Spring camp slated for Muskie football

The month of May not only brings flowers.
Aspiring Fort Frances High School football players can say hello to spring camp and the planning stages for mapping out the 2001 Muskie gridiron season.
The annual Muskie football spring camp for the senior and junior varsity teams is set for May 14-17 and May 22-24. Head coach Bob Swing said it is a chance for the coaching staff to assess new and returning talent before official practices and try-outs begin in mid-August.
“We need to identify where they’re at. We don’t have a lot of time in August when our season comes. We want to see (what positions) we can put the kids,” he noted.
The nucleus of the team will remain intact, losing only five starters. This will make it harder for new talent to crack the 55-man roster.
In his five previous years as head coach, Swing has seen upwards of 80 to 90 students attend these camps–ranging from grade eight students to veterans. Students who have been cut in the past are encouraged to come out again.
“You want to see the kind of stuff they have with the students coming into high school,” said Swing. “And how they’ve improved.”
This year should not be any different. Names and positions will be taken but nothing in the form of cut-offs will occur until the late-summer try-outs. Swing said these non-contact sessions give the coaching staff a chance before exams to emphasize the seriousness of academics in football.
“The only casualties are ones of academics. This is their last warning to get your act together or else won’t be playing,” said Swing, whose players need a 70 per cent average to don the black and gold.
Last November, the Muskies lost in the NorWOSSA final, a 20-18 heartbreaker to the Kenora Broncos. Swing said their failure to defend their title makes every session the team has together very important.
“We’ll be playing in a new league and going in as a top three or four team in Manitoba. There’s lot of pressure.”
The practices run from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on the above dates. Students are to wear proper footwear and clothing. There is no charge to participate.