(Photo courtesy of mhsaa.com)
Doubles. Hell week. Part of the journey. Two-a-day sessions. It’s high school football, it’s supposed to be tough.
What was once a right of passage, separating the strong from the weak and distinguishing the studs from mere mortals, the end of two-a-day practice sessions is coming to your hometown.
Coaches and players have long been creatures of habit, especially in football. Circling the date on the calendar of the first practice, working through the summer in anticipation of reaching that date. And then, for the players at least, marking the days off one by one until they reach the final doubles session. Hallelujah! Continue reading
Fordson HS will once again move its practices in observance of Ramadan. (Photo courtesy of Fabrizio Constantini/NY Times)
Today is the start of the Islamic holy period of Ramadan. In about two weeks, high school sports will be in full swing. Across the nation, heat and humidity indices will reach 100 degrees.
How do these two events co-exist?
They don’t. Period.
Ramadan is marked by fasting from sunrise to sunset, reflection and prayer for 30 consecutive days. Fasting includes all food and fluids. When Ramadan first crept into the high school football season several years ago (each year the holy period begins earlier in the calendar), some teams with players observing their religious practices were placed at significant risk for problems, especially heat related illnesses, and performance issues.
Besides, how many high school aged athletes are willing to get up before dawn in order to eat a meal? Not very many.
In previous posts, we have discussed the impact of Ramadan and athletic performance.
Once again this year, Dearborn Fordson will move their football practices to the overnight period – a very smart move – to allow their athletes a fair shot at observing their religious beliefs and to keep up their performance on the football field.
Summer time is usually a period of rest, recovery and recharge – for athletes and athletic trainers alike. This year it’s taking a bit longer to reach the restful part of the summer months but this past weekend was a step in the right direction on many fronts.
A call from a local high school coach, who shall remain nameless (coaches the Cardinals and played at Albion College), asking for an athletic trainer to help out at the Midwest Linemen Camp.
Albion is approximately 90 miles west of Detroit and home to Albion College.
As it turns out, the camp co-director was an old acquaintance from many years ago who has moved upward and onward to the ranks of the NFL and several former players from the same time period were on the camp staff too. They were a tight group back in the day and still are today – the bonds of friendship solidified by the countless hours spent in the film room, winter conditioning and practices. In those years gone by, life has taken its twists and turns for everyone, mostly for the good.
It is our belief that knowing ones coaches as well or better than the players can only result in better overall care for the players.
Although this was a weekend of “work”, the schedule did allow for a quick bike ride from Albion to Marshall and back.
Games are definitely won in the trenches.
The Chippewa connection (and a Spartan). From L to R: Paul Jacobson, Paul Alexander, Dave Basirico, Art Droski, Greg Sherwin, Jeff Kline and Kyle Cook.
Join Oakwood Sports Medicine at the 4th Annual Football Coaches Clinic which begins this evening. We have a great set of topics for those attending, including injury prevention, concussion updates, how to properly hydrate youth athletes and much more!
Grosse Ile squared off against Marine City in the Division 4 semi-final game (played at Birmingham Groves) for a spot in the finals at Ford Field. The Devils have worked their way through three other opponents in the playoffs this year after completing a very impressive two-loss regular season.
Football playoffs are different than other sports, mostly because there is so much time between the contests. Other sports may play only a few days later as they move through their tournament bracket. Not football. That week includes another Monday practice, another team meal, one more walk-through and another game day morning routine. The school and community have another week to anticipate the upcoming game, driving the collective spirit.
On Saturday, Grosse Ile face the undefeated Marine City Mariners. At this point in the season there are no easy games, no slouch opponents, no easy solutions. Grosse Ile is a very good football team. They ran into an opponent that was better than them on Saturday, losing 45-6.
So, Marine City moves on and Grosse Ile goes home as one of the top 4 teams in Division 4. It seems like ages ago (15 weeks to be sure) that the Devils were running drills in the heat of the summer sun. Going home is disappointing so it’s important to remember the many, many successes this team has enjoyed since early August.
Congratulations to the Grosse Ile community and school. You should be proud of the accomplishments of this athletic team.
Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football follows a predominately Arab-American high school football team from a working-class Detroit suburb as they practice for their big cross-town rivalary game during Ramadan, revealing a community holding onto its Islamic faith and the American Dream while struggling to gain acceptance in post 9/11 America.
Oakwood Sports Medicine has provided athletic medicine services to the Dearborn Schools since 1985 – many fine young men and women have crossed our path over that time span.
Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football opens in AMC Theaters Friday, September 9th.
Fordson 2008
Wow. The Fordson Tractors were defeated 38-0 by Lake Orion in the Division I semi-final game. Three interceptions by Lake Orion were converted into touchdowns; one on the first play of the game. The Dragons were very quick off the ball which is something Fordson has not seen often this season in the Mega Red. The Dragons were nearly flawless in executing their offense and although Fordson played okay defensively, they struggled when it was their turn on offense.
Losing the last game of the season happens to every team, except one. For a team that loses its first game of the season this late in the year, the loss is extremely difficult. What a team or individual does with the lessons learned from the loss is what matters most. Well done Tractors for an enjoyable season and thank you to Coach Zaban and his staff for leading these young men through life. It isn’t easy-win or lose.
Dave Kielwasser, ATC works to keep Fordson healthy.
Hustle!
Fordson talks it over against Lake Orion
Lake Orion took a late game timeout. Never did understand that one.
Marc Milia, MD and Dave Kielwasser, ATC 2008
Managing chronic orthopedic injuries during the season is often a routine of “don’t get worse” because there may come a point of diminishing returns and the athlete will have to sit out. These are tough times to deal with when an athlete is being told no-go. Endless ice baths, stretching, rehab, splint, wrap; the aresenal gets exhausted at this time of year. Football at any level is a game of attrition. The gap between the first and second team usually makes or breaks a team’s season or playoff duration. Sprinkle in some injuries to key personnel and a team can be exposed.
Win (Survive) and move on. At this point in the high school football playoffs with injuries, another week of practice and attention it is a survival game. That’s exactly what the Fordson Tractors did in front of their home crowd at Charles Jestice Field, defeating the Detroit Southeastern Jungleers 29-18. The Tractors now play in the semi-finals next Saturday 7pm against Lake Orion at Troy Athens HS. Fordson has more playoff points than Lake Orion and will be designated the home team, however, all semi-final games are played at a neutral site.
At halftime the game was at odds, but the Tractors came out and quickly picked off 3 straight passes returning each deep into Jungleer territory, scoring on two of those possessions. The defense provided the opportunities in the 2nd half and momentum was in their favor as the offense put together a decent drive to kill time and score once more to close out the win.
A bit rough since it came from a mobile device. Fordson Tractors 2008
