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What happens when you put a reporter of decidedly heterosexual nature in the same room with another person of the same sex who just happens to be among the most improbably good looking and most well endowed people alive?
You get ol' Chuck Bananas questioning his precious manhood for a hard hitting hour of sweaty one on one banter.
I sat down with a pillow on my lap and spoke with our ebony haired golden boy, one Camden Recker this weekend. His celebrity status outside football circles skyrocketed this spring after a Liveleak video of him playing QB in a beach football game at a nudist colony went viral. We talked about that, his dedication to the game, and his thoughts on manscaping.
CB: Cam, my man.. Welcome to the office, glad you could join us.
Recker: Hello Chuck, thanks for having me.
CB: My pleasure indeed.. So lets get to it, whats this stuff about this viral video?
Recker: (laughs)
CB: Let me get this straight.. You played football on the beach nude? At a nudist colony?
Recker: Yes, I guess I might be somewhat more open minded than some would guess. It wasn't the first time I have gone there, that land is owned by some friends of my parents, and they are nudists, so it was one of those when in Rome type things.
CB: When in Rome indeed.. But when I'm in Rome I still don't even consider playing tackle football naked. There's a lot of moving parts out there, and there's tackling going on in that video.. That's no game of two hand touch or flag football on there.
Recker: Well, of course you think about that a little, but it was a friendly game, pretty tame really.
CB: Maybe Cam, maybe, but what about downstairs? I haven't seen Jewels in peril like that since 'Snatch', my friend. We're talking triggering a phobia here while I am watching this go down. Nobody even got grazed?
Recker: Well, here's where my education pays for itself, Chuck. I wasn't too worried because there is a mechanism in the body that sort of retracts those precious parts of us when we are in danger or when we are being physically active. That tends to go a long way toward preventing the kind of carnage you're concerned with.
CB: At my age, I think that mechanism is out of order, Cam. Anyway, next question. With the video going viral, how have things changed for you?
Recker: It has been a bit of a whirlwind. I'm used to getting a fair amount of attention, but I'm not used to the kind of inappropriate mail I get. I'm not used to the interviews and the leering so much, and I'm not used to being the center of attention in some way, shape or form in the pop culture landscape day to day.
CB: So it makes you uncomfortable?
Recker: I wouldn't say that at all, things are exciting and I am always on my toes waiting for what happens next.. This is more like stepping into a cold pool on a day when it is just barely hot enough to go swimming. It takes time to get in there and get used to things.
CB: How does this new found popularity jibe with your life as a professional athlete? It must be quite a distraction.
Recker: When you get used to it, I think it becomes a routine. I feel like I am getting there, and camp starts up soon, so I think I will be able to regain a lot of that mindset and routine once I get back to the day to day. I've been working harder than ever this off season, I went to Sedona with Jumbo Clements for a training session before the video leaked and we did some real work there I think. I feel much more confident in my release coming into camp and I am in the best shape of my life.
CB: Do you think the whirlwind will die down once the season starts? The media isn't known to let a big story die easily and you are.. uh.. a big story.
Recker: I hope it does die down a little, but like I said, I think I can get used to it all.
CB: Can I ask you one more thing about the liveleak video?
Recker: Be my guest.
CB: Can you teach me your manscaping technique?
Recker: (laughs) Well, I guess the first rule of thumb is to just be very careful. Always be extremely careful.
CB: Like you can tell me anything about careful, out there playing naked tackle football. Lets move on and talk more about this retreat in Sedona with Jumbo Clements.
Recker: Sure. It was a great camp.
CB: So this guy, he is a known recluse depending on who you talk to, some think he has some kind of under the table situation with the team whereby he trains their young passers for a pretty hefty fee, but I have also heard that he is just a quiet and peaceful hippie type who really excels at teaching the game from a different perspective.
Recker: Well, I won't say he isn't a hippie, We joked about that quite a bit, and he actually has a room in his main house with an indoor rainforest where you can sit on this ball in the middle of the room and meditate, its just his type of thing. His wife is the same way, she has been teaching me yoga positions. So yeah, maybe Jumbo is a bit eccentric, but he's no recluse, and he is not extorting the Aces organization in order to train their players. I am actually only the 3rd guy he has worked with. Randy Boone spent some time with him and Al Garner was there for a few off seasons when he was QB here. If the results of our work translate to the field, I hope to maintain a long term relationship with Jumbo.
CB: He does have a unique style, there is no denying that.
Recker: He is one of the most unique people I have ever met, he really likes to see things from angles nobody tries to see things from, and I think that is where he came up with a lot of the techniques he uses. He says he used them in his playing days, but the equipment he had then wasn't as good as the building the team built out here for him.
CB: Yeah, tell me about that building. I have heard crazy stories, I kind of feel like I have an idea with the choice of fabric and the random prompts and the constant carrying of the football.
Recker: Well, probably my favorite part of training in that house was between 4:30 and 6:30 in the evening, when there would be no tasks to undertake, but there would be one barely audible tone that played at a random time in that 2 hour period, and you had 10 seconds to respond to it when it went off, or this really obnoxious alarm would go off with strobe lights and sirens for the remainder of the two hours. Here it is, the lazy part of the day, you've been awake since 4 AM, you get 2 hours of absolute nothing to do, and now you have to have the most intense concentration and you have to constantly be at this peak level of awareness so you can hear that little tone. I think it improved my mental game by leaps and bounds, because I was forced to find new ways to process and concentrate and keep alert on that high level at all times, even when there was nothing to do.
CB: I'd say that is most definitely unorthodox, but I guess we will have to wait until it plays out on the field this year before we know what to really think of it, huh?
Recker: Well, I hope I am as fortunate and get as much out of it as Boone and Garner did. Boone is an absolute legend and Al has been playing the best football of his career in his late 30's.
CB: Count me as one of the ones in your corner, Cam. I hope it pays off with a return to the post season for this team. Its been a little drought here, and while Yuma isn't known for its rainfall, it would be nice to see something bloom in the desert after such a dry spell.
Recker: Thanks, Chuck. I am with you on that, 100%. I think this year will be a memorable one.
CB: Cam, with that video out there, I think it has already been one of the most memorable years in Aces history. Thanks for joining us.
And with that, my pow wow with the chief of the Yuma offense came to a close. With camp coming up and the heat setting in in more ways than one, you can bet Recker and his mates will be doing everything they can to make it rain in the dunes, and I will be on the sideline the whole way, keeping up with the weather patterns.
You get ol' Chuck Bananas questioning his precious manhood for a hard hitting hour of sweaty one on one banter.
I sat down with a pillow on my lap and spoke with our ebony haired golden boy, one Camden Recker this weekend. His celebrity status outside football circles skyrocketed this spring after a Liveleak video of him playing QB in a beach football game at a nudist colony went viral. We talked about that, his dedication to the game, and his thoughts on manscaping.
CB: Cam, my man.. Welcome to the office, glad you could join us.
Recker: Hello Chuck, thanks for having me.
CB: My pleasure indeed.. So lets get to it, whats this stuff about this viral video?
Recker: (laughs)
CB: Let me get this straight.. You played football on the beach nude? At a nudist colony?
Recker: Yes, I guess I might be somewhat more open minded than some would guess. It wasn't the first time I have gone there, that land is owned by some friends of my parents, and they are nudists, so it was one of those when in Rome type things.
CB: When in Rome indeed.. But when I'm in Rome I still don't even consider playing tackle football naked. There's a lot of moving parts out there, and there's tackling going on in that video.. That's no game of two hand touch or flag football on there.
Recker: Well, of course you think about that a little, but it was a friendly game, pretty tame really.
CB: Maybe Cam, maybe, but what about downstairs? I haven't seen Jewels in peril like that since 'Snatch', my friend. We're talking triggering a phobia here while I am watching this go down. Nobody even got grazed?
Recker: Well, here's where my education pays for itself, Chuck. I wasn't too worried because there is a mechanism in the body that sort of retracts those precious parts of us when we are in danger or when we are being physically active. That tends to go a long way toward preventing the kind of carnage you're concerned with.
CB: At my age, I think that mechanism is out of order, Cam. Anyway, next question. With the video going viral, how have things changed for you?
Recker: It has been a bit of a whirlwind. I'm used to getting a fair amount of attention, but I'm not used to the kind of inappropriate mail I get. I'm not used to the interviews and the leering so much, and I'm not used to being the center of attention in some way, shape or form in the pop culture landscape day to day.
CB: So it makes you uncomfortable?
Recker: I wouldn't say that at all, things are exciting and I am always on my toes waiting for what happens next.. This is more like stepping into a cold pool on a day when it is just barely hot enough to go swimming. It takes time to get in there and get used to things.
CB: How does this new found popularity jibe with your life as a professional athlete? It must be quite a distraction.
Recker: When you get used to it, I think it becomes a routine. I feel like I am getting there, and camp starts up soon, so I think I will be able to regain a lot of that mindset and routine once I get back to the day to day. I've been working harder than ever this off season, I went to Sedona with Jumbo Clements for a training session before the video leaked and we did some real work there I think. I feel much more confident in my release coming into camp and I am in the best shape of my life.
CB: Do you think the whirlwind will die down once the season starts? The media isn't known to let a big story die easily and you are.. uh.. a big story.
Recker: I hope it does die down a little, but like I said, I think I can get used to it all.
CB: Can I ask you one more thing about the liveleak video?
Recker: Be my guest.
CB: Can you teach me your manscaping technique?
Recker: (laughs) Well, I guess the first rule of thumb is to just be very careful. Always be extremely careful.
CB: Like you can tell me anything about careful, out there playing naked tackle football. Lets move on and talk more about this retreat in Sedona with Jumbo Clements.
Recker: Sure. It was a great camp.
CB: So this guy, he is a known recluse depending on who you talk to, some think he has some kind of under the table situation with the team whereby he trains their young passers for a pretty hefty fee, but I have also heard that he is just a quiet and peaceful hippie type who really excels at teaching the game from a different perspective.
Recker: Well, I won't say he isn't a hippie, We joked about that quite a bit, and he actually has a room in his main house with an indoor rainforest where you can sit on this ball in the middle of the room and meditate, its just his type of thing. His wife is the same way, she has been teaching me yoga positions. So yeah, maybe Jumbo is a bit eccentric, but he's no recluse, and he is not extorting the Aces organization in order to train their players. I am actually only the 3rd guy he has worked with. Randy Boone spent some time with him and Al Garner was there for a few off seasons when he was QB here. If the results of our work translate to the field, I hope to maintain a long term relationship with Jumbo.
CB: He does have a unique style, there is no denying that.
Recker: He is one of the most unique people I have ever met, he really likes to see things from angles nobody tries to see things from, and I think that is where he came up with a lot of the techniques he uses. He says he used them in his playing days, but the equipment he had then wasn't as good as the building the team built out here for him.
CB: Yeah, tell me about that building. I have heard crazy stories, I kind of feel like I have an idea with the choice of fabric and the random prompts and the constant carrying of the football.
Recker: Well, probably my favorite part of training in that house was between 4:30 and 6:30 in the evening, when there would be no tasks to undertake, but there would be one barely audible tone that played at a random time in that 2 hour period, and you had 10 seconds to respond to it when it went off, or this really obnoxious alarm would go off with strobe lights and sirens for the remainder of the two hours. Here it is, the lazy part of the day, you've been awake since 4 AM, you get 2 hours of absolute nothing to do, and now you have to have the most intense concentration and you have to constantly be at this peak level of awareness so you can hear that little tone. I think it improved my mental game by leaps and bounds, because I was forced to find new ways to process and concentrate and keep alert on that high level at all times, even when there was nothing to do.
CB: I'd say that is most definitely unorthodox, but I guess we will have to wait until it plays out on the field this year before we know what to really think of it, huh?
Recker: Well, I hope I am as fortunate and get as much out of it as Boone and Garner did. Boone is an absolute legend and Al has been playing the best football of his career in his late 30's.
CB: Count me as one of the ones in your corner, Cam. I hope it pays off with a return to the post season for this team. Its been a little drought here, and while Yuma isn't known for its rainfall, it would be nice to see something bloom in the desert after such a dry spell.
Recker: Thanks, Chuck. I am with you on that, 100%. I think this year will be a memorable one.
CB: Cam, with that video out there, I think it has already been one of the most memorable years in Aces history. Thanks for joining us.
And with that, my pow wow with the chief of the Yuma offense came to a close. With camp coming up and the heat setting in in more ways than one, you can bet Recker and his mates will be doing everything they can to make it rain in the dunes, and I will be on the sideline the whole way, keeping up with the weather patterns.
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