By Andrea Stamp
Earlier this month, the Nordonia Football family sponsored a Youth Football Camp for students in grades first through eight. Combined with the help of his football coaching staff and the high school football players, Nordonia Varsity Head Coach Jeff Fox was able to create and execute a competitive learning environment for each age level.
The first, second, and third grade students were tasked with learning the basic fundamentals of the game of football. Coach Fox wanted each player to learn to run, throw, catch, block and tackle in a supported and safe manner. The team designed drill circuits that would safeguard that this age group would stay engaged in the situation. The competition drills were also designed to keep the players feeling included and to ensure that these young players would stay interested in the game.
The fourth, fifth, and six grade students were offered a more specified teaching experience during their camp week. The coaching staff was challenged with the need to continue to teach football fundamentals, while also exposing the kids to higher skill levels. The competitions at this age level were more structured in that they bore a resemblance to a typical football game with an adaptation to be continuous and all-encompassing.
The seventh and eighth graders were offered a completely different experience than their younger counterparts. At this age, the students are targeting their position specific skills and are ready to work harder to develop themselves at this level. The players were invited by the Varsity coaching staff to learn to target the comprehensive fundamentals for their specified position and caught a glimpse of what it will be like playing for the Knights Varsity Football Team. These middle school students learned important plays and were expected to execute these plays by the end of the camp week. Great effort was made to keep the competition enjoyable while stressing the importance of sportsmanship and discipline.
Coach Fox indicated that above all else, he “wanted campers to learn the game of football.” He stressed that the game of football “is merely the platform enabling the most important lessons of competitiveness, hustle, and respect.” Fox was confident that after the camp is over, the players will see how even “three days of immersion into how our coaching staff and high school players operate” will project the kids to be “more prepared to be successful in all avenues of their young lives.”
The Nordonia Knights Football Family grew a little bigger that week, as each wide eyed player left on the last day, it is certain that they felt the spark that will lead them to play for the Nordonia High School Football Team someday…
