Posts Tagged ‘umd’

Spring Camps and UMD 2015

Posted: July 13, 2015 in Football, High School, Sports
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It was another successful spring of football for the St. Patrick Fighting Saints. The arrival of June marked our annual junior and senior camps, as well as another visit to the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) for their team camp.

The senior camp opened on Thursday, June 4 and then continued the whole next week culminating in a multi-team scrimmage at the Fort William Stadium on Friday, June 12. Besides the mandatory preparation, it was an excellent primer for the upcoming trip to UMD.

Tackling progression, June 2015.

Tackling progression, June 2015.

First play, June 2015.

First play, June 2015.

The two day junior mini-camp ran Monday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 16. It was very well attended, with over 30 Grade 8’s and 9’s present, many of whom had never played football before.

Junior camp, June 2015.

Junior camp, June 2015.

Junior camp, June 2015.

Junior camp, June 2015.

On Thursday, June 25 our program headed south for our fifth trip to the UMD team football camp. The squad consisted of 25 Grade 9, 10 and 11 players plus 8 junior and senior coaches. We would be joined at the camp by three other teams from Thunder Bay; Churchill, Hammarskjold and our sister school and chief rivals, St. Ignatius.

We left bright and early at 7:00 for the 3.5 hour trip to Duluth and after a brief stop for lunch, proceeded to the UMD campus to check in. While the team were directed to their rooms by their UMD chaperone Taylor, the coaches had to quickly get to their rooms and then hustle to Malosky Field for the first of several coaches meetings.

Lunch break, June 2015.

Lunch break, June 2015.

Coaches meeting, June 2015.

Coaches meeting, June 2015.

By 2:00 the players were on the field for team and individual workouts. After a supper break, the players got to experience their first scrimmage against one of the many American teams in camp. I think everyone was excited to play some real football!

UMD, June 2015.

UMD, June 2015.

Day two, or the “killer day” began at 7:00 for the players with wake up and breakfast. They would need the fuel for 3 sessions of football; morning, afternoon and evening. The day was again filled with team, individual and scrimmage times, highlighted by the first “King of the Hill” contest of the camp.

UMD, June 2015.

UMD, June 2015.

UMD, June 2015.

UMD, June 2015.

At the end of the evening session, all the teams participated in an interesting contest. Each school was required to select 10 players to compete, 3 of whom had to tip the scales at over 220 pounds. All 10 then had to clear a 5 foot high jump through the use of team work. Our boys put in a good showing, getting down to the last jumper, but that bar was just too much for one guy to surmount.

High jump contest, June 2015.

High jump contest, June 2015.

The final day was going to be the shortest, but the most intense. After breakfast, the players were off to the last round of individual workouts, followed by more scrimmages and another King of the Hill contest. It was sad to see the camp come to an end, but after all of that football, everyone was physically and mentally out of gas. Coach Curt Wiese and his staff once again put on an amazing camp and we look forward to attending again in the future!

Team photo, June 2015.

Team photo, June 2015.

UMD, June 2015.

UMD, June 2015.

Team photo, June 2015.

Team photo, June 2015.

New gym, new jerseys!

Posted: May 13, 2015 in Football, High School, Sports
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It has been a very busy past few months for the Fighting Saints Football program.

On February 11th, St. Patrick High School hosted its annual Open House for prospective Grade 8 students. Despite the poor weather that day, the event was still very well attended. Our booth in the gymnasium was manned by coaches Marcon, Honeysett and Bevilacqua with assistance  from junior players Calen Fennell and Mike Hachey. A number potential recruits stopped at the booth to hear more about our program.

Calen and Mike manning the football booth, February 2015.

Calen and Mike manning the football booth, February 2015.

Also in February, we commenced our off-season workout program under the direction of our new strength and conditioning coach, Mr. Olynick. To raise more interest and incorporate more cardio into the regimen, we integrated our existing BFS (Bigger, Faster, Stronger) program with Crossfit training. The results were very impressive, with upwards of 30 players or more attending the sessions. All of the new interest necessitated a relocation of our existing weight room.

Since we began off-season workouts, our gym has been located in the basement adjacent to our equipment room. It was a small room to begin with, and as we purchased more and more weightlifting equipment, it became increasingly cramped. In consultation with school administration and the Phys Ed Department, it was decided to move the weight room upstairs to the Tech wing of the school. The room already served as a combination weight/wrestling room, so the weight facilities would be expanded and the wrestling mats moved into the old weight room in the basement. The new location affords much more space, is brighter and is much cooler with better air flow. We look forward to making even more use of this new facility in the future.

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One of the most exciting events of the off-season is that our program has continued last year’s revision of our team image with the acquisition of new uniforms. Our current jerseys and pants have been in use since 2004, and it was time for a make-over. In addition, after 11 years of use, many of the uniforms were beginning to show their age. The process will take place in two stages due to budgetary constraints, with the seniors sporting the new look for this season and the juniors to follow in 2016. So without any further ado, here are the new uniforms sported by Kellen Steudle:

 

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With the arrival of spring and nicer weather, attention now turns to our annual spring camps and our trip to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for their team camp. The senior camp will commence June 1st, followed the junior camp on June 15th and 16th. We are hoping to have as many players take the opportunity to travel to UMD with us from the 25th to the 27th. Those that made the trip last year thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic event put on by the coaches at UMD and the opportunity to test their skills against teams from Minnesota.

Please check back regularly for the latest news and information.

The beginning of a new era

Posted: May 10, 2014 in Football, High School, Sports
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The modern manifestation of the St. Patrick Fighting Saints Football program began in 1986. There have been a lot of great moments during the past 28 years.

In our short history, we have always sported a green jersey (with a white or yellow/gold away jersey) and a yellow/gold helmet. There was little deviation from this uniform configuration over the years due to restrictions that had been put into place by our governing body, the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association, or SSSAA. When St. Patrick expanded in 1985 after full-funding was extended to Catholic high schools, our varsity sports programs expanded as well. However, there was an issue with our school colours of green and gold, since there was already a school with a predominately green coloured uniform, Hillcrest.

The comprise became that we would have to sport different colour headgear and have a non-green away jersey; hence the reason for the yellow helmets in football. However everything changed in 2009. That year Hillcrest High School closed, and was replaced by a new school, Superior CVI. The new school sported a new name, logo and colours. The change thus left us as the only green team in the league, and paved the way for the change that is about to come.

Selecting a new uniform will ultimately be a two step process, with new helmets introduced for the 2014 season and new jerseys to come the following year. There was a lot debate and discussion amongst the coaching staff and players as to what our new uniforms would look like. Eventually a green helmet was settled on, with a logo and striping on it. A large factor in the decision was the need to accommodate the look and colours of our current uniform, which as indicated will not be replaced for another year.

So without further adieu, the St. Patrick Fighting Saints Football program is proud to unveil our new look for the 2014 season. Many thanks go out to John Ongaro, a former Fighting Saints alumni, for taking these fantastic photos. As well, special thanks go out to current players Kellen Steudle and Cody Baranyk for volunteering to model the new head gear.

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Our players will be showing off the new helmets at this weekend’s UMD/Thunder Bay Minor Football skills camp. Be sure to visit our Facebook page for all the pictures from the photo shoot. Watch out for the new jerseys coming in 2015!

Winter-Spring Football Information

Posted: January 22, 2014 in Football, High School, Sports
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This off-season will provide many opportunities for players in our program to build their football skills. As discussed at the meeting, this post is designed to provide some additional information on up-coming events over the next number of months.

  1. BFS (Bigger Faster Stronger) weight training program will begin the week of February 10th. BFS is an internationally recognized strength and conditioning program designed to teach athletes sport-specific exercises. Players will be closely supervised by coaches. Sessions will typically run Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
  2. University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) coaches will be in Thunder Bay on May 10 & 11 to deliver an individual skills camp. This camp is organized by Thunder Bay Minor Football and runs in the afternoon of both days (in the past it has been held at the LU Hanger). Registration takes places in late March and the cost is approximately $75. Forms will be available at the school.
  3. St. Patrick spring football camps are held in early to mid-June. The junior edition is 3-day non-contact event for Grade 9’s and interested Grade 8’s. The senior edition will be in full equipment and is full contact; returning junior players are welcome to attend the senior camp. There is no cost for these camps.
  4. The program is planning to attend the UMD team football camp held in Duluth from June 26-28. This is a full-contact event and is one of the best experiences for any football player. Both juniors and seniors are eligible to attend, however players must participate the senior camp to prepare and practice. The cost will be approximately $275 Canadian funds. UMD charges $175 (US funds) for all overnight attendees (covers all meals and accommodations at the UMD campus). The additional charges will cover the cost of the charter bus to the camp. All players will need international medical insurance and those over 16 will require a passport. More information is available on the UMD website or on the UMD camp brochure: Team Camp Brochure 2014
Fighting Saints at UMD, June 2008.

Fighting Saints at UMD, June 2008.

More information will be released as it becomes available. Players are encouraged to listen to announcements and check the program’s Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest updates. Parents who have questions or require additional clarification are asked to contact the coaches at the school.