Ken Roberts
Sports Writer
In preparation for the fall season which began in earnest on Monday, the different Husky sports teams participated in a variety of camps last week.
Both the girls and boys soccer teams spent three days primarily conditioning and stretching in anticipation of this week’s practices which require the players to spend eighty percent of the time running.
“One of the purposes of this conditioning camp is to try to get some kinks out of the muscles before we get out there next week,” said Louis Dix, head of the soccer program but primarily the boys coach.
The boys and girls camps were run separately, but the purpose remained the same. For the 14 girls who participated under the guidance of coach Eric Markell, it was strictly conditioning. Markell, though he expected a few more, was pleased with the turnout because last year they had to go in search of girls to play.
Sarah Winslow, a sophomore, looks forward to a year in which the girls will field a full team more ready for varsity competition.
“The camp was pretty important because it gets you prepared,” said Winslow.
She realizes that this year will be more challenging and that camp delivered that message.
“It’s not going to be an easy ride,” said Winslow. “We are going to have to work for what we get.”
About thirty boys showed up for their free camp, which mixed in some passing drills and a little fun on the last day. Besides conditioning, Chad Workman, a senior, saw the camp as an opportunity for team building and to get reacquainted.
“Without the friendship of the team, I can’t play as well,” Workman said.
Sophomore Ben Schmidt used the camp to get “psyched” for the season, especially since he saw that the quality of the players was higher, a sign of things to come.
“We got to know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses again,” said Schmidt.
Volleyball
The volleyball team participated in two camps this summer: the three day All America camp that they hosted in July and the Guy Henriques team camp held in Springfield last week. Twenty-one girls, mostly of high school age, attended the All America camp, which featured All-American and professional European stars Brooke Lundell and Nina Pooktin.
“We got a lot of one on one with the two girls,” said sophomore Whitney Miller. “They really worked with us and were really nice. You could stay after and have a private lesson if you wanted to.”
Hannah Swanson, also a sophomore, thought she improved a lot with the skills taught by the two women.
“They were actual volleyball players with experience,” said Swanson.
On the other two days of that week, head coach Heidi Keller and Joann Reisbick conducted a pup camp for 32 players from sixth through ninth grade. Twelve high school players volunteered their time as well.
At the team camp, the focus was more on the inspirational side of team play, according to Keller. They taught that it was one thing to be a great individual player, but that great players work to inspire the rest of the team to perform with them.
These words on team play were not lost on two of the returning seniors, Ashley Horn and Lisa Brocard, who will be expected to provide leadership.
“To be a team, everybody has to be a part of the team,” said Horn. “Everyone has to get along to have a good team.”
Brocard emphasized the importance of the message to her, especially in her relationship with the younger players who might be on the varsity team. Without the week’s message and a chance to use it with the younger players, it might have been more difficult for her going into the season.
“I think it’s going to help me be more of a leader to them,” said Brocard.
Swanson felt the difference in the camp. At first, she felt less a part of the team but then the older players began to work her in, making her feel like part of the Ohana, a Hawaiian word for family. One other Hawaiian word, koikoi, meaning passion, stuck with her.
Each day they gave the players a symbolic can of gas, representing passion.
“You want to use it up; otherwise it’s wasted,” said Swanson. “If you really love volleyball, you should put a lot of passion into it.”
The camp also worked on transitioning from offense to defense and defensive skills. But Keller also liked that they had the players constantly playing. With the way the competition was structured, a team could change brackets up or down depending on the outcome of their game.
“It was very competitive and gave the girls a competitive edge,” said Keller. “It was a great experience for girls to band together and pick up the pace of their transition.”
Of the nine girls who participated, Keller saw a great improvement in the sophomores to be.
Miller sensed that in her own play.
“I got to play with higher level players because there were a lot of varsity teams there,” she said.
The team takes their new sense of team family and passion into daily doubles this week.
“Volleyball should be fun,” said Horn. “To be fun, everyone has to go all out.”
Football
For the 24 years since Rob Younger has been coaching, he has been part of the Sweet Home football camp, which has become a building block for the total program.
“A key to our success over the years is that we have one system and terminology sequences
that go from elementary kids through varsity,” said Younger. “Most of them have been exposed to it for five or six years, which gives us an advantage over other schools.”
This year 140 players attended the weeklong camp for kids from fifth grade on up. It was divided into four groups: fifth and sixth graders, junior high, freshmen, and sophomores through seniors. Every one of the coaches had previous involvement in prior camps. Thirteen of the fourteen coaches, in fact, were ex-Husky players.
“They know how to teach and are excited,” said Younger.
Matt Makin took on the responsibility for the fifth and sixth grade group. Makin said he started with the ideas of building teamwork, respect for teammates, and enthusiasm. He also instilled dedication to the program, the discipline of listening to coaches, and watching other players perform.
“I start with this basic foundation so when they start developing their skills and their fundamentals, they can rely on those ideas to make them better players,” said Makin.
Fifth grader Spencer Shockey seems to be picking up on that philosophy quickly.
“I just concentrate on what I’m doing and try to do it as hard as I can,” Shockey said.
Dick Reynolds, who has coached 8th grade boys for five years and the fifth and sixth graders before that, understands the transition to the junior high. He has seen how the young players relate to the older ones, which makes them feel more of a part of the football program.
“We try to make it as fun as possible,” said Reynolds, “but we add a little discipline.”
David Thornbrough, a seventh grader attending his second camp, thought the camp offered more variety with five stations instead of two. As a lineman, he appreciated the opportunity to try a variety of positions, including catching passes. The message of having fun sunk in.
“I’m out there to have fun,” he said, “I’m going to give it all I’ve got and play my heart out.”
For Ben Brewer, an eighth grader, he understands the discipline aspect of football, noticing that they are working harder this year. To be successful, Brewer said he has to work harder than everyone else and and have a good heart.
Current varsity players remember what it was like when they came to camps as youngsters.
“When I was little, I didn’t know anything,” said senior Tomas Rosa. “I was soaking it up.”
Tyler Emmert enjoyed running plays in front of the all the older guys.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” said Emmert. “I was just running hard.”
Joe Ellis remembers being at camps since he was three years old because his dad was a coach and his brother played.
“When I was a fifth grader, I looked up to my brother and other players,” said Ellis. “Every time I did something good, they would congratulate me. it was really a positive experience. It helped me progress as a football player.”
Ellis plans on returning the favor by being a good role model by building other players up to make them feel special.
Randy Whitfield, who coached at the junior high last year, begins a stint as an assistant freshman coach this year. Whitfield said that the freshman players begin to add physical growth but also need to take on additional responsibility.
“You can’t coddle them quite as much as you used to,” he said. “I will have to tell them this is what I want you to do and then I want you to think about it.”
Freshman Andrew Knight is noticing the difference.
“We do conditioning with the other high schoolers and it is a lot harder,” said Knight, whose uncle, Don, coaches the freshmen. “But it feels good after I’ve done it.”
For the returning high school players, Younger uses the camp to get his athletes into better football shape heading into this week’s conditioning. Most of the players, like first year varsity player Zach Reynolds, have that purpose in mind.
“It helps me stay in shape, get mentally strong, and get ready for the season,” said Reynolds, who also participated in the weight training sessions during the summer.
Younger also uses the time to refresh players’ memories on basic fundamentals that they rely on throughout the season. But Younger thinks the main purpose of the camp goes beyond fundamentals.
“Kids just see how much fun football is,” said Younger. “The younger players see how the older guys treat one another and treat them and how hard they work.”
Younger encourages his varsity players to attend junior high and elementary team games to support the upcoming kids. It pays off on Friday nights when those younger players can converse with the varsity players after the game.
At the end of each session, Younger and his coaches hand out rewards for positive play. The rewards are sundaes or ice cream cones given out by the Dairy Queen, which has supported the camp for many years. But the message of encouragement rings loud and true.
Maybe that is why varsity players have great memories of past camps and youngsters like fifth grader Casey Beaver and 7th grader Tyler White from Washington will remember “the best coach they had”.