Ep. 6: Simon Fassberg — Make the Layups; One Breath One Rep

Episode 6 of the Empowered by Equipped Podcast. Our guest, Simon Fassberg, is a JMU football quarterback commit and a senior at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. He grew up in New York City, where his football career started at a friend’s flag football birthday party in second grade. He played his first tackle game in eighth grade. In this episode, Simon talks about leaving home as a freshman to play at a boarding school. An elbow injury that preseason sidelined him for the whole year and forced him to relearn his throwing motion. He spent his sophomore year as a backup and wondered whether college football was even realistic. Then came his first offer, a junior year without another one, and the spring workouts that put him in front of JMU. From the first conversation to his commitment took about a month. We also talk about why he believes a quarterback has to earn trust before he leads vocally, his routine of finishing his schoolwork at night so he can be present for football, and why he focuses on “making the layups” instead of the highlight plays. He also shares what he’s learned from his longtime quarterback coach, including a phrase he repeats on the sideline: one breath, one rep. This is what the Equipped Podcast is about: current and former athletes talking honestly about the full arc, from the kid who fell in love with the game, to the athlete who competed at the highest level they could reach, to the person figuring out what comes next and how the lessons from sport carry forward. Follow along as we track more athletes’ journeys, from first cut to what’s next.