Written by James Ryan
“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.”—Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Author of “The Power of Positive Thinking”
For as long as I can remember, I have been a big believer in the theory that all moods are contagious—good and bad.
For any coach, positive energy and enthusiasm are key fundamental factors in their ability to motivate and teach their players. Players who generally feel good about themselves will almost always be able to accomplish just about anything that they set their minds to, and produce good results in the process.
Week four of the Niagara Spears try-outs was a bit of a shortened week for the Pee-Wee and Junior Varsity squads due to the statutory holiday (Good Friday), but that only provided an even greater incentive for all of the players to try their absolute best.
After all, this was a critical week in the eyes of many.
At the end of week three, the Pee-Wee hopefuls were all given fair warning that they should anticipate the first round of player cuts this week. However, due to the complexity of this task, that decision has now been delayed until the end of week five.
A fresh start for some, a second chance for others.
In lieu of the cuts, ten players were instead named to the team and given guaranteed spots on the roster.
While discussing this change in strategy with the team, Pee Wee Head Coach Kent Risko stated the reasons why he had decided to choose those particular players:
“We named them for a lot of reasons…athletic talent, effort, leadership, positive attitude, attendance…I’ll tell you right now, our first cuts are gonna be made on attendance.”
Football is a tough sport that requires a great deal of practice and commitment. Any players that would fail to put fourth their best efforts, would not only be letting themselves down, but they would be letting their teammates down as well.
I was then curious to know how the rest of the try-outs were coming along after the first four weeks, so I decided to speak directly with Coach Risko to get his take on the progress-to-date.
JR: With regards to how this team is shaping up, what are you feeling the most confident about?
Coach Risko: I really like the way our defence is coming together. If championships are won on defence then we should be there in the end.
JR: What have been your biggest challenges with the team so far?
Coach Risko: Trying to manage the large number of players we have had tryout. Trying to carefully structure the practices so that all boys are getting their chance to prove what they can do. They are making it tough on the coaches, on who to keep, as there are so many quality players.
JR: What has been the most difficult position to try and fill?
Coach Risko: Both the offensive and defensive line positions. Finding boys who have the skill and experience to play these positions is tough. Many that come from the minor football have had success because of their size. Now they are facing boys as big as they are, and more technique is required to be successful. I am confident that our line coaches will be able to provide them with the necessary skills as we get closer to our opening game.
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Word of the Week: Commitment
At the College where I work, it is quite common to hear many of the professors and coordinators share what they feel is a universally agreed upon recipe for student success—show up!
A player’s commitment is a responsibility that the “team” takes very seriously.
With only three more weeks remaining in the try-outs, the best advice for all of the remaining players would be this:
Show up and when you do, leave everything that you have out on that field. Nothing has been decided, and it will be the best all-around player that wins a spot on this team—not necessarily the biggest or best athlete.
May the best player win.
And don’t forget to keep an eye out for our new website that should be made available VERY SOON!
See you at the game, football fans!
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The Pee-Wee defensive players listen attentively to the instructions by DB Coach Frank Prantera
Pee-Wee Offensive Line Coach Chris Cleveland
Pee-Wee QB/RB Hand-off Drill
I took these pictures with my iPhone, so they're a bit hazy