Grit on the Gridiron

Antigo Football Fans

Mike’s words (see the “Boy Problem” post) are ringing in my ears as we watch the Antigo Red Robins play the Mosinee Indians for the Great Northern Conference title. While planning our trip in California we arrived at the idea that we should see a high school football game to witness local culture.  Antigo (our team) has an away game in Mosinee, an hour to the south west.  We arrive in Mosinee early for the 7pm kick-off so we find dinner at the Smokehouse Barbecue. 

BBQ Entrepreneur

Ryan, the owner is at the counter looking over the shoulder of his new employee, coaching her as we order.  The small dining room is thick with smoke -- atmospheric. Ryan tells us of his path to entrepreneurship.  He was born in Tennessee (with a Tennessee grandmother with a stack this think (holding hands two inches apart) of recipes.  Moved to Michigan then to Wisconsin.  After high school he worked at the foundry in Stevens Points (near Mosinee) for ten years. “I was never recognized for my leadership.”  After 10 years he was still making less than $20 per hour.  So last year he decided to open a BBQ restaurant using his mom’s recipe.  There are no (later it turn out there are a couple, but hardly worth noting) BBQ places in central Wisconsin.  “The best thing I did was put the ‘Guns are Welcome’ sign in the window.  Since then the national guard guys and police are always in here.”  After a “tough year” in Mosinee, last week he opened his second, take-out-only location in Seven Points.  “It’s a college town and I found a spot between the campus and the Burger King.  The place is going crazy.”  We as how many employees he has: “five” he responds.  Then he counts again on his hands. “No, six.” he corrects counting the new employee standing next to him.

The BBQ is excellent, we say goodbye and head back to the stadium.

Playing in the Rain

The rain has now turned from steady to aggressive.  The band has decided to perform part of their halftime show before the game due to the weather.  We watch and listen as they gamely perform their configurations and play a medley of thee David Bowie songs.

The seniors are honored in the band, cheer squad and then on the Mosinee team. These young men are clearly local heros.  They each have two banners in the concession area: on is sponsored by family and local businesses, the other is a 3’x5’ banner with a life sized, knee-up photograph in their football gear looking GQ modelesque.  There is also a 6’x10’ banner with all the seniors posed on the steps of the high school looking strong and resolute.  Their girlfriend fans are holding placards on paint stir stick paddles with the players faces that they wave.

The rain is harder now. And it is fully dark except for the lights which are hardly adequate -- especially under these circumstances.  But the stands are full of fans from both teams.

Antigo is favored and comes out strong scoring 7 on their first drive.  But Mosinee grinds away and eventually just before half time scores a touchdown as well. No mention of the rain is made.

Halftime Show

At halftime we are told the dance squad will perform with the local mini-poms.  Sure enough.  As the rains drives down, out onto the field run probably 80 6-8 year old girls and their High School Dance squad mentors.  The music starts up and they perform their routine, pom poms, legs kicking.  The only indication of what in my eyes are the ridiculous conditions are the tears streaming down the face of the squad leader...but nonetheless she is leading the dance from her front and center position.  The mini-poms then run for the sideline where parents wrap them in coats.  The squad, meanwhile are striping down to their tights and sequin outfits -- leaving a heap of sopping leggings in the muddy grass.  They run onto the field in their practiced formation and the music starts.  Off they go.  Leaping in unison, rolling in the grass, twisting.  Their knees are caked in mud.  Their faces dripping with rain.  But they are smiling grimly and carrying on.

Dave and I do not have quite the same grit.  We decide we’ve had enough.  I walk to our vehicle through two inches of standing water.  Later, warm and dry at our overnight site Dave finds the game on the radio.  It turns out it was a nail biter -- Mosinee was threatening up to the last few seconds but could not score so Antigo won: 21:14.

Reflections on Potatoes and Football

Earlier in the day, Gary (see “Breakfast Club” blog) had recounted for us the success of Antigo football when the Wisconsin State Championships were first instituted in the 70’s. “We had potato fed, big boys on our team.  They just ground down the Racine team and won the first Championship.  They went on to win two more in a row.”  Well, what we saw in Mosinee was an example of the stoicism of the players, their fans, the dancers and the band.  They had a job to perform and a little bit of weather was not getting in the way.  As we drove sheepishly out of the parking lot at the start of the third quarter the stands were as full as they had been at the beginning of the game.  Boy Problem or not, these football players were demonstrating some important life skills in Mosinee Friday night.

-- Peter