Getting low at HCI football practices
The Humboldt Collegiate Institute Mohawks football team got an early start to the school year, kicking off their season more than a week before classes started in preparation for their 2016 season.
The early start to the football season was important for a number of reasons, says Mohawks Head Coach, Cory Popoff.
As well as seeing who is really committed to playing for the team, players got to learn a number of skills including proper blocking technique, as well as catching and running the ball.
“The students that want to play will make time in their busy lives and just come here and spend a couple of hours everyday before school starts just getting themselves ready… it is absolutely obvious to me that they want to win some football games this year.”
The commitment from the players was great, says Popoff, who noted that they have the largest number of players they have ever carried.
Due to the large numbers Popoff says they are going to have to buy more equipment so that each of the players on the team is safely equipped for the season and says he plans on keeping all of the players, assuming they continue to show commitment in practice everyday.
“They just won’t be safe on the field anymore without coming to practice everyday.”
Seeing the large number of players who came out to play is a by product of the reputation of the football program, says Popoff.
“The students see that and they want to be part of something great and we show them how.”
Popoff says the biggest goal of the early start to the season is to get his players into shape and ready for when their games start.
“If you’re not in shape before you engage in contact the chances of you getting hurt are quite a bit more.”
Popoff was very pleased with how well the camp went noting that attendance was very high and players were ready to work right away.
“The players are hustling, they’re trying to demonstrate to the coaches that they want to play.”
Seeing the players are in good shape to begin the season is nice, says Popoff, because it will give the team a head start on the season.
“If they don’t work hard in the off season then the beginning of the season becomes pretty painful for these kids.”
Popoff is pleased with what he has seen from his team so far and says it should bode well for a competitive season for the team.
“I do think we’ll be very competitive this year, I do think we have the depth to do some fantastic things on the field this year but it’s just a matter of seeing the first game when the ball is snapped or kicked what happens. We’ll be ready.”
The Mohawks get their first test on Sept. 9 when they travel to Tisdale to take on the Tornadoes.
The Mohawks return home for their home opener on Sept. 16 when the Clavet Cougars come to town.
Players bump, set, and spike at HCI volleyball camp
High school volleyball is just a few short months away and in preparation for the start of the high school volleyball season Humboldt Collegiate Institute hosted a volleyball camp Aug. 27-28 with the grade 7-9 students at Humboldt Public School and the grade 10-12 students at HCI.
In total 55 volleyball players came out to the camp from all over the region including Lanigan, Muenster, Annaheim, Invermay, Rose Valley, and Humboldt among others.
Volleyball players got the opportunity to learn from Lakeland College Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Austin Dyer, which is helpful says Brian Grest, who helped organize the camp.
“There’s things that he knows that probably a high school coach doesn’t so there’s a few things that he can probably give to the kids that maybe some of us high school coaches aren’t able to.”
Grest says it was also nice to see some of the things Dyer was teaching the players because it can help him with his own coaching style.
“We’re always adding more to our toolbox,” he said.
It was also important to give the players a fresh voice to listen to says Grest.
“Sometimes you get locked in to the same coach and the same message and when someone from the outside comes in it just changes it up a bit, gives them something fresh to look at, new ideas to think about, lots of times it simply reaffirms that everything they’ve learned to this point is valid and good.”
The players learned a number of basic skills and with the older players they went into more detailed skill sets including the two ways to perform a jump float serve.
Grest said it was important to get the students an early start on their volleyball seasons because it will give them a confidence boost once their season gets underway.
“They’ve been able to work with a post-secondary level coach and be able to do some of the things that he’s been showing them and gives them the confidence to go onto the court and feel very comfortable with some of the advanced skills that they’ve learned.”
Overall Grest was pleased with how the camp went, saying that the players seemed to be extremely engaged.
“I don’t think anyone was disappointed with the experience that they got, lots of enthusiasm, lots of smiles.”
