Set up. Three, two, one.
I'm most passionate and motivated about football, yes,
but I am more motivated by working with the Deaf kids.
All of those Deaf-isms, Deaf traditions, customs,
I can naturally pass on to my students here.
Here it is 100% guaranteed access to sign language.
They can be involved in sports, in theater.
If they go to a hearing school, would they have the same opportunities?
I doubt it.
I want to be there for my students
the same way my dad was there for me.
"Relax. Take time for yourself. Relax,"
and I'm like, "No, I'm not done."
I need to do everything that I can for these kids.
I think Denton deserves a bit more… a little more sprucing up.
Because he's in a leadership position,
he's often, you know, the face of the sport,
and he's there on the field.
It's really important for someone like him to look good
to represent our school and our team well.
My feet are throbbing from walking and doing things all day long.
I'm not sure that he recognizes how much we see his dedication
and his passion for our school, our community, and our students.
…and you'll go through.
Good to meet you.
How are you?
Seven years.
-We wanna see the locker rooms. -Yeah.
- Bye! Love. -Let's go, hustle!
Oh yes, I have to be.
I have to be high energy.
From morning to noon, all day long.
-I love it. Sports, school with the kids. - Aw.
-That is my favorite part of the day. - Aw.
Let's go.
That's our concession stand.
Two years ago.
Popcorn, hot dogs.
Come on.
Football.
Yes.
Sports has always been one of my outlets.
Some days everything would just go over my head.
I would be burned out and exhausted
from trying to speak and lip-read.
It was hard to develop relationships with my hearing classmates.
Sports was one of those ways that I could actually relax
and express my emotions.
And then I joined football at a Deaf school and fell in love.
Because my father loved football himself,
it really developed a close bond between us.
My dad has always been there for me.
I want that same experience for the kids
because some of these kids don't have that role model.
Exactly.
It's hard for me to see it.
I hope I can be able to support and motivate them.
I have to make sure their future is bright.
Yeah.
Eagle.
Really, that's been here for a long time,
maybe the '80s or the '90s,
and it's just been the same ever since.
It's hard to fundraise and do this sort of thing and renovate.
In the 1970s, we had over 300 students.
Over time, the number of students dwindled.
Now we have about 90 students.
More and more students are moving over to mainstream schools.
Maybe because parents, when they give birth to a Deaf baby,
often the doctor or audiologist will say, "Hey, you know what?"
"It's better to learn to speak, lip-read,
use hearing aids or cochlear implants."
They don't really mention learning ASL.
Right, exactly. Yes.
Yes, definitely.
Really, I want to see something inspiring.
Protect the nest!
You all had a fun practice.
I will see you soon.
That's pretty much everything that I use for school.
I mean, I've gotten most of these clothes from school.
Why say no to freebies? You know?
I mean, it's easier.
It's an easier transition from school to the football field for practice.
Yas, queen.
They've been popping up now…
For the past two or three years, they've been popping up.
A little, yeah.
Yes.
Yes, definitely.
Sometimes I have a lot of different things I've got to do.
Where do I begin?
So I start over here, then I go here doing all these different things.
I feel like I never run out of things to do.
Yes, I'm willing. Yes.
Peanut butter sandwich.
Keep in mind there's no jelly.
That is what I have been doing since I was a kid all along.
Oh yes. Absolutely.
Don't fix what's not broken.
Growing up,
what did you love to eat?
Growing up, what food did I love?
Okay.
I loved my dad's sloppy joes.
Not from the can, from scratch.
Favorite.
I'm ready whenever you are ready.
Let's go.
Suit shopping?
Awesome!
Not exactly.
So now I'm just kind of figuring it out and how I fit into that role.
I'm used to working behind the scenes,
encouraging, motivating, and supporting others.
That's my passion.
Yes.
Try anything?
I think pink looks good on me.
Okay.
Really nice.
Wow!
The pants are really comfortable.
The jacket's nice.
The fabric's a little bit like…
I'm going to say it conflicts a little with signing.
Oh yes.
I feel more elevated, more serious.
Like a serious persona walking around.
I'm walking the walk. You know?
That's great.
That's my wife's favorite part about me.
I like it. It's more casual.
"Ooh, you're hot." Hot.
Hot.
Oh yeah, definitely.
Oh yes. I feel ready. I feel good.
I feel like I can see how people will look at me.
I can see that confidence in me.
Thank you.
What is this place?
No. I don't really know much about it.
Ooh, I taste a little bit of a kick.
All very good.
Yes.
It wasn't until I was in the seventh grade,
and I went to summer camp at the Deaf school
where I saw Deaf role models, and I really started to get involved
with diving into my Deaf identity.
Who better to interact with and teach Deaf kids
than Deaf adults who've already experienced and gone through it?
I love my father.
I love my family.
I really do. I appreciate them.
But do they fully understand what I've gone through?
No, they don't.
It's different.
So it's very important to have a place we can feel comfortable
in our world, our culture, our communication, our rhythm.
-Ooh, that's my favorite. - Ah!
Delicious.
Okay. Sounds good.
Okay.
Very relaxed.
Very loose.
My hips, though, felt tight before,
and now they've kind of melted away.
Yeah.
Hmm, no.
Tan's volume is cool, yes,
but it doesn't fit me.
-I don't know about that. -I like it more tame.
What's that?
Like, "suave."
I typically always have a mustache and a goatee.
All right.
Oh yes, for sure.
They're motivated. They're excited.
Finally get to get their feet on the field.
And they're also looking forward to seeing people come out
to the school and watch our game.
My butt chin.
-You have a butt chin? -Yes.
Maybe a summer job.
-Ready to see the new gorgeous you? -I'm ready.
Wow!
Interesting.
They're really nice.
Awesome.
I didn't think it'd look like this.
Yeah. When you see it on movie stars on TV and everything,
they have a five-o'clock shadow like that. I never imagined it would look like this.
Oh yeah!
I feel I can walk the walk.
I feel like I can go up to the referees and talk to them
and show power, and express it with this look.
I greatly appreciate you and how you've taken care of me.
So I want to give you your sign name.
-Are you ready? - Mm-hmm.
The number five hand…
Why?
First,
you are so friendly.
The second reason why…
Your eyes radiate. They're bright.
And the third reason.
You are you.
You are unapologetically you.
I've noticed, often, you tend to flip your hair.
And you flip it back, you know?
So, "JVN."
JVN.
-JVN. - Ah!
Yes.
LSU.
Really?
Hello!
You guys ready to go inside? You ready?
Yes!
All right, let's go!
War.
Eagles.
Fly.
Imagine a full stadium.
Everybody around here. You're looking up there.
All that energy. The stands are full.
And we feel the hype.
Hype, yes. Hype, exactly.
Okay. You guys practice. You ready to practice?
Yes.
All you, John.
-Huddle up! - You're good?
Happy to be here with the kids and that they got to experience this.
Really, the kids always make my day.
Every day, they always give me 100%,
so I have to make sure I give 100% right back and invest in them.
It's difficult. It's not always easy to stay strong all the time.
I don't want them to miss any opportunities here at the Deaf school.
If they went to hearing schools, they wouldn't have those opportunities,
so I really feel that it's my responsibility to invest in them
and make sure that they have these opportunities.
I mean, Deaf schools are declining.
If Deaf schools continue to decline, what's next?
What if sports shut down?
Sports shut down, they lose opportunities.
They won't have that outlet to express things.
They deserve it!
They deserve it, period.
Outside the community, they don't realize
just how much this school has to offer.
Especially with the sports.
If they lose out on that, I feel like I'm not doing what I should be doing.
I don't want to be the reason
that everything gets shut down, that the athletic department shuts down.
You know, the reason they fail.
Yes.
No.
I saw my father do so much for me.
I want to make sure that I do so much for them
because it's personal to me.
I want to make sure that this Deaf community continues to thrive.
Not just for them, but for everyone. Myself included.
I'm just a cog in the machine.
It's hard to see what I'm actually capable of.
Oh yeah. They're really happy.
Yeah, I understand.
I trust myself.
Yeah.
I'm glad.
Thank you for telling me bluntly. I really appreciate your honesty.
I'm really proud and happy to have met you.
Beautiful.
Fabulous!
- Gorgeous! -Great. Love.
I feel fabulous!
I feel like I'm in love with the shoes.
I really like this.
I'm more aware of my arms.
More impressive, more powerful, more confident.
Yes.
Let's go to the school.
-The car is pulling up. -That!
Wow!
You look so handsome.
Thank you.
Gorgeous, that's right.
I am blown away!
Wow!
Wow, it's amazing.
I'm shocked.
I'm speechless.
Now I feel like I actually have something to make me feel
like I am, you know… I'm the shit.
I'm the athletic director.
Yes.
Yes!
Delicious.
I can taste my dad's recipe for sure.
Wow!
-We need to play the game. -Wow, that's sick.
Yeah, come on! Make some noise!
Wow.
Massage chairs!
See that?
Yes!
Awesome!
My coach means to me…
I'm so happy to have him as my coach.
I love my coach so much.
So now it's our turn to make our team successful.
We'll work together. We're a team. We're all in this.
Okay! Let's go for it!
I love you.
I love you too.
I really just…
This has been a blessed experience.
You know, this time that I've spent with you all
is one of my favorite memories of my life.
You motivated me to really address things
and experience new things.
And you've given me the ability to really shoot for the stars.
Take risks. That's what you've taught me.
You've given me the confidence that I need to become the athletic director.
So thank you so much for that.
And you taught me a lot of important things, like self-care.
Self-care is the most important thing to really live a healthy life.
You've really given me so much insight
into myself.
I love you guys!
I feel it.
Denton, you have visitors outside. Come.
Hey, Coach.
How are you?
I'm happy to see you.
Surprise.
Surprise!
I had no idea!
Do you want to come inside the locker room?
You can see the pep speech.
-Yes. -Come on.
All right, everybody. Sit.
I know you're nervous.
But if you overcome yourself,
you will rise.
So I'm going to ask you,
will you be able to rise up and challenge yourself?
-Who are you? -War Eagles!
Let's go.
You, you, wide receiver.
Good job.
The biggest thing that I have learned from this journey
is really to trust myself.
Go to the locker room.
I belong.
I belong in this role.
I feel the future here at LSD will be in good hands.