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Hurricanes, like Debby, have run many a football coach off the field. With lightning, thunder and rain it has forced many to go inside and practice in the gymnasium. I never really got what I needed from my team in the gym.

Organizationally, it was nightmare. I stayed awake for hours doing practice schedules, from calisthenics to conditioning. It was a mess, and I liked organization. It set the stage for my practices running smoothly and fluently. We got nothing done inside, and when we went outside, we had to come inside again to the gym to reorganize and start all over again because of persistent rain.

Injury prevention was another key component of practicing in the rain. It used to be that older coaches would say you got to play in the rain so you’re going to practice in the rain. Young coaches would let the star player get hurt, halt practice and start over again. It’s never a winning battle. You beat your head against the wall.

The proudest possession a mother and father has is under your supervision, and you had better be careful with him. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Sometimes you must NOT listen to your assistants and do the right thing. They want to be eager and at first sound of thunder and you head inside. Some colleges practice until they see lighting and come inside, and they hear another strike in 30 minutes, and they must STAY inside. That’s why there’s a need for an indoor practice facility.

That is why a rainy day will close the best of practices down. And many teams were shut down this past week. Rain, rain go away, and hurricanes please stay away!

They were the best of times with the best of friends and in the best of places, Washington, N.C. The Original Washington!

Harold Jr.