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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Coaching Rewards

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The NFL High School Player Development program presented by the National Guard lets coaches give back to the game and reap special coaching rewards.


For high school football coaches, the rewards of coaching can take many forms. There are celebrations after big wins, championship trophies, accolades from peers.

But most coaches realize that the biggest and best rewards of coaching football are those that come from helping young athletes succeed – not just on the field but also in their lives.

That’s certainly the case with the coaches that serve as site managers for the football instruction and character development camps conducted each year by the NFL High School Player Development program.

The nearly 200 five-day camps, which are targeted to underserved communities across America and free to all participants, are managed by coaches from the local areas where the camps are held.

These coaches share their football expertise and also work with the National Guard to teach athletes about the importance of character and individual responsibility in the classroom, in the community, and at home. Coaching at the HSPD camps, they have found, is a rewarding extension of their roles as high school coaches.

In this, Part II of a two-part feature, we hear from three more site managers about their experiences working with athletes at HSPD camps. They are:

•  Kent VanOverschelde, Head Coach at Mitchell High School in Mitchell, South Dakota, whose HSPD camp in June at Dakota Wesleyan University had 335 participants. It was the second year that he and Sergeant First Class Jared Richter of the South Dakota National Guard have managed a camp.

•  Former NFL Player Charles Lockett, who managed the HSPD camp in Pomona, California and also coached the Pomona 7-on-7 team to a berth in the HSPD National Tournament..

•  Trever Case, Head Coach at West High School in Sioux City, Iowa who had over 260 athletes attend his second annual HSPD camp in June.



Kent VanOverschelde, Head Coach at Mitchell High School in Mitchell, South Dakota, whose HSPD camp in June at Dakota Wesleyan University had 335 participants. It was the second year that he and Sergeant First Class Jared Richter of the South Dakota National Guard have managed a camp.
Former NFL Player Charles Lockett, who managed the HSPD camp in Pomona, California and also coached the Pomona 7-on-7 team to a berth in the HSPD National Tournament.
Trever Case, Head Coach at West High School in Sioux City, Iowa who had over 260 athletes attend his second annual HSPD camp in June.
 

What was the profile of the athletes who took part in your HSPD camp?
 

VanOverschelde: Most of the 335 athletes who participated in our camp were from small towns and rural areas within 120 miles of our site in Mitchell, South Dakota.

 

Lockett: The NFL and National Guard’s multi-day instructional football camp is targeted to underserved communities. Players not only learn NFL techniques, but character development and academic achievement are also emphasized.

 
Case:  The athletes who attended our camp were all incoming 9th-12th grade football players from Northwest Iowa or Northeast Nebraska High Schools. The group of schools included at the camp ranged from small rural schools with approximately 200 kids to large city schools with 1,300 or more students. All socioeconomic backgrounds were represented at the camp.

 

What did the HSPD experience, both from a football and a character development aspect, mean to the athletes who participated?

 

VanOverschelde:  The camp provided a well-rounded experience centered around the fundamentals of football and character development while building team concepts through the 7-on-7 competition at the camp.
 

Lockett: After the camp ended, many of the participants expressed how much fun they had and asked to do it again next year. Many of them said that they enjoyed the character development sessions as much as the football instruction.
 

Case: The players started each day with leadership training from the National Guard. Topics included time management, social media, financial literacy, academic integrity, stress management, and nutrition. In addition, every player spent a minimum of one hour on technique from an offensive position and defensive position each day of the camp. Each team also got a chance to participate in the 7-on-7 tournament.

 
What does the HSPD experience mean to you?


VanOverschelde: The HSPD program provides an opportunity to utilize the resources of many groups in development of high school athletes. The South Dakota National Guard and their recruiting staff provide many services including visiting the schools, providing information about the camp, picking up forms, and basically supporting the camp from start to finish. The most significant part for me is the cooperation and relationship built by the multiple tasks needed to assure the camp is successful. SFC Richter and I have completed two camps over the last two years. Each year, we find new ways to stretch the possibilities of our relationship and utilize the valuable tools provided by NFL HSPD.

 

Sergeant Jared Richter, South Dakota National Guard: The HSPD football camp has been a valuable tool in helping the South Dakota Army National Guard build relationships with high school students and coaches as well as area college football programs. It provides an avenue to talk to high school students about the core values of the National Guard. Coach VanOverschelde, who manages 350 players, 40 coaches and 30 Guard volunteers, has made this camp a reality by planning, organizing, and executing the camp.

 
Lockett: As a former NFL player, I am humbled to serve as a site manager for the HSPD program because it allows me to give back to my community and mentor these deserving young athletes. We saw communities come together and friendships develop that could last a lifetime. Seeing that was an unbelievable feeling. I look forward to returning next year and to expanding the program to impact more underserved youths so we can develop more individuals that will succeed it the community.

 
Case: The HSPD camp has given area football players a great opportunity to develop leadership skills as well as sharpen their football skills. This is a free camp and it provides opportunities for coaches to bring players of all skill level with no cost. The camp has provided a great opportunity to develop team bonding and kick off the summer football training season. The 7-on-7 tournament portion of the camp provided added opportunities as each team plays four 7-on-7 games with the top two teams moving on to the regional 7-on-7 tournament held in Kansas City at the Chiefs’ practice facility. 

 
If you’re looking for a rewarding coaching experience that will let you give back to the game and help deserving young athletes in your area succeed on and off the field, consider becoming part of the NFL’s High School Player Development program presented by the National Guard.

GET INVOLVED Getting involved in the NFL HSPD program lets you give back to the game, gives your players a chance to compete in the

National 7-on-7 Tournament, and provides young athletes with a great opportunity to become better football players and better individuals. 


Visit www.NFLHSPD.com and enter the promo code AFM913.







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