Kate Soehren should be proud. Not of her husband, who stayed home on the couch nursing a ouchy ankle, but of her son Atticus who turned in a 'Wam performance for the ages. Joining the likes of Pete Sampras, Willis Reed and Kurt Gibson, Soehren turned aside multiple injuries to capture week three Square Toe honors.
What makes the week so impressive was not the injuries he sustained during the game, but the injury he overcame from the previous week. Although overlooked by this writer and hidden by Soehren's stoic nature, an ankle injury was sustained in week two (see photo, below):
Soehren explained that he was an unlikely starter for week three -- he had tried a brace during a mid-week workout with his brother only to find that the brace actually worsened the pain.
A Sunday appearance seemed impossible until Soehren turned to his mother, a veterinarian, over a bowl of Cheerios. It was clear that a brace was not the answer, so Eli Soehren, Kate Soehren and Atticus Soehren sat down and brainstormed options (Mark Soehren was on the couch watching a riveting episode of American Pickers). Kate Soehren explained: "We asked ourselves, ‘Do we perform surgery to repair it, which would end the season for him? Or is there something else we can do?’"
They decided they weren’t ready to call it a season, and Kate Soehren began kicking around an idea. "After looking at a couple of MRIs, I felt that maybe we could build a dermal wall by suturing his skin to the periosteal layer of his fibula," she explained. "The hope was that a wall between the tendon and the groove wouldn’t allow the tendon to slip. I did it once for a potbellied pig who had trouble walking before the procedure. When I was done, he could sidle up to the trough with the best of them."
It didn’t take much to get Atticus Soehren on board with the idea. "I pulled Atticus aside and spoke to him privately," says Kate. "I’d never say anything in front of his brother that may sound like a solution if Atticus doesn’t first agree to the idea of an invasive procedure. Atticus is a very thoughtful kid—he did a lot of research and understood the anatomy and the options, and for him it was a no-brainer. He said, ‘Let’s go!’"
The rest is history.
The Birth Certificate Issue Didn't End With Obama
Waterford Football at the 'Wam enjoyed its first foreign born player in Sam Iggulden who hails from Australia. Iggulden, who played rugby Down Under explained during a 'Wam briefing session on the ride over that blocking would prove to be the biggest difficulty as blocking in Rugby is illegal. Needless to say, Sunday morning saw no opportunities for this weakness to be exposed as the last time a block was effectively thrown at the 'Wam was in the mid-90's.
Had Iggulden thrown any effective blocks, Fox News would have been called and picket signs with "Down and Out YES!, Down Under NO!" & "God Bless America and the 'Wam" would have lined the sidelines in future weeks.
It should be noted, despite the briefing session and the claim of reviewing the rushing rules on the 'Wam web site, Iggulden violated foundational rushing rule #1 by crossing the line of scrimmage before the count of three in an attempt to cover a lateral. And they claim Belichick's schemes are complex...
Week Three Media
The 'Wam blog apologizes for the lack of pictures as we were one person short and the staff photographer had to play full time. Apparently, there were no former full-scholarship college quarterbacks from the South Dakota Coyotes who could have come and stood still in the pocket throwing passes against a first-grader rush. Granted, the first-grader may be faster than the staff photographer, but...I'm just sayin'.
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| The Participants |
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| Atticus Soehren, center, the anti-Mark, proudly displays the pain he played through. |
Square Toe Award
Atticus Soehren, with no Kryptonite in sight, accepts the Square Toe Award:
Atticus Soehren, with no Kryptonite in sight, accepts the Square Toe Award:
