The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Brian Orakpo: Playboy All-America Weekend day one
05.10.2008 | Football
Hey Longhorns fans,
I'm coming to you from Phoenix, Arizona, where I'm getting to take part in the Playboy All-America weekend. First off, it's a great honor for me to be here, some of these guys you see play on television, but you really don't know their charisma, what they look like, how they interact with other guys. You get a chance to meet new friends and players from around the country you'd probably never get a chance to meet otherwise. It's a great opportunity to meet everyone, have fun and experience new exciting things.
It's been a long day, but a long, fun day. I started off waking up bright and early and hopping on the plane. It was a long flight, over two hours, but I got in a good nap, so I was ready to go when I got here. It's my very first time here in Phoenix. It's really hot, but the difference is it's not nearly as humid as it is back in Texas. I'm used to the heat, and Phoenix just has great scenery being out in the desert. It's a great atmosphere and I knew it would be. Sweed and Dallas Griffin were here last year, and I actually had lunch with Dallas at the dining hall just the other day and he filled me in on how great it would be.
We checked in, and right when I got to my room, I started seeing some of the guys around. I met my roommate, George Selvie from South Florida, and then I met Gary and Nancy Cole of Playboy, who organize everything with Gil Brandt of the NFL. They were so welcoming that it puts everybody at ease right away. The Coles have all of their kids involved, helping out with the weekend, and it really is a family atmosphere, a lot like Texas.
We didn't have our first activities until 7 p.m., but some of the guys walked around and hung out at the pool and got a feel for the place. Then the activities got started. We had a buffet dinner and a sports-a-thon, as they like to call it, where we divided into teams and were given NFL team names. Your team rotates around with games like pop-a-shot, ping-pong, baseball pitching, golf and on and on. The whole night is just so relaxed and the games really help the guys get to know each other. It's not just the staff that makes the family atmosphere, the guys are a big part of that, too. Nobody's big-headed or bigger than who they are.
Unfortunately my team didn't earn a medal at the sports-a-thon, but there are a whole lot of activities for tomorrow, including water games, western games and of course the big photo shoot. I'm honored to be here and just proud to represent The University of Texas. It's such a tradition for the Longhorns to be represented at this, and it makes me proud that I can be here to do that. But like they say, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. The team has a lot of goals and I can't wait for the season to start when I can suit up with my teammates.
Well that's it for now, Longhorns. I'll check back in later with a report on the rest of the weekend.
Hook 'em
Rak
