"Don't do it for the jersey" One unforgettable principle I learned from High School Football

Last night, my alma mater high school won their County Championship, defeating the Sayville Golden Flashes 17-7.

I graduated high school long ago, yet I still follow the East Islip Redmen football team when I can.

It's the school that built Boomer Esiason. It's a perennial contender to win the county championship every year, despite having a small population.

East Islip Football has been run by the Ciampi family for decades. The field is named after their dynasty. They are local celebrities.

I played football in East Islip since I was 7 years old and had always loved it. I played with the same core of kids all the way up until we graduated high school. We all relished the day we would get a chance to be a part of that varsity team.

When I played football there, Sal Ciampi Jr. was someone that commanded respect, tolerated nothing but the best and worked us hard. It was a true honor to be a part of that team. We didn't win with skill. We won with discipline and good execution. We were never allowed to walk on/off the field. We had to run. We always marched in two lines everywhere we went. A jersey was never allowed to be untucked. The discipline was second to none. It was the only way we had a chance to beat other schools that sent kids to Division 1 college football.

Doubles weeded out those who couldn't handle it. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks both years I played for the team. Others puked at practice from the conditioning. Others couldn't take the mental challenge. It felt like training to be in the military. It was a right of passage.

But if you made it past doubles, and you had the courage, you made the team. With that, came the social status of "being on the varsity football team" which at East Islip High School, made you a first class citizen at the time. The school revolved around football.

On Fridays before a game, like other schools, the varsity team wore their jerseys to school, to signify there was a game.

There was something about wearing that jersey around classmates that made everyone on the team walk a little taller, puff your chest out, and position your arms like you were carrying luggage.

Maybe it was because of the work everyone put in. Maybe it was because of the status that came with the jersey. Maybe it was both and more.

Back then we played on Saturdays, there really wasn't "Friday Night Lights" on Long Island. So we would have a "walk-through" practice on Fridays after school.

We would practice in our game jerseys. And if you ever played sports, putting on the game jersey for the first time of the year makes it all feel so real. It brings you a new level of energy and excitement. It is almost indescribable the feeling you get. You worked all year to get to the first game day and it was almost here.

But at the end of our practice before the first game every year, Sal Ciampi Jr. said to our entire group something that humbled us all...

"hey guys...listen to me...don't do this for the jersey"

That statement went right through me and to my core like a dagger. All the "look at me I am on the football team" pride was shook.

It became apparent at that moment, at a young age, we all learned that eyeballs will be on you in your life, and with that comes attention, and to not get caught up in it all. Stay focused on what you are working towards. Don't let up.

Sure, we had kids on the team who only wanted to be there for the jersey. They simply wanted the status. We didn't respect them as much.

For those of us who loved the game and were doing it for each other, we learned quite a lesson.

I've taken it with me ever since.

• Don't do things in life for the superficial appearance
• Never try to keep up with the joneses
• Don't get too caught up in a work title
• Don't worry about status
• Block out the outside noise
• Worry about winning and being the best version of yourself
• Put your head down and work

I've worked at Spire since 2012. When I first came here, it was 6 people on the top floor of a bank. We were nobodies. We shared office space and did everything for each other. Just like my high school classmates, unbreakable bonds were formed that still exist to this day.

I still wear the same Spire Sports + Entertainment polos that I was given back when nobody knew Spire. Only now, people recognize the logo and want to talk about all of the exciting progress we've made.

I cannot help but to be reminded of how I felt on that first Friday in high school. Wearing that jersey, just like I wear the Spire jersey now.

While it is a good thing, and has created opportunity for us all to seize, rest assured that our core is keeping our heads down, working each and every day, and never doing it for the jersey.

SD