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UA News
Parents provide Îextra support'

By Charles Renning
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday October 25, 2002

With family there often comes extra support, special care and a sort of feeling that you can't get from anything else.

With the UA football team celebrating its 70th Family Weekend for tomorrow's game against Washington State, it is the football players that will probably benefit most from being in the company of the people they love.

The Wildcats are on a current three-game losing streak and a visit from the folks might be just what the doctor ordered. Arizona is coming off of a bad loss to Stanford last weekend and many of the players look forward to the presence of their families.

"At times when you don't play well or if you do play well, you know your family is always going to be supportive," sophomore receiver Ricky Williams said. "You might be criticized by others, but you know that your family will never criticize you."

"There is nothing like playing in front of people who are really going to support you," junior receiver Juan Valentine said.

Valentine said that his parents, his brother and sister are all planning on making the 1,100-mile trip from Houston for the Family Weekend celebration.

The football team is planning on given the players families a special treat. Each player will have a family member out on the field for the team's warm-ups prior to the game. One person from each player's family will have the honor of wearing that player's jersey for the game. All the mothers will also be given a chrysanthemum.

Head coach John Mackovic said the team has other things planned for all of the family members in attendance. He said the team always does something special for the moms and will also have dinner provided for the families.

The players are also hoping that their families aren't the only ones receiving special treatment.

"Hopefully they will do something special for me," Valentine said. "I'm expecting some good home cooking from my mom. I'll try to make them feel welcome in my house, but I'm expecting to be pampered a little bit, too."

With the added visitors that will be coming into Tucson this weekend, many players will be spending what little free time they have preparing for the visit.

"My house is usually clean, if it's not I'm sure my mom would throw a fit," Williams said.

"This is a big week for us," Valentine said. "This (game) is going to decide if people are going to fold or going to pick it up a notch. Hopefully with the families coming in they can give us that extra support that the fans aren't able to give us."

One way the players can make their families' visits a memorable one is with a victory.

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