Game Girl

Well, my annual rite of passage has been completed. My four-year-old son and I schlepped out to Redskin Park on Sunday to watch the team up-close-and-personal -- well, as closely as possible from the vantage point fans are relegated to during practices -- and as usual it did not disappoint. Camp Shanahan. A new regime. Better and brighter days ahead. What a thrill! I swear, I never, EVER get tired of heading out to camp each summer. I'd go more often if I wasn't bogged down with all sorts of obligations in my "real life". I could stand there all day watching quarterbacks throw endless passes...running backs scurrying around pretending to carry the ball...and of course, the piece-de-resistance, those famous 11-on-11 drills. I mean, seriously. It's just good, clean fun. And with all of the changes wrought after this year's busy (and hopefully productive) off-season, you could almost feel the electricity in the air.

This year was particularly enjoyable because the practice I attended was in the afternoon, which is usually a killer because of the heat and humidity but this year was actually quite comfortable. The cloud cover kept things nice and shady, and I think the rain might have scared away a number of my fellow fans because there weren't as many people as I expected on a weekend day near the end of camp. Not having to endure the elements made focusing on the actual practice a whole lot easier.

As usual, I definitely made an impression on my fellow campers -- "Who's #11?" someone would ask..."Devin Thomas", I'd answer in my usual nosy but oh-so-helpful way. Doling out out useful camp-specific advice to the uninitiated, i.e, "The defense wears RED during practice" certainly gets you attention, particularly when you are a woman! I always think it's so funny when men, especially, do a double-take when a female fan demonstrates her sports acumen. Fortunately, Redskin fans - particularly those at camp -- are a congenial bunch who generally know their stuff, as a rule, so I usually make a few pals before camp is over each year. This year was no different. The lady standing next to me as practice was ending and the players were walking up the sidewalk to the locker room started calling out, "Santana, Santana!" and I said, quietly, "That's not Santana. That's Larry Johnson." Believe me, she was grateful...players don't really like being called by the wrong name, and once I corrected her and called out the right name, he actually came over to sign autographs for us. THANK YOU, mommyskinsfan!

Having my little four-year-old with me certainly made this year's camp experience more fun, too. Even though he sometimes seemed more interested in playing with my iphone than watching practice, he was still quite a hit with the other fans (see photos). We took turns holding him up so the players might see him and come over to sign autographs -- shameless, I know, but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. He IS cute in his #21 Sean Taylor jersey! Pretty good stuff all around!

All in all, I'd say a good time was had by all during our annual camp visit. Now, it's on to the Ravens. More on that later!