Eastern Michigan Football Coach talking to all Football moms!

To Moms of boys wanting to play football,

Growing up on the West Coast, I played every sport I could – soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, I swam and for a short period I was even in a bowling league, but the only time I got to play football was at school during recess. I am pretty sure that the universal rules of recess football are still the same: Two-hand touch (when the recess lady was watching), one run per every four downs, two completions for a first down and we always debated whether we were going to count “Alligator” or “Mississippi” to rush the passer. 

My parents never allowed playing organized football to be an option for me. They didn’t want me to get hurt. In the spring of eighth grade, the high school football coach came to our middle school to talk to a bunch of us about playing high school football. I was interested in soccer and the other sports at the time but playing football was definitely intriguing. My mom still would not let me play. 

For two more years I continued to play other sports, and on Friday nights, as the football team played under the lights, I sat with the rest of the student body and watched. I really wanted to play, but my mom wouldn’t budge.

In the summer between my sophomore and junior year, unbeknownst to me, a group of my friends’ parents ganged up on my mom and convinced her that she would really regret it if she didn’t allow me to play. Amazingly, she finally relented and said I could play!

I played that season of football and fell in love. I have not missed a football season since that fall of 1985 and my life has never been the same. 

The game of football has so much to teach and so much to give.

Football taught me what it means to be a part of something bigger than myself. Success in football requires selflessness and true teamwork. It is impossible to have any kind of personal success without your teammates – impossible. No matter how talented an individual might be, he will never win one versus eleven. In a powerful way, the game of football is very humbling as it demands that players put the team over the individual. 

A football team is unlike any other, in that it depends on all kinds of body types and skill sets.  Short, tall, stocky, thin, fast, not so fast, strong, not as strong, cerebral, and hardheaded – they all can have a place and a position on a football team. There are so many different roles and positions and every one of them matters.  

Football teams break down race barriers better than anything else I have ever been a part of in my life.  When you are in a huddle holding hands you don’t see brown, black, white, red, yellow, or green. You see your brothers, your teammates who are depending on you, and who you are depending on to do their job. The best teams that I have been a part of truly love each other.  When a young man gets the opportunity to be a part of that, he will never be the same. It is a powerful reality and one that the rest of society certainly could stand to emulate. 

In addition to teamwork, football develops toughness – mental, physical and emotional. The toughness I am talking about is not merely the ability to push another player out of the way or tackle the guy with the ball, but rather the refusal to be discouraged or distracted in the face of a challenge. Football teaches the value of hard work, the necessity of honoring commitments no matter what, and the unbelievable power of a positive attitude in the face of adversity. Because it is uniquely demanding, football has the ability to instill belief, self-confidence, and discipline. 

We all want our boys to grow up to be responsible and effective in life.  Being successful in life as an adult absolutely requires toughness. Maintaining a strong marriage, raising kids, developing a career, and sticking to a value system all require commitment, responsibility, and perseverance. In a culture that is raising boys that seek to be entertained rather than be challenged, I submit to you that no other game develops toughness that translates to success in life quite like the game of football.

Unfortunately, the game of football is under attack. People are being steered away by the recent attention to concussions and other injuries. I am now a college football coach and have been for 24 years. I have a deep concern for the well being of every one of my players – I always have and always will. I am not an anomaly. We take concussions and all injuries very seriously.  Over the last 10 years, we have seen significant changes in the rules of the game, the introduction of annual baseline testing as well as post-injury testing on athletes, improvement in helmet quality and fit, and dedicated training for physicians, athletic trainers, players, and coaches on the presentation and management of concussion. Player safety is definitely a focus in the game of football. 

Let it also be known that research shows that more concussions occur from riding bikes than from playing football and soccer tops the list when it comes to girls’ sports. I have a daughter who plays soccer and loves it, and all three of our children ride bikes! Of course, I cannot tell you that your son will not have to deal with an injury from having played football and tragically some injuries end up being serious. I will tell you that awareness, preventative measures and care are at all time highs and from my 30 years of experience – the game of football gives so much more than it takes away.

I cannot imagine my life without the invaluable lessons, situations, and experiences that football has provided me. I have experienced being a back-up and a starter. I have been the hero and the goat. I have been on an 0-10 team and a 10-0 team. I have suffered injuries and have seen guys end their career due to injury. I have seen the pain when players fail to make the team and the uncontrolled joy when players are told they are receiving a full ride athletic scholarship to play football in college. Football has taken me to play or coach in seven different countries, paid for my Master’s degree, and has allowed me to provide for my family my entire adult life. The experiences have run the gamut, but it is all worth it. The most valuable things that football has given me are the people I have met and the incredible lifelong relationships I have built along the way. 

I love my mom. She has never done anything but want the best for me. Thank God she ended up letting me play football. For that I will be forever grateful. To all you parents debating whether or not your son should play football – let him if he wants to do it. I wholeheartedly believe that the benefits far outweigh the risks. It is truly a life changing game! 

– Chris Creighton, Head Football Coach at Eastern Michigan University

CFL combine training Blog 1

Hey all – its XMAS time and i know we are all busy shopping, eating and possibly having a few cocktails….one group of players who are busting their butt are CFL/NFL combine invitees

Mercer Timmis – the 7th ranked CFL prospect and top CIS skill position player starts today with two a day workouts. 

Mercer will blog every Friday re his training, program and general feelings of the prep involved.

Mercer’s days of skiing and snowboarding are DONE!  For the next 12 weeks he was one goal…to be the BEST prospect at the CFL combine.

We at SST are looking forward to not only his prep but a few others who are coming thru the door!

SST Strong!

 

Mercer n LJ

SST MID WEEK Athlete News- More scholarship offers and goals scored!

SST Waterloo athlete Mike Hoffman is on a scoring spree in the NHL- 27 points in 24 games with the Sens!  Of those 27 points he has hit the twine 15 times already!

SST Hamilton Athlete Darnell Nurse is becoming a steady force on the Edmonton Oiler Blue line logging tons of ice time

Toronto Marlie Captain and D man Andrew Campbell is scoring goals at will! This know stay at home D man has already potted 6 goals in the young season. Are the Leafs that good that he shouldn’t be called up?????

US High school football player Josh Palmer received two offers yesterday- NC State and Northern Illinois!  Congrats to this outstanding wr!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

St Roch DB Tyrell Richards continues his round the Canada University tour- he just came back from the University of Calgary ….also the University of Star running back Mercer Timmis who is getting ready for his upcoming pro and CFL Combine day

Congrats to Justin Veltri who has committed to Carlton University…Coach Sumaruh not only has great football player but a fine young man coming into his program

Congrats to SST Laval athlete Simon Legare in signing with the Ottawa Red Blacks!

NOTE: The OPC; the largest All star game in Ontario…… tryouts are this weekend- please note dates and times for your region at www.canadafootballchat.com

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Very proud of our athletes from all regions- SST STRONG

The PROCESS….the will to win???? Do you have it???

Just working away and I asked one of my athletes if he wanted to participate in our upcoming 2016 Big Man camp for OL/DL..he stated no cause he wanted to tryout for a specific all star team and workout..no problem I totally understood

Although, this got me thinking…as a coach my players always here me say – you need to work the process- what do I mean by this?  I have no problem with this athlete or any other athlete wanting to play in all star games but I ask this- EVERYONE wants to win but what are you going to do in your athletic and academic process to get there?

I asked Diesel the same question and he said he went to as many camps as possible when he was younger…I asked one of my highly skilled athlete the same question – he attends as many camps as he can afford but does a ton to get better..says he rather spend his money on getting better with great coaching

The process…..learning as much as you can from a variety of coaches….taking these new found attributes in helping you succeed

I think about Michael O’ Connor- Vanier Cup champ and QB- would he be as good as he is by just playing games in Canada? Or by going to camps…training schools in the USA? Probably not- actually CERTAINLY not.

He won on that Saturday because of the work he put in…the process of his development..the hours of training with proper coaching

Agree or disagree but highly skilled athletes spend millions of hours honing their craft-spending endless time on a basketball court/ ice rink/ football field by themselves bettering their game- they went thru the PROCESS of hard endless work

Larry Jusdanis

SST NFL and CFL Athletes EXCEL!

What a great weekend- Congrats to both the Edmonton Eskimos and Ottawa Red Blacks- an exciting Grey Cup won by Edmonton- a special congrats to SST Alumni athletes Brian Ramsey and Shamawd Chambers in hoisting the Grey Cup!

As well, Shamawd took home the Most Valuable Canadian Award!

What a crazy Monday night Football game…Browns and Ravens go down to the last play and former Virginia U player Brent Urban blocks the last second field goal which was scooped up by the Ravens for the game winning td with no time left!

Crazy weekend! next week will be our big Hockey report!

SST Athlete Special

Usually we do our athlete report on Mondays but a few special athletes need to be recognized ASAP

Congrats to Calgary Dino running back Mercer Timmis- as he received his 3rd straight CIS All Canadian award!

Not to be out done- QB Canada Star Will Finch was the Hec Crighton runner up and 2nd team All Canadian QB!

One of the best athletes i have ever worked with was Brad Sinopoli- many I have told that he could easily play QB in the CFL…as many Canadian QB’s he was moved to wr….result- VOTED TOP CANADIAN in the CFL- CONGRATS!

USA report – after smashing all of Alabama’s throwing records Nathan Rourke will be playing in the Alabama All star game next weekend!

WR Josh Palmer is heading to the Florida State Championship next week

Congrats to all of these special athletes- this is what makes coaching and training so much fun

SST Monday Morning Athlete NEWS!- QB Canada member wins state, Scholarship offers soon?

Sorry about the last two weeks…I was away but we are back this week with a ton of news!

Lets start off south of the border where Nathan Rourke led his Alabama high school to the State championship! Nathan threw for 3 tds and ran for another in Edgewood’s 40-34 win

Nathan’s stats for the year…59 tds vs 3 ints and a 75% completion ratio…what’s next for this superstar?… UCLA, New Mexico, Missouri, Kent State and Yale have all shown interest!

From Alabama to High school football in Halton…Assumption vs Nelson…with many SST athletes representing these fine schools one would expect a great game. The fans were not disappointed…a slug fest with Assumption winning 11-9

Some notable stars…Dom Ciraco was all over the field with an INT, Forced fumble and fumble recovery- plus many tackles and doing this while playing both ways! Dom Mandalfino toted the rock for Assumption and showed why he is a top recruit

Kudos to many of SST players who did the same…Pat Spelman..Jack Miller..Ben Cowman..Evan Luckie…Riley Littlejohn..these guys seemed to never come off the field.

Not to be outdone was Tyrell Richards who led his St Roch team to the Peel championship..Ty had two INT’s one of which he returned for a 40 yard td!

OFSSA play downs are next for these great teams..good luck!

CIS national semi finals news..SST Laval running back Sean Thomas Erlington leads his Montreal team to a victory over Guelph ..Sean has torn up the playoffs- in 3 games- 70 carries- 581 yards and 3 tds!

Good luck to the Carrabin in this weeks Vanier Cup!

How about some Hockey news…Andrew Campbell the Toronto Marlies captain has already scored 5 goals as a defensemen..are the leafs next?

Until next week with some Grey Cup and Vanier cup news!

Football Q and A with SST Laval owner Antoine Hamelin

J’aimerais savoir si il est toujours possible pour un athlète de 21 ans de prendre de la vitesse et comment?


R: Oui, il est possible de prendre de la vitesse pour un athlète de 21 ans ou plus. Je travaille en fait présentement avec des athlètes universitaires qui sont invités au combine de la LCF au mois de mars. Ces athlètes ont entre 24 et 25 ans et nous constatons des améliorations de leur vitesse à chaque fin de cycle d’entrainement, qu’ils soient de deux ou de quatres semaines.

Le corps humain a le potentiel d’être entrainé et d’améliorer ses qualités athlétiques à n’importe quel âge. Il faut bien comprendre que même le meilleur entraineur ne fera jamais courir un 40 verges en 4.40 secondes à un athlète qui, à l’âge, de 20 ans court son 40 verges en 5.5 secondes. Par contre, sans atteindre des vitesses dignes de la NFL, il pourra aider à améliorer la vitesse de cet athlète, en ligne droite et dans différentes directions.

L’amélioration de la vitesse passe par plusieurs facteurs. L’athlète doit devenir plus fort, surtout au niveau des muscles du bas du corps. Il doit par la suite apprendre à son corps comment exploser avec les muscles acquis. On doit travailler aussi à bien équilibrer les masses musculaires chez un athlète afin de rendre celui-ci plus rapide. En effet, si l’athlète possède des muscles qui sont trop dominants par rapport à d’autres au niveau des jambes, cela pourra l’empêcher de devenir plus rapide.

La majorité des athlètes avec lesquels je travaille sait déjà assez bien comment courir, mais on peut aller chercher quelques précieux centièmes de secondes en améliorant la technique de course. Aussi, si un athlète a un surplus de poids, le changement de composition corporelle (augmenter le ratio de muscles par rapport au gras) aidera à sa vitesse. Pensez-y, si vous courez durant 60 minutes de temps avec une veste lestée de 10 livres, votre vitesse et votre capacité à maintenir votre vitesse sera diminuée. Lorsqu’un athlète a 10 livres de gras corporel de trop, l’effet sur sa vitesse est le même qu’avec la veste lestée.

Pour terminer, la vitesse est l’une des capacités athlétiques les plus difficiles à travailler au niveau de la conception des programmes et cela requiert un travail intense sur la piste de course et dans le gym. Méfiez-vous des camps ‘spécialisés’ de course qui promettent des améliorations incroyables en peu de temps. Cela demande de l’effort, du temps et beaucoup plus que de courir avec des gadgets durant deux ou trois semaines.

Je vous invite à continuer à m’écrire vos questions à antoine_hamelin@hotmail.com. Bon entrainement!

SST Monday Morning Athlete Success!

Wow great weekend of sports with NFL starting…Jays winning and SST Athletes kickin butt! NHL camps start this week and our SST athletes have been dominating their fitness testing

Start off with High school football on Friday night….Terrell Richards leads his ST Roch team to victory over Nelson with a pick 6 for a td!

Nelson SST Standouts Patrick Spelman, Ben Cowman, Riley Little John and Justin Morgan kept the game close but in the end St Roch had too much team speed for Nelson

At Assumptions scrimmage versus BCI- top running back recruit Dom Mandalfino showed why he will once again be the top back in high school football

CIS scouts were drooling over LB Jack Miller’s speed and football IQ!

Standout QB Canada Qb Nathan Rourke is shining in Alabama….in just 4 games Nathan has thrown for 15 tds!  Scouts are calling!

Running Back and 1st year player Jordan Lyons scores a td on his first ever CIS catch..we have a feeling this won’t be his last for this talented runner!

Speaking of talent- top CFL prospect Mercer Timmis is carrying the Dinos to victories…this past weekend Mercer ran for 267 yds and 3 tds!

Declan Cross another top running back at Mac had 59 total yards and a td in their big win over the Gee Gees….Cole Mundel led all D players in tackles!

Ryan DiRisio lead his Warriors in total yards in their loss to Queens

Johnny Augustine is guiding the Guelph Offence with 186 total yards and 3 tds in their victory!

QB Canada Members Nate Hobbs and Will Finch continue their mastery of defences in winning their weekend games

SST Athlete news is getting bigger and bigger!  Enjoy!