I live in Colorado and hike from a mile high up to 7,200 feet and beyond frequently, and every time the lack of oxygen messes with me. Folks up here are much better equipped to deal with it too, certainly the Wyoming football team was. [click here for sciencey folks weighing in] I was concerned leading up to the game the way our coaches dismissed the altitude as some sort of mental thing and their strategy of beet juice. WTF?!?
I drove up to Laramie to catch the game and like many, I wasn't too anxious to re-watch on the DVR. Tonight, I got through the first half, and it confirmed what I already knew. The bulk of the team hit a wall a few minutes into the second quarter after a dominant start. Sure receivers who frequently sub in and out, and our QB who ran maybe three times and otherwise passed or handed off, showed flashes of athleticism through this stretch, but linemen, linebackers, safeties—these guys were gassed.
And it's perfectly predictable. Anyone who's ever hiked a 14er, feel free to chime in, but speaking for the folks I hike with and myself, 45 minutes in you feel like you're going to die. If you're smart, you'll take a lot of breaks. After another 45 minutes, your body adapts enough that you can power through. This is exactly what I saw from our football team.
I'm a @GabeD fan, but disappointing that you decided to just write off this effect which is absolutely real. I mean, I'm sure it wasn't rough on you sitting in the press box. I myself found it easy enough to sip on my beer in my stadium seat, but we're not trying to move 300-pound people around every play, or cradle a ball with strength, or chase down a guy who's supposed to be only almost as fast as you, or wrap a player up with force and bring him down. Everything you try to do is compromised when you're not getting the O-2 you're accustomed to.
Not that our coaches were blameless. Any of the up-tempo play we saw in the first half was extremely misguided. But the biggest offender is whoever scheduled a game up here in the first place, and for it to be the first game of the season??? I don't have the words to describe the stupidity.
Anyways, label me a sunshine pumper, but I haven't lost faith in these guys at all.
I drove up to Laramie to catch the game and like many, I wasn't too anxious to re-watch on the DVR. Tonight, I got through the first half, and it confirmed what I already knew. The bulk of the team hit a wall a few minutes into the second quarter after a dominant start. Sure receivers who frequently sub in and out, and our QB who ran maybe three times and otherwise passed or handed off, showed flashes of athleticism through this stretch, but linemen, linebackers, safeties—these guys were gassed.
And it's perfectly predictable. Anyone who's ever hiked a 14er, feel free to chime in, but speaking for the folks I hike with and myself, 45 minutes in you feel like you're going to die. If you're smart, you'll take a lot of breaks. After another 45 minutes, your body adapts enough that you can power through. This is exactly what I saw from our football team.
I'm a @GabeD fan, but disappointing that you decided to just write off this effect which is absolutely real. I mean, I'm sure it wasn't rough on you sitting in the press box. I myself found it easy enough to sip on my beer in my stadium seat, but we're not trying to move 300-pound people around every play, or cradle a ball with strength, or chase down a guy who's supposed to be only almost as fast as you, or wrap a player up with force and bring him down. Everything you try to do is compromised when you're not getting the O-2 you're accustomed to.
Not that our coaches were blameless. Any of the up-tempo play we saw in the first half was extremely misguided. But the biggest offender is whoever scheduled a game up here in the first place, and for it to be the first game of the season??? I don't have the words to describe the stupidity.
Anyways, label me a sunshine pumper, but I haven't lost faith in these guys at all.
