Training camp is only a few days away now, and I’m itching to get back on the field. Improving in the weight room is always satisfying, but the real pay-off comes when you put on the pads and are able to run faster and hit harder. Traditionally, training camp is a grueling couple of weeks full of meetings, lifting and two-a-days. It is the perfect format to insure that a football team is prepared for the upcoming season not only because of the amount of preparation time we squeeze into a short period, but also because our lives are simplified to the point where football is our only concern. At the end of the day, the only thing I look forward to is a big meal, and getting my body rested up for the next day.
This year’s camp will be much more exciting than any of the previous camps I’ve ever attended. Coach has scheduled us to play an exhibition game in Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Huskies. We’ll also get the opportunity to have an inter-squad practice with them. Saskatchewan is a perennial contender in the CIS, and this will give us a great opportunity to tune-up for our regular season against a quality opponent. We’ll only be away from the 21rst to the 24th, and we’ll pack as much football into those 4 days as possible, before continuing with our training camp on the 25th. This trip should also alleviate some of the mental fatigue that might otherwise build up throughout camp. I’ve learned how to cope with this factor over the past 3 camps, but I can imagine how a trip like this will really benefit some of our younger players.
