I never knew they held these in Orlando. Man I'm out of it. Kinda makes me miss Orlando now.....
Usually they're held out at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on West Colonial past all the car dealerships. One year they held it out in Kissimmee but really didn't draw much of a crowd.
I was one of the lucky first 250 in the door who got in the autograph line and had a poster signed by Coach Meyer just before he spoke. When I told him "we're going to have a great year, Coach", he responded back with a huge smile.
I figured he'd touch on last year's season and the Cap One loss, which he did - he also stressed how important it is to enjoy what one does be it football or one's job, enjoying the hard work it takes to get where you want to be and appreciating what you've accomplished. In a roundabout way he admitted that our football team took things for granted after the 2006 NC win and it showed in 2007. There's a new attitude now and a new focus on working hard and giving an all-out effort out there in 2008.
He went on to talk about the changes being made at the football complex, some of the players as far as building up the depth chart, both incoming and veterans after spring practice, and how much he appreciates fan support and participation when it comes to Gator football.
The crowd this year wasn't as large as it was in the past, and I'm thinking that due to the economy the way it is right now and the fact that Mother's Day is this weekend that may have kept the numbers down a little. Later I found out when I spoke to Marty Cohen from
Gator Bait that Jamar Hornsby was in trouble over that stolen credit card he took from Joe Haden's deceased girlfriend, that could have dampened Coach Meyer's mood a little since he had to dismiss Hornsby from the team early yesterday morning.
Even so, it was nice to get out and party with other Gator fans in the off-season. I'm planning to go up to Gainesville again in June for the Women's Clinic again this year.
