Getting a Head Start

The behind-the-scenes work that prepares athletes to play those games?

 

That’s the grind, which isn’t always pretty or easy or exciting or fun, but it’s utterly important if excellence is the goal.

 

Multiple times each week during the summer, Collegiate athletes, who play a variety of sports from the Cub to the varsity level, participated in open gym sessions under the guidance of their coaches.

 

The stands were empty. No one kept score. There was no drama and certainly no glory.  Just hustle and sweat, learning, togetherness, and improvement, step by step, rep by rep.

 

“Whether you have kids playing club year-round, or they’re only playing in the few months out of the year, open gym is an opportunity for them to get a stick in their hand,” said Kelsey Smither, Collegiate’s head varsity field hockey coach and program leader.

 

“We do a little bit of skill work and then some situational-type small game play so that they can get touches on the ball leading into pre-season. That gives them the opportunity to knock off some of the rust. We’ve had a really good turnout from all our grade levels whether they’re playing Cub or trying out for JV or varsity.”

 

The benefits of their time together on the Karen Doxey Field have been intangible as well.

 

“New students coming in have an opportunity to get to know

people within the program and what it’s about before they start,” Smither said. “They’re surrounded with potential teammates and build that friendship base.”

 

The football guys have participated in a thrice weekly sports performance regimen followed by work on the Grover Jones Field after two of those sessions.

 

“This is a time for us to be around each other and get better as a football team and program from top to bottom,” said Collin McConaghy, who’s beginning his third season as the Cougars’ head coach.

 

“We make one [on-field session] an offensive emphasis and another a defensive emphasis. We’re working on fundamentals that win football games: tackling, blocking, breaking tackles, catching passes, putting in plays. This is the chance for us to get the bodies in better shape, but more importantly their minds thinking football and us installing play calls on both sides of the ball.”

 

How can players improve their tackling and blocking technique when they don’t practice in pads and helmets?

 

“We have a ton of dummies,” McConaghy said. “We have a tackle wheel and a Jax Tackler, which has four prongs to it, so you tackle the top, and it pops right back up for you. We have all kinds of tackling equipment that will help us play the game without having to have pads on.

 

“[Using that equipment] teaches us the form, so when we go body v. body, we’re really good at the basics and fundamentals. We want to start from the ground up.”

 

McConaghy and his staff have made the most of their twice-weekly, 90-minute practices.

 

“We’ve been able to install the schemes we want on each side of the ball,” he said. “More importantly, you can just see it in the individual drills. This kid is moving better in these movement patterns for his position. He’s tackling better on these dummies. We’re throwing and catching better.”

 

Has the time on the hot turf — on hot, often humid afternoons —proven beneficial?

 

“Football’s so mental of a game,” McConaghy said. “You’re installing however many plays offensively, however many different packages defensively. It’s impossible to install an offense, defense, and special teams in three weeks [of pre-season], so this allows us to get a jump start.”

 

So far, so good, he says.

 

“I love what I see,” he said. “It’s our kids coming together and understanding they’re the new team. The guys we relied on last year aren’t here anymore. It’s time for people to step up. You start to see that during the summer. You see the new leaders pop up. We’re excited for Monday, Aug. 4 (when official practice begins). It’s hard to believe it’s almost here, but I know we’re ready.”

 

Second year boys basketball coach Nick Leonardelli and his staff have convened with their guys twice a week on the Steve Hickman Court, even though their season begins several months hence.

 

“Open gym is a tremendous chance for us to improve our skills, play together, and spend time together,” he said following yet another spirited workout on the Steve Hickman Court.

 

“A lot of our guys are of different ages. Some may live close. Some may live far. They come from all different directions around town, but this is a central location where they can spend time together and play and for us to develop as a group.”

 

Improvement is the focus, he said.

 

“It’s a ton of fun for us to watch guys get better from when we started them in the spring,” he said. “A big thing is that we’re going to maximize every opportunity.  To see the progress guys are making when they continually show up is just tremendous. It’s a ton of fun for our coaches to get out here and work with them.”

 

The summer work has been productive, Leonardelli says.

 

“There’s nothing like basketball in the summer,” he said with a smile. “We have a really good group who enjoy working together and do that very well. This is a unique opportunity where you get to make mistakes, but this is the time to get better. Don’t play with fear. Let that go. Let’s work on those things we did wrong.

 

“It also an opportunity to reflect on what just happened and give individual assignments to guys when they go home and work out by themselves or with a friend. Here’s two or three areas that would help improve your game and by doing that would help our team.”

~Weldon Bradshaw