Allen iced by mother nature

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on February 22, 2015 12:09 AM

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A sickness and some pesky icy roads kept me on the sidelines this week.

Despite not being able to get on a practice field or court, I had my first experience at Wilber's Barbecue since moving down here, and I must say it was a revelation. Eating is almost a sport, right?

You know what else is almost a sport? Video games.

I created myself in Madden and, with my girlfriend in Phoenix with her parents for five days, I had the opportunity to spend some time trying to win a Super Bowl. I wasn't successful, but my created player never puked on the field.

At one point, I realized I'm probably a little old to be playing the video game, because I made the created version younger than I actually am. It's a tough realization moving into adulthood.

Not putting myself through any physical strain this week was nice, but I'm ready to get back on the field.

I'm sure it was disappointing to everyone that I had to sit out this week and and not lose an extra piece of my dignity. I think everyone but my mother has gotten enjoyment out of my misfortune. She's probably loving this column, though.

In fact, after finding out I'm not writing about physically playing anything, she's probably the only one still reading it.

Love you, mom.

The first four weeks of my column have been great, but we're hoping to try some new things. If you have any ideas of things for me to try, please be sure to share them.

We still have lacrosse, volleyball, and zumba on the checklist. A group of News-Argus reporters are joining a dodgeball league, though apparently, so that sport will also be a likely addition to the column. You'll get to hear all about me throwing wrenches at my friends.

That's a 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story' reference. I think I'm going to make it a thing to fit a weekly movie reference into my column.

But I digress. If any coaches or athletes would be willing to have me out there, we would love to hear from you. Drop us an email, give us a phone call or follow me on Twitter @newsargusal.

I would also like to thank all the teams who have allowed me to come practice with them so far, and our readers for your feedback on how you think the column is doing. I look forward to documenting the rest of this adventure and hope you will continue to follow along.

Allen Etzler is a sportswriter for the Goldsboro News-Argus who moved to North Carolina to get away from the snow. And then he brought it with him. He apologizes.