One of my very first experiences in covering sports was one of my most exciting, yet it also got a little tiring.

In my senior year at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, I had the honor of covering the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp. It was an NFL team and I hadn’t even covered high school sports yet.

While I was very pumped to cover the Chiefs for three weeks, I found out quickly that NFL practices are not that exciting.

You watch defensive backs cover invisible receivers and you get to watch punters try to land punts on cross bars. There may have been some fights, but the temperatures were in the high 90s to 100s throughout camp and it sucked the life out of players and fans alike.

It may have seemed like the experience was a total loss, but I definitely learned the importance of preparation. The Chiefs were installing their system and finding out who could fit in it.

Throughout this summer, I’ve done some stories (and will do a few more) on what local athletes are doing in the offseason of their sports. The ones who work the hardest will often improve the most and most of that hard work happens during boring practices like the ones I saw in an NFL training camp.

Just remember — boring isn’t always so bad.