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Post by hsrose on Mar 23, 2009 23:21:45 GMT -6
Any of the bigger office supply stores will have the magnetic material in paper size. It will be with the print yourself business cards, card stock, stuff, usually from Avery. Run it through an ink jet printer and cut them out. Has a paper coating that takes the ink. Works very well. I do that for the x's and o's as well as depth charts.
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Post by hsrose on Mar 19, 2009 15:14:39 GMT -6
Been coaching receivers. Did a drill where I would run the receiver on a fade/streak and have the defender pick him up and try to disrupt the pass. He'd have inside or outside position, would switch off. For receivers I'd have the defender just beat snot out of him while he tried to make the catch. For defenders I'd reverse it and the receiver would clobber the defender. Anything goes so they work on keeping hands off and making the catch. Throw the ball up high so there is time for them to battle. Initial objective was concentration but found it was good for hand work as well.
I do the hand-to-hand combat with just about every position. Forehead to forehead, leaning in, hands locked on the other guy's chest. Then on "go" they try to maintain the inside hands position. They have to knock the other player's hands off/up/out/down and keep their hands in place. Then add off/def where the def tries to reach a qb or something. Also do this while moving left/right in a mirror arrangement. Do this for 2-4 seconds, 3-4 times.
An extension of this (DE's mostly) is to combat for a count or two and then say "hit" or something and they have to execute a pass rush move and attack the QB/bag. Gets them used to the combat and then making the adjustment to a move.
Use shields/small/bigger bags and throw them at the LB/DL as they weave through bags. Can use the long foam pool noodles as well, just beat the snot out of the defender so they have to use their hands to ward off the blow. Bigger bag the bigger the impact and more they have to use their hands and arms while watching a back. I've done this with weaving in bags and just going back and forth mirroring a RB. Gets them used to focusing on a back while hitting things away from them. Similar to the stiff arm drill for RB's.
DL - on go have them come out of their stance and take 1-2 steps. As soon as they move throw a small medicine ball at them so they have to get their hands/arms up and ward off a pretty decent blow. Have a couple of guys with the balls so they aren't really sure where the ball will come from. Use a small ball and two-handed chest pass so they don't get killed.
Those the kind of things you were looking for?
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Post by hsrose on Mar 19, 2009 6:31:26 GMT -6
I had the receivers get in a circle and play the game Hot Potato with bricks.
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Post by hsrose on Mar 17, 2009 21:25:04 GMT -6
RE: Doing this yourself
I was just looking at the card from last year. It's very nice artwork, schedule, there's a lot on there. But looking at the vendors I noticed that although there were 20 listed (it was a $20 card, we kept $10), 5-7 seemed to be company and not location. Meaning the guys negotiated a discount with a McDonalds/Subway that wasn't near us, but was central to our district. They negotiated 1 deal and were able to add that to 3-4-5 schools selling the cards in our district.
I have identified close to 45 businesses in our area that our kids and families frequent. If I were to do this I'd work those and try to get $2 for each discount. The thing I just realized from simulating this is that the vendors don't have to cough up any $$ up front to participate. If they agree to participate, then they don't get hit for any cash and they have people coming in that might not have come in. Just put an extra bean burrito in the $10 sale that walked in.
The cards can be had for $0.45 each for 1,000 cards, fully printed with full color artwork support from the card company. I was surprised but this is a pretty big business. Do a search on "print plastic card" and you will get a lot of hits.
If the players are selling the cards for $10, and I'm getting them for $0.45 (high number by the way), then the program is gaining $9.55 per card. I either don't have to sell as many, or we pretty much double the net. I can work with a couple of parents/boosters to do the footwork. I think that this could be done in 2-3 weeks.
I know it's a PITA to do this yourself, but a hard look at the numbers might change the evaluation.
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Post by hsrose on Mar 17, 2009 21:05:37 GMT -6
I'm applying for the (vacant since December) HC slot at our school. The program is 9k in the hole from the past 2 seasons. In order to take that position/debt I am going to negotiate certain concessions from the administration.
The first item is I'm going to try and get a 4th period, year-around training class for the players. My sales approach is that if I can get my players into that class then there will not be any issues with multi-sport players and weights or before/after school weights/workouts. That will be for "supporting the school" by having the athletes play multiple sports with few hassles between the programs. It will also let the players work in the offseason.
I'm not presenting this as a football PE class, just a very focused weight training class were I will provide the student names for the first 40 class slots. They can fill the remaining 10/15 with whomever/whatever they want. They can call the class whatever they want, but it will be a football training class with a few other students thrown in. I will set the workout schedule/content and the PE coach will follow it (see item 3 below). I don't think that I can get a 6th pd. football class as that would be just too big of a leap. We are, after all, the drama and performing arts magnet school for our district.
The second thing is complete control of the weight room. Right now it's a very nice space, but it's like an attic with all the dead treadmills, stationary bikes, and stray weight machines from the past 15 years. It needs to be cleaned out, inventoried, and a replacement plan put in place. I can't do that if I have to ask every PE teacher and coach if they want every piece of dead hardware. A third, very related item, is that the administration will fully support this and back me at every request.
So, my plan is to gain control of the weight room, equip it the way I want, get the 4th pd. class approved, install my training plan, and install my players. The selling of the class as supporting multi-sport athletes, removing inter-sport hassles, and increasing student freedom is the path I'll take.
I really like the co-curricular idea. The administration is very high on the concept of a "whole student" and using the "co-" will go far with that.
Freshmen - We can have no contact with the 8th graders until they are actually on campus as freshmen. We have 5 HS's and 5 Jr. HS's and they can pretty much go to any one of the HS's. Our AD won't let us go there ("that would be recruiting") but I don't know if that is a district or school policy. Our freshmen team doesn't really get going until there are 2-3 games left and everyone has come out.
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Post by hsrose on Mar 17, 2009 20:41:36 GMT -6
The stipends in our 5-school district were cut in 1/2, not totally. We've done the pool all the money that the paid coaches get and divide by total number of coaches. This year that will net me about $250 for the season.
The AD reminded the coaches of all the sports, via e-mail, that fundraising to pay for coaches is not permitted. It seems to me that camps would be about the only mechanism to do that. I've heard that some schools in our general area charge $200+ for summer weight training as a fund raising mechanism.
I've been told that the transportation fees are close to $500 per bus per game for school district buses, $600 for charters. Even at that price it's about $2k just for our 4 away games (we play our league games at a common stadium with 5 other teams).
Plus, it seems that the program is now 9k in debt from the last 2 seasons of a new head coach.
We haven't gotten any funds from the district except for safety (helmets and shoulder pads) so we've always done our own fundraising. Our boosters are for the school, not football, so funds they raise go to all the sports.
I think it's going to be a hard year for a lot of schools/teams.
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Post by hsrose on Mar 17, 2009 13:25:25 GMT -6
What are the drawbacks to doing this discount sale all by yourself?
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Post by hsrose on Mar 7, 2009 20:42:20 GMT -6
4-way tug-of-war. Strong steel ring (6" or so) in the center, 1' of good (macho) chain with u-bolt, 4, 35' pieces of 1.5"/large (for gripping) nylon rope off that. Everything at the local hardware store was under $75. Got a school/team discount on the rope. It's big, it's heavy, and it's oh so manly what with the chains and rope and steel.
Set a square with cones, 5-yards on a side, 1 more in the middle. Tie 3-4 knots in the rope once it's past the boundary. Get 3-4-5 guys on each rope (depends on size, backs vs. linemen kind of thing). Put the steel ring above the cone in the center. Each rope comes out from the center through the middle the flat sides of the square made by the cones. Objective is to pull the steel ring over your line.
I give the commands "up" to apply enough pressure so the ring stays in the air and I can place it. "Ready" and they put on pressure, and then "Go" and off they go. I get the heck out as quick as I can. I time each contest.
The key is that it's not just a straight pull, you can change the angle on the rope by the team moving from side to side, which changes the force vectors, which usually means that it goes for a good time. Our record is 1:46. Not only are they pulling, but they are competing with 3 other teams, changing angles (teamwork), and working with the two closest teams when they change angles.
We do this in the off-season during the season as well. Players take it as a reward.
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Post by hsrose on Mar 6, 2009 17:00:59 GMT -6
High school Freshmen - Qb and LB in 6-man football Soph - LT on 11 man squad Jr - DT Sr - DE, TE
College - LB for 2 years
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Post by hsrose on Mar 4, 2009 16:55:43 GMT -6
Well, you know, the next board would have to be the "Baby Huey" board about parenting prospective football players and coaches.
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Post by hsrose on Feb 17, 2009 20:35:55 GMT -6
Not really an option for us. We have 5 Jr HS's that feed 5 HS's. Problem is that until school starts the first week of Sept the freshmen can go from any Jr HS to any of the HS's. They have to transfer so it's not just a walk in, but it's pretty close.
So, although the freshmen practice in August, it is not "real" until school starts. Their first game is our game 3 or 4. They can't practice with us as they don't exist yet. A player could go through our practices and then transfer to another school.
This also prevents us from having contact with the 8th graders. Only the AD can go visit them and it is once a semester (I think) and it must be a non-sport-specific visit so he talks about all the sports.
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Post by hsrose on Feb 9, 2009 9:58:23 GMT -6
Our leg press machine was 3" steel tube welded into an a-frame about 7' tall. On 1 side a couple of stops had been welded on. More 3.5" tube was used as the cross bar with a big steel rod welded across that for weights. The weights were the metal discs from a farmer's disc/plow that he had pulled behind the tractor. Had no idea how much weight it was, we went by how many disks you could move.
Our chute was more 3" steel tubing planted in concrete with sand under a 2x8 roof. We'd get the o & d lines under that and go at it.
My first helmet was a suspension helmet that was a size 7 1/4. The suspension in the front broke so I got a leather kit and fixed it myself. Went the "Big School" the next year and they gave me a 7 3/4 helmet.
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Post by hsrose on Feb 7, 2009 18:10:25 GMT -6
I started at a school of 90 that played 6-man football.
How about the suspension helmets, canvas blocking bags, goal posts made out of 3" aluminum irrigation pipe from a local farmer that would vibrate and whistle in the wind, and the 2-bar face mask? Or the sideline markers made in Ag shop out of rebar and extra chain? Down marker was a plywood box mounted on rebar with 1-2-3-4 painted on the sides - you could really get that thing spinning. Salt tablets were the norm, no weight room - we were all farm boys bucking hay bales all day anyway. And all this was in the early 70's.
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Post by hsrose on Feb 3, 2009 22:21:39 GMT -6
Unlevel, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Last week at a clinic I listened to a coach from Centennial Corona in LA talk about their practice arrangements. They have a 4th period athletics PE period. It's right before lunch, 5-days a week. During that class they are weight lifting, scouting, walk-thrus, etc. They use lunch sometimes as well. Then they have full practices after school as well. I figure that's an additional 5-7 hours per week that I don't get to have - our school doesn't have an athletics PE class. Other schools around here do have that and they are usually in the top of whatever sport. What could you do if you had an additional 6 hours of practice to prepare your players for a game? Conversely, how do you prepare your team if you know that your opponent has an additional 6 hours to prepare for you?
Our school has been here for 40 years and has produced 2 football players that have gone directly to a D1 school. Several have made it via JuCo, but only 2 directly. We compete with teams that have 2-3-4 or more each season. Is that unlevel, yeah, but nothing I can do about that except coach harder.
The size of the school matters, but the demographics may matter even more. On average, given similar demographics, if I coach at a 1,000 student school, and play a school with 2,000, I would expect that they could easily have 2 QB's for my 1, 4 stud DT's for my 2, 2 guys running 4.6 for my 1, and so on. Unlevel, yeah, but you coach harder, try to find anything you can do to get an advantage.
There's a school here that is the basketball school. If you want to play and get noticed, that is the school you go to. Do they recruit? No, they don't have to, quality always draws quality. They always go very deep in the playoffs. Their front line looks like a JC front court while ours looks like a junior high team. Unlevel, yeah, but you just have to coach as well as you can.
One school near here has a proactive, supportive AD, one who is demanding a lot of his coaches and staffs. He rewards them but they have a healthy emphasis on athletics as part of the high school experience. Our AD just told us that we won't be reimbursed for the clinic we went to because, with the change in head football coach (expected hire: April, yeah, April), he's not sure he wants to invest in us if there's a chance we won't be here. I have the e-mail that says he would reimburse us. While we have to work around things, taking time and energy away from coaching, other staffs are concentrating on coaching and getting better. Unlevel, yeah. But that's the way it is.
Unlevel is a reality and can be found in just about every aspect of whichever competition we're talking about. If every team was equal in every aspect then I would expect every game to be close to a tie.
So, while I can know that our school doesn't have much of a chance to compete with some of these schools, there is honor is doing the best you can against whatever odds, trying to win, playing fair, and competing.
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Post by hsrose on Jan 31, 2009 20:04:45 GMT -6
I saw the presentation today at the clinic in Burlingame, CA. They are just up the road from our school. Just curious about it and the Piedmont guys were there so I went and watched it. From the video and foils it looked like a different, more spread out formation. Yeah, the guys would step up to the line just before the snap (we've done the same thing) but it wasn't that difficult to find who was eligible and who wasn't. There were players with 5x-7x numbers on the field, just 1, 2, or 3 depending on the video clip.
I'm not trying to defend the offense, just my comments on what I saw today.
So, how do you ban the A-11? What specific rules do you put in place or change?
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Post by hsrose on Jan 25, 2009 19:31:17 GMT -6
Well, it sucks. Our HC left for a JC position, informed the administration on Dec 16, kids on Dec 17. The AD has not yet posted the position in the local papers. The posting has to run for 30 calendar days before the position can be filled. They can interview, but can't make a decision. The former HC has a personal fitness business so a lot of the players are working out with him, it's what they were doing, and it was ok. But it doesn't show up on the attendance sheets on the wall. So us chickens are trying to keep the room open and going, but the kids aren't coming in and we can't really hammer them as we might not/probably won't be there and they know it. One of the coaches called me today and said that he's talked with the AD and principal and it's not likely to be settled until April.
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Post by hsrose on Jan 24, 2009 20:27:56 GMT -6
By accident.
Coaching was not my chosen career path at all. I am a software systems guy for Lockheed in Sunnyvale. Been there pretty much all my life.
I started coaching at 44 when I applied to the local youth program, thinking I would be an assistant at the 13+ level. Apparently I misunderstood the intent of the board and ended up being the head coach of a really bad team. My son was on the team and his first year was horrible. Not knowing any better I took the position and we managed to go 3-5 in spite of my coaching - his second, and last year on the team. However, that was more wins than they'd had the previous 5 years.
I stayed with that team for 3 years, had a blast, and learned a lot about coaching, football, fund raising, and managing a team. I was very lucky and got a core of very good coaches. My last year we missed the championship by 1 point. After I left they went to the 'ship the next 4 years, winning the last 3.
I left the team because I went to a spring fund raiser for the high school to support my daughter who was playing soccer. At the event I started talking with a guy, bought him a beer or two, and he ended up telling me that he was the head football coach. We talked a couple more times and a couple of weeks later he ended up offering me an assistant position on his varsity. I was with him for 2 years, he leaves and a new HC comes in. I stay with him for 2 years, he leaves, and now I am applying for the position. If I get the position I will have assistants who have more coaching experience but are 20 years my junior.
Even though I didn't mean to be here, I am. And I am enjoying ever minute of it. I've talked with other coaches over many a beer at many a clinic and if I had to do it over, I would have been a teacher and coached HS. I truly enjoy this profession and, late in life, have found a passion for something that I would not have thought possible.
I know that regardless if I get the HC position or not, I will continue coaching. The coach I was with my first 2 years has had a standing offer for me since he left. So, I will be coaching for as long as I can.
Probably not the path most have taken, but being an accidental coach is like finding an Easter egg every time I take the field.
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Jan 21, 2009 8:34:14 GMT -6
I haven't seen any confirmation on this yet - their site makes no mention of it and I haven't found any new releases.
Is there a news release or link that can confirm this?
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Dec 21, 2008 21:25:40 GMT -6
Send me a PM with your e-mail and I'll send you my file of ideas that I stole from this site, and others, and consolidated. Pretty good list, with descriptions.
Open to anyone.
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Dec 21, 2008 13:41:41 GMT -6
One of the others is applying. I've known him for 6 years and he's a good guy. He was #3 in the last interview process.
I'm not sitting on this by any means. I just know that the school would really prefer to have an on-campus coach given the number of students involved, the amount of resources, etc., but where he has the on-campus, I've got time with the team.
The process here (last time, may not be the same this time) is that the position must be posted for 4 weeks/30 days or something in the local papers. Applications are accepted during that period and an initial screening is done by the interview panel - 5-7 members of the staff including the AD, principal, PE teachers, admins, booster, etc., and for the final round a couple of players. There were 9 first-round applicants the last time.
After the application period is over the initial interviews are scheduled, screened, and then the final interviews are setup. Then the final selection. Working the panel is not a good move unless you do everyone and you won't know who they all are until you get into the first interview. After that you might be able to lobby the panel members.
The PE instructor I know of is teaching at Irvington HS in Fremont, and has been coaching at Los Gatos HS. Looking at your past posts you don't seem to be in the Bay area and your recent 2-7 record is not what Los Gatos had. I believe they just won the CCS medium school section championship. I think he would be a good addition to my staff as that would provide me with 3 on-campus instructors, but I don't know him and won't contact him before the interviews.
So, where are you located?
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Post by hsrose on Dec 21, 2008 11:07:40 GMT -6
In my case it's reversed, the HC just left and I've been an assistant for 4 years, 2 under him and 2 under the guy that was there for 13 years before him. I'm not on-campus, but neither was he. There is a new PE instructor that is supposed to be applying so I view him has having the inside track. He's been coaching at another school about 20 miles away for 4-6 years and has a son on that program. I've never met him.
My preparations include a 30 page document that I will give to the interview panel before the interviews. I did this last time, 2 years ago. That took me from being a castoff to being in the final 3.
The package goes into the aspects of the program that I would run, including my philosophy and core values, how to work with the school, getting the students more involved, communicating with the community and parents, and then the football program. I describe what my expectations are for the players and the program, the budget (expenses and fund raising activities), the offense, defense, and special teams concepts, and the daily program schedule from January through December. I will use my experience from the past 4 years to say that I know the administration, the players, and the coaches. I've already been the coach doing all the paperwork for the players, providing rosters to the school and boosters, all the video work, the web site, and OC for a year.
I have talked with the coaches on staff, have their agreement to stay with me should I get the position, and have added 2 more coaches from outside the program. Most of these guys aren't going to stay unless I'm there. Not a threat or anything that I would use. I have talked with 2 very highly regarded senior coaches who have agreed to work with the program as special advisors to me.
In short I’m not staging a coup (which makes it sound like you aren’t in a position to take it head on). I’m providing everything I can, way up front, to make it clear that I’m the most organized, detailed, well-prepared coach they will see.
Having said all that I fully expect that the PE coach will get the job just based on his being on campus.
Where are you located?
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Post by hsrose on Nov 13, 2008 10:39:01 GMT -6
Last week we're getting beat 21-0 mid 2nd qtr. Game ended 41-7. They score again on a TE pass over the middle, about 18 yards. Kid starts back to the sideline, and then turns and dunks the ball over the goalpost. Gets a flag, no problem, deserved it.
However, as a coach, do you keep playing the kid after that?
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Post by hsrose on Oct 13, 2008 22:53:52 GMT -6
JV game 2 weeks ago. Just scored, missed the try for 2, score is 25-17 them with 0:47 seconds left in the game. We onside, they get it. Take a knee, game over, right? No, they run a lead play, ball never gets there and bounces into our DE who gets 10 yards. Our ball on their 40. Drop back, hit the 40-yd TD, miss the try for 2, lose 25-23.
When it's time, take the knee. Not out of mercy, but out of safe play, no injuries, get the game over (hopefully with the win), get off the field.
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Post by hsrose on Oct 4, 2008 0:02:50 GMT -6
Scouting is almost a communal thing here. We have 5 high schools in our city, and 2 other teams in neighboring cities form our 7-team league. From the top of the stadium we can see the glow of the other 2 stadiums. The 5 schools play at a single stadium so there are normally games Th-F-S.
The coaches of the teams that aren't playing, and elder retired coaches, all come to these games and scout. We don't go into the pressbox so we tape from the 35 on either side, with a pretty good angle. It's a pretty interesting setup as the coaches for the team we play tomorrow night are sitting just across the aisle from me, the team we play in 2 weeks is taping (I taped them last night in their 42-8 loss) the team we play next Th (we've made arrangements to get the DVD from them, as we gave them our game from the team they just lost to), the 250+ win coach is holding court, and we're watching 2 of our teams beat the heck out of each other.
Interesting setup.
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Sept 24, 2008 13:11:51 GMT -6
Opposite extreme here in the SF Bay area - we film everybody all the time. Most teams don't exchange films at all (I haven't seen our team exchange with anybody the past 4 years), except in the playoffs when you have to bring all your game films and they take any 2. I will provide teams with our scout videos of common opponents with the direction/permission of the HC.
Even at the youth level I always scouted the other teams and did the (minimal) game breakdown. But, that was our own self-contained local league.
I'm sending students all over the place to get scout video. I teach them what I want, how to get it, where to sit/stand, provide them with a camera, etc. I then take all that and do the computer analysis thing with it.
I'm always surprised at the "no video scouting" rules that are all over the place. Just very different from the environment I've been operating under.
Ethical - If the association rules prohibit it then it is against the rules and knowingly going against the rules is wrong. But if it is unethical in your area due to association rules it don't make it unethical in mine.
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Sept 23, 2008 20:19:11 GMT -6
What are you looking for - playbooks, videos, writeups? Send me a PM and I'll send you what I can, we're in year 5 of the wishbone option and I'm the video and playbook geek.
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Sept 23, 2008 19:26:36 GMT -6
Thanks everyone, not exactly what I wanted to hear, but still I now know more than I did. I guess I'm spoiled here with 4 schools within 15 miles that play a pretty good level of football.
Any leads on the 4-year schools would be appreciated. Again, I'm just previewing what is there and I'm not necessarily looking for an "in" at the schools.
Thanks again
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Sept 22, 2008 21:19:43 GMT -6
It looks like my wife will be getting a promotion and transfer to the Denver/Boulder area next April/May. Nothing is set yet so I'm just trying to figure out what might await us if this does happen.
My son will graduate next June and is looking to continue playing football. He will probably have to go JC before a 4 year, more from age and maturity than ability. His long term is to play at a 4 year so he was looking at the San Jose State, Sacramento State, Cal Poly, level schools. If the family is in Colorado he's willing to go there and play if there is a possibility of CU or CSU, Wyoming, etc.
There are a lot of Juco teams in our area (SF Bay area) but I don't know what is available in the Colorado area. Anyone have any insights on the situation there? Good/poor competition, lot/few of teams, attention from the 4-years?
I'd also like to see what the HS coaching situation is as well. Not HC, but assistant position coach. Any suggestions for approaching schools cold?
Thanks for any input you might have.
Casey IHS Vikings
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Post by hsrose on Aug 5, 2008 9:02:11 GMT -6
Software engineer for aerospace company. Work 530-2 to make practice at 3.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 22, 2008 13:22:00 GMT -6
North Coast Section, CA
08/18 - 1st official practice - full pads from the get-go 08/29 - Scrimmage 09/03 - 1st day of school 09/04 - 1st game (Thursday) 06/18 - Graduation
We've been to a 4-day contact camp, with 5 other teams, and could be running double-days with pads right now if we wanted.
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