, leading, encouraging, supporting, instructing … doing his thing.
This is a totally different person … he has a look in his eyes that I have never seen ever since he first came to Mt. SAC.
He’s a little bigger, more visibly mature and his leadership qualities visibly showing.
His passes are quick, tight and accurate, a lot more fluid than the Nick of the past.
“I never been more ready to ball out,” Lamaison said. “I definitely have a chip on my shoulder from what happened at Tennessee and I don’t see anything stopping us from being in the state title again.”
But what of the new toughened schedule?
“If we handle our part, which we will … it doesn’t matter who we’re playing against,” he said.
Lamaison is heated, I’m just cooling down.
James Choy News 