Spring football camp wraps up first week

The Muskie football team has just completed the first week of its two-week spring camp.
More than 30 eager and energetic players showed up for a week of getting into shape and learning the basics.
A majority of the players who came out last week were students presently in Grade 8 or 9, plus a few senior players from Grades 10 and 11.
Most of the other seniors had job commitments or were busy completing assignments for school.
There were so many players who will be in Grade 9 next year that Muskie head coach Vince Gouin is hoping they will be able to have a separate ‘B’ team this upcoming season.
That will depend, of course, on whether or not a coach or two can be found to work with these eager, young players.
The most positive aspect about this year’s spring camp was the attitude of everyone who attended. All the players, whether experienced or not, put their best effort into every drill.
There were no complaints about running laps or repeating the drills—not even in the pouring rain. In fact, all of the players seemed eager to get into a scrimmage.
“The guys are really excited about the camp. They love football and can’t wait to get going!” said one parent who arrived with several players.
During the first week of spring camp, the coaches went over the basics, such as proper stance, offensive and defensive positioning, punt return, and some player-specific skills.
The second week of camp, during which the players will be in full equipment, will take place from June 2-6.
Churchill High School from Thunder Bay has volunteered to travel to Fort Frances on June 7 to take part in a scrimmage against the Muskie team.
Gouin is pleased with the first week of camp—and extremely excited about the prospects for this year’s team.
“There’s some really good talent on this team,” he enthused. “We have a lot of exceptional players, guys that are pure athletes.”
Besides the new players in Grade 9, a number of other players joined the team last week. A couple of them are seniors, but Gouin is very confident they will add a great deal of strength and speed to the team.
If you are a former Muskie football player, or you’ve played football somewhere else, then the team needs you—and deserves your support.
Please consider donating your time and experience to these players. Help them learn how to enjoy the game, to learn the fundamentals of the game, and, in the process, become better people.