Golf is not my forte, to say the least.
From what I can remember, I had only been on a course twice in my 22 years before Monday. All young Kevin did during those trips was drive a golf cart around while my dad and uncles battled it out on the greens of the John Conrad Regional Golf Course in Midwest City.
TopGolf is the extent of my experience with the sport, and I don't think I ever hit a ball more than 50 yards. For those reasons, I did not participate in the Gridiron Golf Tournament.
I was more than happy to leave that to golf extraordinaire and former Constitution sports writer, Kyle Vrska. At least he can make contact with the ball.
However, my trip to the Lawton Country Club wasn't a fruitless venture.
If you don't know, this is not just any tournament. It's been hosted for several years as a way to raise money for the athletic programs at Lawton High, Eisenhower, and MacArthur.
A handful of coaches and players from each school come out to have fun and show off their golfing skills.
It also serves as an impromptu media day, giving people like me a chance to meet and carry out conversations with the coaches before the stresses of the season start. The goal was to get acquainted with these men before I start shoving a recorder in their face on a weekly basis come later this month.
With this being my first football season in Lawton, it was a daunting task trying to figure who was who as I walked around the clubhouse. Luckily, my coworker Glen Brockenbush helped me match some names with faces, making it easier to mingle.
The first coach we tracked down was Mike Burris, the head man at Eisenhower.
When talking to Burris, it wasn't hard to tell he is man who believes his team is destined for great things. Despite the Eagles winning only three games the past two years, they are expected to finish third in District 5A-2, good enough for a playoff spot.
Last season, defense was a question mark for Eisenhower, and it might be once again this year.
However, Burris told us most of his linebacking core and defensive backs suffered injuries last year, and those players are back and are hungry to make their names known to opponents.
One player Burris pointed out as a difference-maker was Tavita Ieremia (6-0, 232, Sr.).
Ieremia played in seven games last season, racking up six tackles per game, and Burris calls the linebacker/tackle hybrid the best linemen on the team as well.
One of the most memorable parts of our conversation with Burris was about the age gap between the coaches and the players. He joked about how he told the defensive backs to hit like Steve Atwater, but none of them knew who he was referring to, which he found puzzling.
Brockenbush understood the reference, but I must admit, I was just as lost as Burris' players.
However, I was only four when Atwater retired from the NFL, so I guess I have a bit of an excuse. I've never been mistaken for a professional football historian, after all.
When I went to talk to MacArthur coach Brett Manning, he was on his way to help out on the golf course, but he made it a point to mention his players had a good summer, and they are ready to play. I wasn't surprised by this response, given the team's success in recent years.
Although I didn't speak long with Manning, I feel like he gave me all I need to know.
Manning seems like the kind of coach who lets the players do the talking for him with how they represent the program and perform on the field, which is a philosophy I can appreciate.
Needless to say, I am excited to provide coverage of the Highlanders for the Constitution readers this fall.
And last, but certainly not least, was Lawton coach Randy Breeze.
I learned Breeze has been with the Wolverines for 40-plus years, which is quite an impressive feat, comparable to even sports editor Joey Goodman's stint at the Constitution. As Brockenbush put it, that gives Breeze undeniable credibility.
If you follow Lawton football on Twitter (@LawtonWolverine), you'll see short videos of each position group racing in what is called the "horse sale".
When asked about this competition, Breeze said they might look like ordinary 40-yard sprints, but they carry much more significance than one might think.
The team runs 14 of these sprints every day at practice, representative of the 14 games the Wolverines plan to play this season. Look for Brockenbush's in-depth story on the subject later this week to learn more.
We also chatted with Breeze about my alma mater Carl Albert, who Lawton opens the season against on Thursday, Aug. 31.
It turns out Breeze knows recently retired Titan coaches Gary Rose and Tex Rollins, as well as new head coach Mike Corley, who spent time on Breeze's coaching staff at one point in his career. It's a small world, I suppose.
It was nice talking about some of my old coaches, for it brought up some good memories of my high school football days.
All bias aside, I think the Wolverines have more than a decent shot at avenging last season's loss to Carl Albert, a 56-41 decision.
Breeze said it will be "one heck of a ballgame," and I can't say I disagree.
Getting to have those types of conversations with these coaches made for an interesting experience because I got a chance to not only meet them, but also see what they are like off the field, which is the most important thing.
Although the Lawton schools are rivals on the field, it is quite the opposite elsewhere.
Eisenhower assistant Lance Miles said it best, going as far to say they love each other off the field but want to beat one another 70-0 if possible when they meet at Cameron Stadium.
If that doesn't get you fired up, I don't know what will. Luckily the Lawton teams don't have to wait long to beat up on each other.
MacArthur and Eisenhower kick off the war for Lawton on Sept. 1 -- are you ready for some football?