Bryan got to take his wife and two eldest to Bears training camp for the first time for “Women and Girls in Sports Day.” Here are his takeaways.
Transportation
I stayed at a hotel nearby Halas Hall and it was just a quick shot over to the mall where the free shuttle picked up droves of fans. There were maybe two dozen parking lot attendants and/or Bears staff and they were all spry and welcoming even at 7:15am. I found it so energizing to arrive to something like this with so many Bears fans. Normally I hate long lines, but this was different. Of course, those of us that have ever attended a home game know what I mean, but my kids had never experienced anything like it. Suddenly my eldest didn’t feel so silly wearing all of her Bears gear or her hat that she feels is too big for her after she got multiple compliments.
I was blown away at just how many shuttle busses there were and how efficiently they all operated. Upon arrival to Halas Hall, we were led to the entrance which resembled a theme park instead of a practice facility. A truly special experience from the jump.
It was upon entry that I was met with my first challenge. Do I stop at each potential vendor and interactive experience for my kids or do I shoot to the fields to get a good seat closest to action? I chose the latter in a decision that may or may not have come back to bite me.
At the conclusion of practice for the day, people spent more time enjoying the festivities and making their way back to the shuttles where we waited in line to get shuttled back to the mall parking lot. A pretty efficient and painless operation – just in time for some lunch.
Practice
I got to the fields along with the first 100 or so crazy fans and was pleasantly surprised to see multiple covered bleachers along the two fields where practice was being held. There were only a handful of player on the field – most notably Colston Loveland and Jahdae Walker. Along with a few reserve offensive linemen. I gave Jahdae a shout during his stretches/dances and he waived at me.
When practice began to start, music was playing and most of the team had already come out to the field by then. My biggest takeaway was just how well-oiled this machine truly was. Most of you know by now that I was a walk-on at UCF in the early 2000’s. That was my first experience with heavily structured practices that wasted zero time between transitions from station to station. Not only were the time periods shown on the clock at the far end of the field, but someone announced over the intercom what station they were transitioning to. The players wasted zero time between transition and I even got to witness a friendly race amongst the WRs where Rome Odunze had fun beating his teammates to where the WRs and QBs were going to be practicing.
Caleb Williams looks every bit the part of the face of the franchise. Now in a contrived, obligatory was like former 1st round QBs have appeared – but one that has the respect of his teammates, coaches, staff and fans. He demands excellence, celebrates small victories and holds others and himself accountable. His energy was palpable from the moment he stepped onto the field and it rubbed off on his teammates throughout practice.
I was forced to leave practice a bit early to check out some of the stuff we passed by before it was too late and then did our best to position ourselves for autographs.
Festivities
Again, this was a day catered towards women and girls and it did not disapoint. Face painting, pinwheel games, pictures with Staley and various interactive stations along with ample food and drink food trucks and places to sit. A bit much for the “inner-scout” in me, but absolutely worthwhile if you are bringing children. We even got to attend an autograph session inside the Walter Payton center which was super fun for the kids. One of my daughters got Anthony Johnson Jr. and Beau Gardner and the other got Josh Blackwell and Cairo Santos.
The experience was made complete with music, food, and good vibes – all catered towards kids and women. And it was a great first-impression for my daughters to see that football isn’t just some boring hobby that their daddy obsesses over 24/7. No, in fact, there are thousands of crazy obsessed Bears fans all over and together we can marvel at what Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are doing for The Beloved. Bear Down.
Check out Ryan Droste and I discuss some takeaways from camp and other Bears related items whilst sharing a cold beverage.