First Post! Q & A with Satchel Ziffer

WELCOME! This is the official first post from Monarch Madness! This will serve as an introductory post to introduce the concept and hopeful interaction and engagement from readers!

First off, I am the past starting kicker and punter of Old Dominion University. I played for the school from 2014-2016. I had a long and confusing past to get to ODU but that'll be for another post on a slow day! This site will include personal opinions and could include views that differ from yours, please speak up; tell me when you disagree and have differing points! Send me e-mails to contest points, post on CSNBBS, anything! I want this site to be engaging to the fan base and I want the content to be somewhat curated by the reader; tell me what you want to read about, tell me what type of videos you'd like to see, or who you'd like me to interview (once I get permission) for podcasts!

In this first post, I will simply answer some questions asked on my initial post on csnbbs! The post honor goes to bigblueodu! Thanks for the awesome questions, keep them coming!

So let's answer these questions one by one!

Maddest you have ever seen the coach?

I really hadn't seen Coach Wilder too mad in all honesty and that is what makes him such a fantastic coach. He and the whole staff didn't just treat us like dispensable athletes, but as humans and men. They were constructive in their criticism and seemed to never go out-of-this world ballistic on us (even though we, meaning us specialists in specific, deserved it sometimes).

What were the most memorable locker room speeches by players/coaches?

To be honest, there weren't many I remember seeing as I was a specialist and we kind of did our own thing during pre-game, half-time, and post-game. The one I really remember well was the pre-game for NC State in 2014 after coming back in the locker room before the coin flip. Everything was silent and out of nowhere, Andrew Everett got up and started saying something about underdogs and how they thought they were going to just walk all over us. Coach Wilder walked in and we were all being wild and the atmosphere was electric and he didn't even say anything, just looked at us, nodded his head, and said "let's go".

What was your most emotional moment as a player?

There was two moments that are probably tied. The first being the moment I finally settled down from all the hysteria of the FIU game. My parents had been to every game that year, but seeing as I, nor they, thought I would be doing anything other than kickoffs, they didn't make the trip as they had other plans that were also important. They asked me if I would mind them missing the game and I said it didn't matter, so somewhat my fault there. Anyways, I digress.

After about an hour and a half of media interviews and celebrating with the team in the locker room, I finally looked at my phone and found around 300 messages, 50 calls, including about 20 from my mom. She was crying the whole time on the phone, whether it had been from the pride or the fact that her and my father missed it I don't know, but I'd guess a little bit of both. (At this time my dad was still on a flight cross country and no clue what had happened.)

I just sat there and thought about the things I had been through to get to that moment and how dreams really can be chased and become reality. I was a walking testament of that and I was so thankful.

The second moment was walking off Foreman field for the last time... I knew I was doing the 5th year transfer and we had just lost and a brick wall of realizations hit me and it just hurt. This can continue into the next question: "What was the quietest locker room?" No explanation needed; it was painful and I still hurt to this day thinking about it.

What does senior day look like/feel like as a senior or underclassmen?

So I changed this question a little just because I didn't travel as a freshman, so I never experienced it that year (and you don't have senior day in JUCO). As an underclassmen it was just a regular game with a longer pregame. Nothing really emotional, but you do want to play harder for those guys that won't play another game.

As a senior it was just weird. I wasn't used to being on the field with my helmet off and my dad right there next to me (sadly my mother couldn't attend). Sorry for a boring answer on this one.

Tell us about the lifting/workout schedule?

So, obviously this could have changed with the addition of the beautiful new weight room. However, during my time it went like this:

Offseason: lift MWF, Turf workout/Conditioning TTh

In-season differed depending on your role on the field. Starters/backups lifted twice a week, the rest of the travelers lifted three times, non-travelers lifted four times per week. We'd also have a rehab type run on Sunday to help us with injuries, etc.

How many hours did you spend in the library?

I was a bookworm, so I spent a lot of time in "club perry". I wasn't obligated to spend any time in study hall because of my GPA but I took that time and used it in a productive manner to finish work far in advance at the library.

What's it like running out of the tunnel?

For me it was a very interesting feeling; obviously there was a whole ton of excitement and adrenaline, but there was also this looming fear of tripping and embarrassing myself in front of 20k+ people. Not even kidding.

Most disappointed performance/ Most exhilarated performance?

UTSA at the Alamo Dome... I don't want to talk about it. And FAU 2014.

What do you miss most?

That feeling you get in your stomach right before you go on that field. I just miss it, I can't explain it. You hate it but you love it because what it represents.

So that's it for this post! Tell me your thoughts, want me to go deeper into something I said, have any questions for my next Q & A?

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