2nd Annual Eskimo Coaches Clinic will take place March 31
January 23, 2012
ESKS.com
By Rose Mary Phillip
The Eskimo coaches have a zillion things to do to prepare for the season and Head Coach Kavis Reed just gave them one more: Coach the coaches.
On March 24, 120 minor, junior and high school football coaches will swarm Commonwealth Stadium for the second annual, invitational Coaches Clinic. The full-day seminar is the brain-child of Reed who says it’s “an opportunity for the Edmonton Eskimo Football Club to give back to minor football.”
The team coaches and athletic therapists will share their knowledge in the classroom and on the field. Pardon the pun but they are “tackling” it all: preparation, drills, schemes, technique, position alignments, assessments and fundamental principles and concepts.
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| Coach Nelson teaches in the classroom at last year’s Coaches Clinic. |
Brian Buchynksi, Head Coach for the Ross Shepherd High School Thunderbirds Senior Football Team, attended the inaugural clinic last year. He says, “Edmonton and area coaches gained valuable insight in all aspects of coaching football as well as seasonal planning.
“The Eskimo coaching staff shared their expertise, ran on-field sessions to emphasize technique using players from around the Edmonton area, and were very open to discussion items brought forward by coaches.”
The clinic helps coaches prepare our future CFL play makers; Guys like Edmonton’s own Corbin Sharun. The linebacker groomed his skills with the Edmonton Wildcats before he was drafted by the Eskimos in 2010. Last year, the minor football product was second in the league with 25 special teams tackles, tying the team single-season record.
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| Coach Prinsen teaches on-field drills in the field house. |
“We have good kids here. We all need to do a better job coaching them because we need more players,” said Eskimo Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker Coach Mark Nelson at last year’s clinic. “There are too many good, young Canadians that could be great football players. It’s our job as coaches to nurture them to make them better football players.”
Coaching was once famously described as “a nervous breakdown with a pay cheque.” Sometimes there isn’t even a pay cheque (though the rewards are many). “This endeavour is to help the men and women who volunteer their time to help our youth enjoy the great game of football,” says Reed. “We are committed to the advancement of minor football in our community.”
The Eskimo Coaches Clinic is just one part of that commitment.
Throughout regular season, players attend practices at the atom, peewee and bantam levels and host specialized clinics. The most visible contribution is the money raised through 50/50 draws at Commonwealth Stadium on game day. In 2011, the Edmonton Wildcats and Edmonton Huskies received over $200,000 from the draws to help fund their operations.
“I am so impressed with how the Eskimo organization values amateur football,” says Buchnyski.
Watch highlights of the 2011 Coaches Clinic