This was an AZ Cards weekend for sure! I was up in Flagstaff Saturday so my kids could take part in the Super Bowl XLII & NFL Sponsored Youth Football Clinic, and headed over to watch the Arizona Cardinals start conditioning running shuttles, as well as attend the first practice Sunday!
NFL Youth Clinic in Flagstaff
The kids clinic was a lot of fun, I highly recommend if you have kids, younger brothers or sisters, nieces, nephews etc. that you take them to one of the few more Youth Football Clinics the AZ Super Bowl Host Committee has planned. It is not so much a clinic with actual coaching, as it is a chance for the kids to get out and get excited about football! They say your kids need to be at least 7 years old, but there were lots of little guys and girls out there having a good time- so don’t let the age limit stop you from bringing them out!
AZ Cardinals Begin Training Camp 2007
Across the way (NAU), the AZ Cards began their training camp, Saturday July 28th, with timed running. It was amazing to watch them get out there and go! Especially the bigger boys!
I was back up there again Sunday, July 29th, to watch the AZ Cardinals first official practice of 2007! There was a great turn out of Cards fans! Everyone was cheering and having a good time, in spite of the clouds, a little rain and occasional lighting and thunder in the distance. (The film guys on the cranes were probably a little nervous about that though…)
Practice went from 1:30 to about 2:30PM; some Cards headed off, meeting fans and signing autographs on their way out. Some Cardinals players stayed and continued working on various drills, running etc. Kurt Warner and Coach Whisenhunt were the last two to head out, really taking their time with the fans. We have some really good guys as part of this team. You can check out more Cards training camp pictures and video on their site.
The ESPN Writer Cometh
I also met with a writer from ESPN the magazine who was researching a fun article on being a fan. We hung out and met with Cards fans, including a couple of fans who are famous for making themselves part of the Tillman Tribute by how they paid their respects on the field.
The writer, his photographer and myself all headed back to Phoenix and met with some more Cardinals fans. We had a great time talking about the good, the bad and the ugly…and the renewed optimism of the AZ Cardinals and their fans. I’m not sure if we convinced him to be a fan, but I know that after this weekend, I am much more of a Cardinals fan then I was before!