Photo By Gregory Mitchell | Fujiyoshida City, Japan (August 9, 2013) - Nile C. Kinnick High School football...... read more read more
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YOKOSUKA, Japan - Nile C. Kinnick High School football players tested their physical and mental abilities by climbing Mt. Fuji Aug. 8 for the team’s second annual Mt. Fuji climb after a week of training at Camp Fuji. The camp again ushered in the start of the upcoming 2013 season.
“This time was a little different due to the fact that 18 guys climbed before,” said varsity head football coach, Daniel Joley. “This gave guys a lot of confidence in their ability to finish. Plus, there was a little bit of positive competition to climb, so it was all in all a good experience.”
High school students consisted of players from both junior varsity and varsity teams.
“Fuji gives them the opportunity to get out of the comfortable setting of being at home, getting away from video games, TV and things of that nature; to learn more about the people who they are going into battle on the football field with,” said Joley.
Camp Fuji provided the terrain for Joley and the rest of the coaching staff to put the players through several phases of intense conditioning while also covering various defensive and offensive schemes.
“The Fuji trip is great teaching time,” said Jr. Varsity head football coach Wilson. “It’s an opportunity to fine tune things with the offense, while reviewing schemes. At this point, I would have to say that we as a team have a better understanding of our offense than we did last year. Knowing what to do gets rid of a lot of hesitation. Overall, it was a very benefital 4 days plus, the bonding was definitely there.”
The players even had the opportunity to train with Camp Fuji’s Marines, which also involved the use of their obstacle training course.
“The Marines are intense,” said sophomore Tarick Mitchell. “I know they took it easy on us while we were there. I am sure that they do more than what they showed us. I have a lot of respect for what they do and it’s cool that they had the time to come work out with us.”
For the newest crop of freshman players that may potentially become starters on this year’s Jr. Varsity team, arriving at Camp Fuji was a combination of excitement and anxiety.
“I think personally I had a good camp, but it was very hard,” said Bradley Deibel. “I am glad that it is over with so I can just focus on trying to become a better player.”
Deibel’s goal is to become a wide receiver, so he focused on hands during the camp as well as doing his best to show the coaching staff how effective he can be during tackling drills.
For the senior classmen, the focus was more on rounding up their high school careers on a high note. This camp set’s the tone for the future.
“I think we still have a lot of things to work on, but we have a good group of people returning from last year, and we also have new people coming from different places,” said senior Eian O’Brien, defensive end, offensive tackle and one of the team captains. “I think that with this group, it will be easier to gel together, to get to know each other easier.”
The team arrived Aug. 6 and immediately hit the ground running. Coaches worked with the players on variations of physical fitness that ranged from plyometrics, ropes training, tire flops and buddy carries, and several other exercises. That Friday, the team then woke up around 5am and set out to the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station, where they were to begin their trek up the mountain.
In all, a total of 41 of the 43 players successfully climbed the mountain, reaching the summit within the time constraints.
“The hardest part of the mountain was probably around the 7th station (Tomoe-kan),” said junior DeAnthony Evans, wide receiver, one of the first 5 players to reach the top. “It was from that point that it really got steep. Honestly, the mountain made me go beyond my limits, and I even thought about quitting. But my teammates kept encouraging me to move forward so I was able to finish and I am glad I did.”
Coaches noticed a difference from last years climb.
“I think the fact that all of our linemen were able to complete the climb says a lot about our teams overall conditioning,” said assistant coach George Calbert. “The boys generally seemed motivated during the camp; it definitely points to the fact that we are in better shape this year.”
To make the trip to Fuji a reality, the support of the parents was vital.
“I think that we have the greatest parent group to support us,” said Joley. “The lunches being provided and so forth; it really pays great dividends to have the parents behind all the kids.”
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2013 03:54 |
| Story ID: | 112461 |
| Location: | FUJISAWA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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