More Than a Threat (The Darkside)

It’s rare, but every now and then you’ll hear a voice louder than mine on our sideline.  Usually it’s in the pre game or at halftime.  He’s the minister of our defense.  He’s the vocal leader of our coaching staff, and the man without a buffer.  He doesn’t have time to cater to feelings, he has one mission.  His goal is to get us to the championship by any means necessary!  This is a grown man’s sport.  He’s come a long way from walking the sidelines for the Seminoles in RYS!  His family supports us the same way they support him!  His name is Rudy Pardo.  He doesn’t have time for fun and games, the man means business. If you didn’t come to this blog to finish it, then exit out now, he doesn’t need you! (lol)

Q. Who are the "Dark side", and what do they mean to you?

A. The "DARK SIDE" is ALL of my brothers that play defense. They're mean, aggressive, vicious & ready to fight till the end; they have relentless heart & dedication! Every single one of those boys are my blood. I am here for them & make sure they all know that. They’re on point and the battle for me.  They know I’m ready to back them up by any means necessary! No matter what the circumstances are.....we stick together.

Q. How do you manage 35 warriors when only 11 can be on the field at once?  

A. It’s really tough honestly. I just have to remind them who's in charge here & that I have a duty from the Owners/Head Coach that I have to play the BEST 11 on the field to WIN the game. This is not personal, it’s a business...after all is said & done, we are one unit. I don’t care what they did last year or last game. A good Coach looks toward the future & his future opponents. You scheme for every opponent, and never look behind. Looking behind is not a winning attitude & it will not win you a Championship! Certain players are good for certain situations.

Q. How has football impacted your life?

A. It had impacted my life in many ways. Football is a way of LIFE, some say it jokingly...but it’s true! It taught me how to be a man in different ways, how to accept a loss & shake the other man’s hand. It teaches you about family, brotherhood, and what type of person you are. If you quit football or any sport, 9 times out of 10, you’re a quitter in LIFE. It shows you, when times are tough, you have to dig deep, grind it out & show some heart! When you get knocked down, you have to bounce back up & do it again, till you defeat & conquer it....same as LIFE & the real world. You do that...the rewards in the end are beautiful!

Q. How have your personal experiences impacted your coaching techniques?

A. I was always raised to respect everyone as a man, but to receive my respect, you have to give it. I know, I don’t know everything about football & that’s how I succeed with coaching. Everything I teach to my players, I ask them in the end...will we be successful?  What’s your opinion? If they don’t believe in what I’m coaching, then why even attempt it? We have a good communication level with each other, we don’t have any egos defensively. A big reason why I ask my players for their opinion is because they see the field differently. It’s 100% different out there on the field. When we communicate and we believe in each other, we become one & succeed together!

Q. The Pardo family has embraced the Threat outwardly more than any other family from the team that I've personally witnessed, can you explain why?

A. We are very family oriented. If you get one, you get all of us. This is something my father always instilled in us. Family supports family through easy times & tough times. Football has always been a subject we all have a common interest in. Football brings us together! You have 2 sons, 2 brothers & where ever WE go, the family will be there to support the Threat organization.....our family bond is tight.

Q. Tight like 4 butt cheeks?

A. You’re an idiot Booker. *both laugh*

Q. Right before your wedding you found out you had Bells Palsy, explain your battle with it and what it took to overcome it.

A. Funny you asked. It was tough at first, I didn’t know what was wrong with the left side of my face. I didn’t know how long it was going to take to heal. It was two weeks before my wedding! How was my soon-to-be wife going to react? How was it going to be when I returned to football? It was crazy! But, just like I said before… I’m not going to let ANYTHING stop me! I will defeat it someway & get over it. I actually joked about it myself at times. The biggest thing was...I didn’t care what others thought or said about it when they saw me. I knew in the end, I still had my wife, kids & family there on my side. That’s all I cared about. When I did comeback to practice, I felt normal. Coaching took away all the thoughts about Bells Palsy. Now, I’m all healed, I’m good...and either way, I was still going to be a "Beast" on the sidelines for the RACINE THREAT!

Q. Your son plays football and has even practiced with the Threat before, what is their take on the team?

A. My son loves this experience! I don’t have to ask him if he wants to come to the games or practice. He comes because he wants to. He'll be a freshman at St. Cats this year. His attendance to our practices & being involved with the team show him what it takes to be a better player.  It also shows how hard you have to train & work for what you want. It has shown him how to be a leader, and most importantly, sportsmanship and respect the game! He has a little chip on his shoulder being around the team & working out with adults. But don’t get it twisted, I'll still be there to crack the whip on him if he gets out of line. *laughs*

Q. Your brother Jason was a player here before you came on as a coach.  How much does it mean to you to be a part of his success?

A. Man, my brother is my best friend! If it wasn’t for him, I might not be here. It took a lot of convincing from him to get me here. I’m definitely glad he did it though. I thrive off of my brother's success. When he does well & is successful....we all succeed. By “we all” I mean the Pardo family. We feed off of each other and we love to see each other succeed! Jay-P is my coach on the field! He knows what I’m thinking and vice versa. He can make any adjustment on field at anytime & I’m comfortable with it. We've coached with each other for a long time. He has my trust and he’s the last line of defense on the field. I'd honestly be lost without him on the field. Ya’ll just don’t know how much football we talk, scheme on & come up with all the time. We LOVE football!!

Q. You've brought on some familiar faces with you this season in the coaching staff, what is your history with them?

A. The few guys I brought in are people I can trust & know how to work together. Coach Dan Saldana is one my best friends and a brother. We've coached with each other for over 12 years. We both started in RYS as the coaches of the Seminoles. We put together some great teams. We’ve been thru some battles together! Collectively we bring almost 25yrs of coaching experience to the Threat, who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that? Coach Chlebos is new to coaching, but always told me he wanted to help so I gave him his shot. We both played youth football together and I am really glad he is here! He has put in lots of work & helped me when I haven’t been there....he is learning the ropes real fast!

Q. What value do you look for in a football player more than any other?  How does it relate to that man OFF the field?

A. There are many values I look for in a player. I need a player who respects their fellow teammates & coaches. I like to see heart & dedication. I have no time for players who quit on their team, come to practice when they want, or talk back to coaches. I’m the type of coach that calls people out and holds them accountable. It’s not personal, but I just like to see what type of players I have. Are they going to quit, or are they going to prove that they’re better then what I’m saying. If they quit, then BYE, we don’t need em. Come prove me wrong! Don’t be that player who always has slick comments to say! Show it with your pads!  If you’re not seeing the field, there's probably a reason. Work hard, be coachable and beat out the man in front of you.

Q. All the Threat have to do to win a championship is _________. Fill in the blank for me.

A. Play like a FAMILY! Accept others help...we all can improve on something.

Q. Anything else you'd like to say?

A. The annual Raider/Threat game is a sticky situation, but here's my take on it. Since everyone that sees me around town always ask me what I would do. Racine Threat & Racine Raiders.... PLEASE come to an agreement to play once a year! Here's what we do..... both organizations take $1000.00 and donate the rest into getting either Horlick or Hammes field, field-turf. It'll benefit the city of Racine! We could use that field for everyone! We could hold weekly youth football games and their Championship games. The City of Racine needs to look into this ASAP. There is no reason why we can’t make this an Annual game between both Racine teams. Think about the community and what the city would get out of this! A nice field for all of everyone! Lastly, thanks to Erik Olson, Jon Anderson & Kelly for your hard work & letting me be part of this Organization!

This weekend Rudy will be leading our defense against the Lake Geneva Generals in Lake Geneva!  The game is Saturday at 7pm!  He’ll be the big man barking out orders for all of his minions to carry out!  There’ll be 30+ men chomping at the bit to go out there and prove to him that they BELONG on the field.  If they get an opportunity, they better make the play.  They KNOW they have to make the play!  From the first practice it’s been an all out war to step on the field for every man on the defense.  And at the end of the day, starter or backup, each man supports the next.  There are NO individuals on our defense!  They move as one, and Rudy has instilled that since the first practice.  His defense will NOT be beaten, they have too much pride.  As one unit, they will overcome any obstacle, and they will be the driving  force to get us to the championship.  Why?  Because Rudy will not fail them, and they wouldn’t dare let him down!