This was an exciting day for the Dragons and the entire Tiffin community. For the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, Tiffin hosted Slippery Rock University from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. This game is the first time in nearly 30 years that Tiffin football has hosted a postseason playoff game and the first time ever in its Division II history. Despite this being such a big game, it was a fairly regular home game, in terms of duties for myself. We got the tents up over the benches, the headsets divided and set out, and all the other miscellaneous items that we have on the sidelines during game time. From there, I hung around to check in all of the non-dress players, who were all required to be there, and ensuring that everyone that needed a white jersey had one. During the game, I film the game from right outside the press box, and at half time, change the batteries in all the coaches’ headsets on the sidelines. After the game, I help clean up the sidelines and the locker room and load up the box truck to be able to bring the equipment back up to the Paradiso Athletic Complex.
This was a hard and sad ending to a record setting season for the Tiffin Dragons. Unfortunately, the game did not go as planned and the Dragons lost to Slippery Rock. With this being my last game as a Tiffin Dragon, the last time a few of my closest friends will play, and probably the last game with the entire current coaching staff, many tears were cried at the end. It was not the way we wanted to go out, and in our hearts, we knew we could’ve won that game. I was fortunate to have a great season working with the team, filled with experiences that I will take onto my future career. I am also grateful for the relationship that I have built with Fred, and hope to maintain in the future.
0 Comments
I spent another day in the office with Fred and the rest of the coaching staff. Like normal, the day starts off with a meeting with the entire staff. This past weekend, Slippery Rock and East Stroudsburg played, with Slippery Rock coming out on top, which means that this week of practice is solely focused on game preparation for them. The focus of this meeting was ensuring that the entire team is mentally and physically ready. Coach Reisert asked Coach Sam, the strength coach, about the health and strength of the boys after the bye week. He also checked in with each coach of each position group seeing about who is healthy and feeling good after the week off, and who is still on the injury report. From there, the entire staff watched various film clips from Slippery Rock’s game on Saturday, looking at their key players and any plays that Tiffin should be ready for. Also, during the day, I helped Fred create and print out the practice schedule and the call sheets, along with drawing up the scout cards for practice. I also sat in on the offensive staff meeting, which we watched film clips from the Slippery Rock game and game planned for Saturday’s game.
Although it may seem boring to some, I do enjoy days spent in the office. I have previous experience on the hands on, physical side of things of working for a football team, but I have never had the office experience. Being able to sit in these meetings, watch film, and help with other office duties gives me more experience, which will greatly benefit me into my future career. On Sunday night, the team had a watch party for the NCAA Division II Regional bracket reveal. Tiffin found out that they are number one in Super Region 1, which means that the team has a first round bye and will have home games throughout the regional portions of playoffs. The team also discovered that they will be playing the winner of the Slippery Rock and East Stroudsburg game this weekend. With knowing that the team has a bye week, the coaches priority is for the players to get fully healthy. Therefore, the coaches discussed Monday morning a slightly different practice schedule. They gave the players Monday completely off, with Tuesday through Thursday having the normal lifts, meetings, and practice. Friday, the varsity players have a morning lift and run, with everyone having Saturday off. The schedule pretty much goes back to normal on Sunday, with the game week starting. Additionally, the coaches discussed the strengths and weaknesses of both teams that Tiffin could potentially face and watched some film clips of various special and trick plays that the offense and defense have to be prepared for.
After being in game weeks for the past eleven weeks, it was interesting to see how coaches and a team handles a bye week. Even with the focus of the week is for the players to get healthy, the coaches still want the players’ technique, skills, and strength to still stay sharp throughout the week. This is why there are still going to be lifts and practice, but not to the extent that a game week entails. The last game of the season is always the biggest game of them all for the Tiffin Dragons. Tiffin always plays the Findlay Oilers, which is their biggest rivals that have dated back many years. Previously to 2019 and the Cris Reisert era, the Oilers always came out on top against the Dragons. But, in 2019 and 2020, Tiffin won the game and won the GMAC. The past two seasons the Dragons unfortunately lost both contests late in the game, making this season even more important for the coaching staff and the players. For this away game, we took the box truck over to Findlay, with the equipment and the players’ gear bags. We got the locker room set up with the gear bags, snacks, and speakers, along with the benches and equipment set up on the sidelines. During warmups, I helped Fred and Ethan spot out the offensive and defensive players that were active on the depth chart, seeing which players will not be playing in the game. During the game, I handled the headsets, assisted with water, along with any equipment issues. After the game, I was in charge of going to pick up the post-game meal for the players and staff.
Going into this game, Tiffin was undefeated on the season and with a win, they would win the GMAC conference outright. Honestly, the environment of this game was so special. All the players and coaches were dialed in for pre-game, and the energy that the players and the sidelines brought throughout the game was so special. It was also a once in a life time moment to be able to celebrate that win and a GMAC championship out on the field with the team. Being able to see all the work and time that these coaches and players have invested throughout the season pay off was such a special experience, making me fall in love with working in sports even more. For Week 10 and the second to last game of the regular season, the Tiffin Dragons traveled down to Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. This was an exciting trip because it is Coach Reisert’s alma mater and had the potential of being a competitive game. For this trip, the team traveled Friday evening and stayed overnight, but due to personal reasons, I drove down Saturday morning and met them at the stadium. I first helped the coaches get all the individuals that were there tailgating in support of the Dragons to come over and form a tunnel to do a small Dragon Walk. From there, I helped unload the buses and bring the equipment over to the field. We then got the sidelines set up and the equipment out for each position group, then waited until closer to game time to get the headsets set out. During the game, I helped the trainers with water, along with handling some helmet and headset issues. I also had to go get one of our game balls from an ODU fan standing by the fence. After the game, we cleaned up the equipment and the sidelines, loaded up the buses, and we were on our way back to Tiffin.
Throughout my mentorship, my communication and interactions with Fred have been wonderful. Fred constantly checks in throughout my week to ensure that I am on track with everything. Additionally, after games, we discuss how everything went on the sidelines, along with how the overall game went. I value the time I have been able to spend and the information and experience that I have gained from being able to work with Fred. For the final JV game of the season, we traveled across the town of Tiffin to Heidelberg University. I arrived when Fred and the other Graduate Assistants arrived at their stadium, about two hours before game time. I helped unload and walk the miscellaneous items that we needed from the truck onto the sidelines and into the locker room. Once the players arrived and began warming up on the field, I walked around with Fred hyping the boys up and instructing them through their warmups. During the game, I assisted the GAs with getting the offense and defensive players on and off the field, when necessary, along with handling the headsets. After the game, I helped clean up our sidelines, load up the box truck, then unload the equipment at the Paradiso Athletic Complex.
Even though it is difficult to have to work two games in a row, with the varsity games Saturday and the JV games Sundays, I love being out there for JV games. These games do not draw a huge crowd, but the energy on the field and on the sidelines is something special. These boys are so excited for an opportunity to play, with most of them being freshman this year. It also allows the varsity players to come out and cheer these boys on, making it even more energized and exciting. These games show me the camaraderie that a sports team should have among all their players, not just the starters or their older players. Understanding and experiencing this can help me into my future with me fostering the same type of love, support, and positivity among players and teams I may work for. For the last game in October, the Tiffin Dragons took on the Walsh Cavaliers at Frost-Kalnow Stadium. This was the first time in many years that Tiffin had played a home game against Walsh, with the Dragons normally traveling to North Canton, Ohio. This home game was like every home other game, with my duties and responsibilities being similar to the previous home games. We got the tents up over the benches, the headsets divided and set out, and all the other miscellaneous items that we have on the sidelines during game time. From there, I sat at a table to check in the ten to fifteen recruits that were attending on an unofficial visit. During the game, I film the game from right outside the press box, and at half time, change the batteries in all the coaches’ headsets on the sidelines. After the game, I help clean up the sidelines and load up the box truck to be able to bring the equipment back up to the Paradiso Athletic Complex.
With this game being the final home game of the season, it was bittersweet for myself. This will be my last home game working for the team, so it was almost like my senior day. But the environment of the game and in the stands was electric, and it helps that the Dragons pulled off another win. It has definitely made it more fun doing my mentorship this fall with the team being undefeated and the moral staying high. There is a high possibility that the team will win the GMAC conference and make the playoffs, which is very exciting. For the second JV game of the season, the Tiffin Dragons hosted HH Prep Academy at the Paradiso Athletic Complex. This game was very similar to the last JV game, with the Graduate Assistants (GAs), including Fred, coaching the players for the game. These types of games help the younger players get game experience, along with the GAs gaining coaching experience. I arrived early and helped set up the field, including the yard markers, pylons, and chains, along with a table for one of the coaches to be able to operate the new scoreboard. During the first half of the game, I was learning and helping operate the scoreboard. For the second half, I helped with the chains and anything else that Fred or the other GAs needed.
I definitely believe that these games always go very smoothly, with little pressure riding on them. It is more for fun and experience, which makes it less stressful and more enjoyable. The last JV game the full time coaching had to referee, as for this game, we were able to get real officials. Therefore, it is also exciting to see the GAs step up and the full-time coaching staff just sit back and relax and enjoy watching the younger guys play. I also love the excitement and environment that the varsity players bring to the game for support and encouragement. The one thing that I learned from this day was how to operate the scoreboard. I never realized how much focus and skill that operating a scoreboard takes during a football game. It was homecoming weekend at Tiffin University, with there being various activities and events being hosted throughout the weekend. The football team invited over 50 recruits for the pre-game activities, to be on the sidelines during warmups, and to cheer on the Dragons from the stands during the game. Prior to heading down to Frost-Kalnow Stadium, I had to report to the Heminger Center to check in the recruits and give them their passes. Once checked in, they were to go into a meeting with the coaching staff for a warm welcome and an overview of the day. From there, I traveled down to the stadium to get all the necessary things set up. But, the day took a stressful turn when one of the starting players could not locate his gear bag. Therefore, I had to go up to the Paradiso Complex to retrieve his bag, along with some tarps. Once back down at the stadium, I helped set up the tents, tarps, and other sideline necessities. I also mingled with the recruits prior to the game to keep them engaged and interested in Tiffin football. During the game, I filmed from right outside the press box, and after the game, I helped clean up the sidelines and pack up the box truck.
I definitely enjoy helping out with the recruits and I feel like my knowledge can be beneficial for them. Not only do I know somewhat about the football program, but I have also gone to Tiffin for four years now, giving the recruits knowledge of campus life. I also believe that seeing the different aspects of recruiting, including having them come for game days and campus tours, will be beneficial to my future career. I was asked by the coaching staff to assist Fred and the other Graduate Assistants to make name tags for the recruits attending the game the following day. This weekend is the Green and Gold Homecoming weekend for Tiffin University; therefore, there are a lot of games and various activities going on. The football team invites a large group of recruits to homecoming every year, with this year being no different. This gets these potential student-athletes on campus during a busy weekend to see the students come out and support each other. It also allows these recruits to see the excitement and environment of a football game here at Tiffin. Similarly, to last time, Fred already had the tag design laid out, but I had to go through and edit each name tag to say the correct name on the computer. From there, I printed out all these pages in colors, then cut the name tags out individually, which is a tedious process and lengthy process. We then laminated the tags, which is pretty easy due to the football team having a portable laminator. Once the tags are laminated, they have to be cut out again and have a hole punched in the top. Each tag is then placed on a lanyard for the recruits to be able to wear when they arrive.
I would definitely try to improve this process in the future. To make the day-before preparations easier, we could have the names all typed out and the tags printed out by the middle of the week. From there, it would be less time consuming on the Friday before the game, only leaving the cutting out and laminating. But, Fred did express that it is difficult to make the tags in advanced, with some of the recruits only confirming they are coming Friday morning. |