The atom Miners football team is preparing to jump into the 2013 season with a group of players excited to make their first foray into the football world as well as players ready to take the next step after their first year.
Wanda Harron has taken over the reins of the atom team, after following her son through the minor football ranks. She last coached atom in 2008, but with her son moving onto the Estevan Comprehensive School and the Elecs football team, she has made the move back to the youngest level in Estevan Minor Football.
"I am so excited about this year. We have such a good group of kids," said Harron. "I haven't coached at the atom level since 2008, so I was a little wary of what I was going to expect. We've got kids on this team who are really good listeners, really good team players. The hustle has been incredible."
She said the atom team is made up of players who really want to play and are willing to fill in all positions in order to get on the field.
"We have kids who are wanting to play O-line, wanting to be team players, so I am so pumped for this year," said Harron. "What I see this team being, I see this being a very strong defensive team. Offensively, I see us being a strong running team."
The Miners squad is sitting at a little over 40 players, so Harron is very happy with turnout, with camp beginning last week at the Woodlawn field.
The first night was used to evaluate all the young players. The coaches ran stations to identify the strongest players in each skill: catching, speed, blocking and tackling.
The players went over elementary tackling drills last week at the second practice. By the end of the night the players were tackling at full speed.
At the end of the week, players were divided into offensive and defensive positions and began running plays.
"The best part is just seeing how much fun the kids are having, the smiling faces when they did that first tackle and got somebody down," said Harron.
The head coach wants to win some games this year, but said she is placing a lot of importance on weekly improvement, especially with so many players who haven't played a game yet.
"(I want) to just see constant improvement. Of course we want to win, but to me, the most important thing is having fun and learning. We need to start winning some games too. We've been at the bottom of Regina Minor Football," added Harron. "I really can see this team turning a corner this year."
Harron may be the head coach in title, but she is happy to have a full staff of coaches to help run the team. As a group, she is hoping they can move the team forward.
As a long-time member of Estevan Minor Football, Harron is also looking forward to playing once again at the Woodlawn Regional Park field, which was washed out with flooding in 2011.
"I am so excited to be back down at Woodlawn. It's going to be great, having that football day in Estevan," said Harron about the first home game of the year on Aug. 24.
She doesn't want to look ahead to the home opener just yet. The Miners begin the season Aug. 18 in Regina.
