Thanksgiving Morning practice

Who else has the tradition?

Mayfield does every year.

This is a great tradition to have.

Beechwood practices Thanksgiving morning. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Practice and breakfast with the Tigers. Family and turkey the rest of the day. Thanksgiving practice is like a big Tiger family pep rally with all those people who helped make that morning practice possible. Most importantly of course are the players and coaches who work so hard.

Trinity does this as well, my son and I have gone every year since I can remember. They have coffee, hot chocolate and donuts!

Trinity does this as well, my son and I have gone every year since I can remember. They have coffee, hot chocolate and donuts!

I started the thread based on Trinity. It's the greatest tradition in Ky. as far as I'm concerned. There's nothing quite like being at Marshall Stadium on Thanksgiving morning.

I think if you do it every year, it’s not all that special. I,m excited for the teams that this is a rarity for. They need to be excited and realize what a privilege it is to be practicing today. There are a lot of kids out there that would gladly take their place.

Got to do it 3 times as a player - 5 times as a coach so far. It is absolutely one of the best experiences ever. It is a culmination of sacrifice, hard work, commitment and time spent with your other family. It is a special practice that shouldn’t be taken lightly even for programs that are used to it. After tomorrow night there will be 12 standing. Good luck to all and enjoy this practice - you have earned it.

When I played at Highlands I remember Dale treated Thursday night practice the same as every other week. Same time at night under the lights. They told us to take it easy on thanksgiving food. You remember on full metal jacket when they sing happy birthday Jesus for Xmas? That was kinda the MO for Highlands. Do you want to win or goof around?

As a player- back before all the stipulations and rules, we’d watch film at the morning practice to make sure everyone was awake. Go eat Thanksgiving meal with the family and then come back in the afternoon and have our normal Thursday practice. Now coaches pretty much have to make a decision, morning practice or late. Still no better reason to call the family and tell them you’ll be late to dinner bc of football practice.

Not exactly on point with the topic, but this thread brings back fun memories of my childhood when back in the 70's and early 80's we'd yearly have the unofficial legendary Turkey Bowl held in the outfield of the baseball field down in the "hollow" at Goebel Park in Covington, Ky (just as long as it wasn't flooded).

Kids from all over the neighborhood would show up Thanksgiving morning for their chance to play in this big game. Most if not old enough would have to watch from the sidelines waiting for the day that they too could play as they watched the more popular teenaged kids play. Still of course footballs were being tossed about by younger kids pacifying themselves while dreaming of when they too might get called up to get into the game.

We even had one tough as nails girl hold her own in this treasured game, and now in my mind's eye she's the one that I remember the most when reflecting back to this fun yearly event.

As was common back in the day, this game was soundtracked from blasting boomboxes typically set to the rock n' roll sounds provided by the Cincinnati radio station 102.7 WEBN. It was another time, but also common within this setting of urban teen kids (and no adult chaperones) was liberal amounts of cold beer being consumed, as well as that all too familiar smell of marijuana in the air.

For a good few hours we'd play our hearts out with our friends working up a huge appetite with everyone excitedly anticipating the big feast that awaited them when they returned home.

Then of course later that evening many of us would hook up again in the shelter houses of the park to party hard some more, and reflect on the events of the day, and how stuffed everyone got with their mom's wonderful Thanksgiving feast.

The dynamics of the old neighborhood has changed dramatically (and as an adult I'd say for the better as it has been cleaned up, and is safer, and is void of the presence of crowds of teens partying in plain view like drunk sailors), but still I feel fortunate to have been able to experience and survive those wild fun days of my childhood growing up on the gritty mean streets of the Westside that I'm certain that if I had any kids I would definitely shelter them from. :lol2: :ylsuper:

At Trinity it has value as a reunion of sorts, not just watching a practice. Fans from eight months to 88 are there. I hope former coach and AD Dennis Lampley is there today. He was always a fixture, selling tickets and walking around and visiting folks.

At Trinity it has value as a reunion of sorts, not just watching a practice. Fans from eight months to 88 are there. I hope former coach and AD Dennis Lampley is there today. He was always a fixture, selling tickets and walking around and visiting folks.

I didn't see him.

I think if you do it every year, it’s not all that special. I,m excited for the teams that this is a rarity for. They need to be excited and realize what a privilege it is to be practicing today. There are a lot of kids out there that would gladly take their place.

Sorry to disagree, but it is always special. Only once in the last 12 years has Beechwood not practiced on Thanksgiving, and it was missed. There was a great turnout in Ft. Mitchell this morning and everyone appreciated the hard work and dedication by the players and coaches that made that practice and gathering of Tigers supporters possible. Thanksgiving practice is always special.

When I played at Highlands I remember Dale treated Thursday night practice the same as every other week. Same time at night under the lights. They told us to take it easy on thanksgiving food. You remember on full metal jacket when they sing happy birthday Jesus for Xmas? That was kinda the MO for Highlands. Do you want to win or goof around?

The only opportunity I had to participate in Thanksgiving practice was in '97 when I was a junior and we won 3A. Coach Ray and staff treated it the same as they would treat any other Thursday practice.

It actually wasn't until I joined BGP that I found out that any teams actually made a special occasion out of Thanksgiving practice.