ST. PETERSBURG — Football players may dread summer workouts, but not two-year-old Sophie Rosendale. She loves joining her father, St. Petersburg offensive line coach Mike Rosendale, three times a week for the Green Devils summer conditioning. Not only does she shout encouragement like her dad, she also straps on her tennis shoes and joins the team in workouts.
"She loves it,"' said Mike Rosendale, who is in his 10th season at St. Petersburg and snapped this photo of his daughter during Thursday team workouts. "She's out there with the guys, yelling at them to run faster. She loves to socialize with the guys and likes the outdoor experience."
Sophie has been coming to the workouts since last season. She is usually there for about an hour before her mother gets off work and picks her up. In the photo, she is doing stretches with some of the offensive linemen. She's also out on the field and in the weight room with the big boys.
"A lot of coaches bring their kids out to the summer workouts, it's like a family atmosphere," St. Petersburg head coach Joe Fabrizio said. "Sophie is actually the oldest one so she is able get out there with them."
Pretty soon, Sophie will have a partner in the summer. The Rosendales are expecting their second child in about a week.