It’s not the gridiron, but it’s close enough.
Past, present and future members of the Edwin Parr Composite Pacers football team have been working out in the Rotary Fieldhouse at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex for the last month. The team’s coaching staff hosted a non-contact skills camp every Tuesday in February. The free camp invited young athletes in Grades 6-11 to come out and take part.
For veterans of the team, the workouts served as an opportunity to work off some of the winter rust, while for newcomers, it provided an opportunity to see if football is right for them.
This is the second year the coaching staff has run the winter camp, and head coach Pete Burden was happy with the results.
“It’s gone really well. We had some pretty good numbers,” he said. “We’ve had quite a few new boys come out.”
When it comes to EPC football, more is merrier. The coach wants to pack his team with as many players as possible, and hopes to add a bantam team to the program one day.
At the workouts in February, the coaches had the chance to cover the basics with the newcomers while delving into some of the intricacies of the game with the veterans. These valuable learning opportunities don’t always present themselves during the busier spring camp and the regular season.
With a bigger turnout to this year’s winter camp than last years, Burden and the rest of the coaching staff are hopeful that 2011 will be a big year for EPC’s gridiron gang.
