Sebastian's Scribes #3 - Winning the Mental Battle
It was another long tough day of power practice for the Varsity Blues today but things are coming together very nicely. The third day of practice is a major hump day and it forces a lot of guys on the field to make a decision about how bad they really want to play for this squad.
With a very full schedule approaching in the next couple weeks, our team can’t afford to take single plays, let alone practices off. How much we put in the next couple of mornings will have a direct correlation on how our season plays out, especially with how quick our first regular season game is approaching. It is not about being sore or tired; it’s about being mentally tough, coming together as a unit and grinding through the rest of training camp. As coach told us today, yes we may be a little banged up and tired but so is every other team in the country that practices at 7:30am. If we want to succeed this season we have to win the mental battle over the next couple of days.
When players feel like mentally shutting down they need to be able to look to the leaders on this team, the Blues have an extremely strong core group of leaders they can look to that will continue to go 100% no matter how they feel physically.
As a receiver, going up against veterans like Willie Sharpe will most definitely ensure that you bring your A-game and will push you to your limits. That leadership and skill is commonly found at only a couple positions on the field - with the team we have this year it’s found at every position and in most cases in depth as well.
The offensive and defensive line continues to battle it out in the trenches or in the ‘office’ as they like to call it. Joe Cappiello and Mark Evans continue to keep things ‘hot’ or bring the mayonnaise every play and keep our offence on point. Linebackers like Wilk DeSouza keep our running backs on their toes as he continues to lay the hit stick and control the middle of the field for our defence. Although the battles between O and D can sometimes get a little heated, it’s best for both respective sides of the ball.
In order for our team to reach its max potential, we need to push each other in camp every day. We have three days left of camp and it’s only going to get more challenging physically and mentally. The goal of this season is to peak or hit stride at the right time. There’s been a lot of good signs thus far in camp but a lot more will be determined this weekend against McGill. Even though it’s an exhibition game it will let our players and coaches find out about where we’re at as a team, in order for us to get our regular season started on the right track, it needs to begin this week in camp and carry into our first pre-season game.
On a completely separate note; big up to all the receivers, O line, QBs, and offensive players....fly high!
