The Westlock T-Birds football team is hoping next year more Barrhead players will join their ranks.
The T-Birds football program, which is based out of R.F. Staples in Westlock, was started 10-years ago by Jon Kramer, who is now head coach of the team, along with a number of volunteers, in an effort to bring Canadian style football to the area.
“It started out kind of a joint effort between our two communities, Westlock and Barrhead, because on our own we really didn’t have enough players to create a program.”Kramer said.
Over the years the number of players from each school has varied from year to year, with the bulk of the T-Birds roster being made up of Westlock players.
As a general rule, Kramer said the team usually has somewhere in the neighbourhood of a dozen players from Barrhead, but this season for some reason the numbers are lower.
“This is the lowest number of Barrhead players we have had for a number of years. I believe this year we had less than a handful of players,” Kramer said.
The Barrhead members included: Bailey Behan, a Grade 12 linebacker, offensive lineman Adam Stoik who is in Grade 11, Grade 12 running back/defensive back Thomas Dittmer, Grade 10 offensive and defensive lineman, Bethany Boyson and Jacob Kiselyk a Grade 12 jack of all trades type of player.
Kramer said as a coach it has been rewarding to watch the students from the two area schools learn how to work together.
“Teenagers from Barrhead and Westlock are always competing in sports. That’s what they’ve grown up doing,” he said. “So it’s kind of neat watching how the two towns have to come together and work side by side in an intense contact sport like football.”
Although Kramer and the rest of the T-Birds coaches love having Barrhead and Westlock players on one roster, he hopes the two communities will have enough players to have separate football programs.
“Football is a great sport especially for young people. It promotes teamwork, discipline and respect, so as coaches we are always looking for ways to grow and promote the game,” he said, adding that’s another reason why the coaching staff would like to see a team in Barrhead. “Until then it is a real benefit for us to be able to draw some really great athletes and people from Barrhead for our team.”
Although the football season is officially over and it will not start up again until late August, he said prospective football players don’t have to wait that long.
“In January we will start holding weight and conditioning sessions periodically for our players and in May our spring camp begins,” he said.
The T-Birds’ spring camp is specifically designed to teach players new to the sport and to give them an opportunity to see if football is for them.
“We take everyone, even our veterans, and bring them back to square one and teach them safe contact, football lingo and terminology and what our team is all about,” he said, adding the camp is a month long and meets three days a week.
Kramer added that the T-Birds executive has tried hard to keep the cost of the camp affordable for all players. “We charge only $50 for the camp and basically that just covers the cost of the Football Alberta insurance fees, so it is the perfect time for prospective players to experience what football is like.”
He also said in addition to players, the T-Birds are always looking for volunteers and especially coaches.
“It would be great to have some representatives from Barrhead on our coaching staff,” he said, adding anyone interested in coaching don’t need to have any prior football experience. “All they really need to have is an interest to help kids. Before becoming involved with the T-Birds I was just a football fan and had no prior playing or coaching experience.”
