While lots of students are at the swimming pool, or on vacation, several Enid High Athletic teams ventured out of state to attend team camps to get better, bond, and have some fun.
Football
Coach Cameron Conder took the Enid High Football Team to Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas in June. “We took about 70 guys up there to a college camp, which they were really excited about. We thought it would be good to get them away from the local camps and see some other teams we don’t usually see (and keep some teams from seeing us),” said Conder. “Also, we thought an overnight camp would be cool so the team could get a little taste of university life, staying in the dorms and eating in the cafeteria. Some of our kids are getting recruited by Emporia too, so it was good to get them in front of their coaches so they could see a little bit more of them. It was a great experience. We haven’t been on a team camp like this in several years, so we really appreciate the booster club making it happen for us.”
Volleyball
For first year head coach Valerie Francisco, getting the kids to camp was not only about improvement in the varsity team, but the program overall. “This is the first year we have been able to take the whole team, including the freshmen and JV, and 29 girls attended,” said Francisco. “We are really trying to build the program, and it was really cool to see the team bonding that happened, especially between the seniors and the younger kids.”
The camp they attended was at Wichita State University and had about 30 other teams participate. The team stayed two nights in a nearby hotel and was paid for by fundraising the team did. “The camp really wore the girls out. In the morning, we watched drills set up by the college coaches and teams, and then we went off to practice them on our own. The coaches would come by and offer tips and make sure we were doing them correctly, then we scrimmaged in the afternoon. We split up into 3 teams for the scrimmages, and each team got about 12 matches over the three days. It was also cool that some college coaches got to see the girls compete, which has led at least one college (Friends University) to attend our scrimmages. It was an awesome experience and got me really excited for the season since we got to see our new offense in action. We have the ability to be really good!” said Fransisco.
Cross Country
Cross Country Coach Justin DeClerck’s desire to take the team to camp was born out of getting to go to camp as an individual when he ran in high school. “I got to go to camps when I was in high school, but not as a team. I really wanted to give the kids the opportunity to do it during high school as a team.” Seventeen from the boy’s team and one from the girl’s team were able to go to University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas. DeClerck was not named the girls coach until the school year ended so did not have as much time to encourage and recruit girls to the camp this year. “If I had six months to plan like I did for the boys, we would have had a lot more girls go,” says DeClerck, “but we still wanted to give them the opportunity.”
The four-day camp consisted of running, of course, but also a lot of classroom time that focused on different topics such as nutrition, training, recruiting, biomechanics of running, and how many opportunities are out there, not just D-1.
“By getting away, having fun, and team building, we accomplished all that I wanted to and am really glad we went,” said DeClerck.
Hello friends! This month, I’m going deep into my recipe vault, to back when I was just starting to get creative with box mixed cake and brownies. Adding ingredients to change things up from the same old same old and adding a new twist! The two recipes this month require a box cake mix and a brownie box mix. They were always a family favorite – quick, easy, and delicious! Both of these recipes are made in a muffin tin, to make things even easier! Now serving, Black Forest Stuffed Cupcakes and Surprise Brownies!
Black Forest Stuffed Cupcakes (24) 18.5 oz pkg chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients to make) 8 oz pkg softened cream cheese 20 oz can cherry pie filling, divided 1 egg 1 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip or Reddi Whip 24 cupcake paper liners
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cake mix as directed on box, set aside. In a separate bowl, mix softened cream cheese, sugar, and egg until well blended, set aside. Remove 3/4 cup of the pie filling and set aside for garnish. Spoon 2 tbsp cake batter into each 24 paper lined muffin cups. Layer 1 tbsp cream cheese mixture on top of the cake batter and add 1 tsp cherry topping. Cover each muffin cup with remaining cake batter. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Top each cupcake with a spoonful of Cool Whip or Reddi Whip and a tsp of the remaining pie filling just before serving.
Surprise Brownies (12) 20 oz pkg fudge brownie mix (with ingredients to prepare) Cooking spray Reddi Whip 12 Nilla wafer cookies 12 unwrapped Kraft caramels
Preheat oven to 350, and prepare brownie mix as directed and set aside. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray. Place 1 Nilla wafer at the bottom of each muffin cup. Spoon 3 tbsp brownie mix over each wafer. Place 1 caramel in the center of each brownie, topping with a small spoonful of batter. Bake brownies 22 minutes, cool for about 10, and then remove from tin and serve warm, topped with whipped cream. If serving cool, heat for 5 seconds in the microwave. Top with whipped cream.
Hey Y’all!! And welcome back to part 2 (of 3) of my YOUTH LGE Summer Camp series!!
I hope you enjoyed Part 1, and if I haven’t convinced you to encourage you or your teen to apply for YLGE yet, then I hope after reading this, you will! Let’s get started!
Day 2 started with grubbing on an amazing breakfast at Barnstormers at Woodring Airport. One of my favorite things about camp was the amazing meals we received for all 3 meals of the day. We had a special guest speaker talk to us over breakfast about financial literacy. We learned about the specifics of credit & debit cards, bank accounts, budgeting, and lots more. Now I know that might sound boring, but it was genuinely so educational, and I came out of it knowing so much more about finances than I would probably ever learn in school.
After breakfast, the airport owner talked to us about how he got to the position of ownership and a little bit about the planes and customers. Then, we went to tour ASIC, where a bunch of employees fix up crashed airplanes or just do some repairs and painting. We watched them cut through the metals with a fascinating and expensive water saw. We then took a trip across town to the famous Vance Air Force Base. I have toured the base multiple times, so most of the opportunities we got to do and see I’d already done and saw, BUT all of my classmates really enjoyed the whole experience since it was their first time. We got to do flight simulators and test our instincts by being blindfolded and spun in a chair having to guess which way we were spinning. One of my peers and I got to do another simulation where we sat in the nose of an airplane, and as it spun, we had to “fly” it by only seeing our flight map and screen. It was an awesome experience. They invited us to eat lunch at the clubhouse on base, which had very tasty food, and we had great conversations with a few of the trainees.
After that exciting tour, we got to see the BTS of EPD and EFD. At the EPD, they have a shooting simulator that the deputies practice on with realistic guns powered by air, and we all got to try it!! I didn’t do very well because my reaction time is terrible, but it was really cool.
Our first non-profit of the day was Youth & Family Services. We got a complete tour of the building and even the living area, which was one of my favorite things from the whole camp. What they do really inspired me, and I loved it so much. I have a big soft spot for less fortunate children, and the way they help these kids makes me so happy.
After Y&FS, we went a little bit outside of town to an amazing place called “Benny’s Barn”. What they do is horse therapy and teach kids and adults how to ride horses. Horse therapy helps disabled and abused people get better and more comfortable with everyday life. While riding a horse, you go through a lot of everyday motions. Benny’s also holds soccer tournaments for the kids to have a safe space, with others like them, to have fun and be normal! I loved coming here and seeing all of the beautiful horses and the opportunities they give to our community.
Our last stop was GSP Health. This stop was very short because I feel like there was not much for us to do at a clinic, but the new building was very pretty, and it was nice, clean, and a good stop before dinner.
To end our night, we had an Etiquette Dinner at the Country Club. We learned so much – like how to sit in your chair properly, which utensils to use, how to cut steak the right way, the rules of the table, and so much more. The food was 10/10 and 100% my favorite meal all week. It included 4 courses and a delicious and refreshing Shirley Temple.
Thank You for reading this month’s article. I hope you enjoyed it. If I still haven’t convinced you about YLGE, then come back next month for the last part of this series. It is my duty and mission for all of you who are eligible to apply!! I hope you have an amazing August!! Bye for now <33
I know I have previously reviewed Spy School by Stuart Gibbs, so this month I turned to the other popular series in the genre: City Spies, by James Ponti. The first book in this series came out in 2020 and is suited for children aged 8-12. Whereas Spy School takes place in the realm of the CIA, City Spies involves the MI6 program in Britain.
Sara is a twelve-year-old girl living in a foster home in Brooklyn when she gets arrested for hacking into the NYC juvenile justice system. She is just about to be sentenced to juvie when a secret agent recruits her to instead join his team – at a castle in Scotland! There, she meets four other kids like herself, each with a different specialty. Kat, for instance, is a genius at cryptography, while Rio is a master at sleight-of-hand skills. Their first mission together is to protect an asset who is headlining a youth summit in Paris. When two people are found dead in the river, though, and a vial of a deadly virus goes missing shortly before the conference, the team must act quickly to protect everyone in attendance.
While I thought all the characters were fantastic and the friendships that develop between each of them were beautiful, I did think the final climactic scenes were a little weak, a little too lite on the action. But I could see where that would happen in the first book of a series, where the characters need to be developed and the foundation needs to be established. It was still a very enjoyable read though, and a really quick read at that, so I would definitely be intrigued enough to read the next book in the series and see where the characters travel to next!
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of City Spies today!
This month’s Local Legend is Jessica Soles, who works at 4RKids, an organization that is dedicated to advancing opportunities for youth and adults with developmental disabilities right here in Enid. In her position, Jessica serves as Retail Manager for the Mini Golf and 2nd Story Gift Shop. Located on Overland Trail, the golf and gift shop raise much-needed funds for 4RKids, and Jessica oversees them both.
Originally hailing from the upper Midwest, Jessica has worked at 4RKids since 2021. Coming from a background in retail, working at 4RKids was a new avenue for Jessica. 4RKids has a unique mission, and the environment is one where Jessica’s talents and skills have been able to shine. According to Executive Director Rachel McVay, a large part of what drew Jessica to 4RKids was the mission and being able to help people. McVay said that Jessica “really enjoys working with the clients that we have.” Jessica excels at building relationships with the clients, always encouraging and helping them to “learn new job skills” and work to the very best of their capabilities.
Not only does Jessica manage the retail side of 4RKids, but she also represents the organization in the community. Jessica regularly appears at Enid Chamber of Commerce events, and she has also been invited to speak at the Enid AM Ambucs civic club. McVay said that Jessica “does networking for us…when new businesses come to town to help them know who we are and how we can maybe support them…she definitely has a charitable heart.”
Like everyone featured in this column, Jessica would never call herself a Local Legend. In truth, though, that sense of humility and genuine selfless nature are the qualities that make her one. McVay said, “Jessica is a workhorse. She will put in tons of hours to make sure something is completed, and she doesn’t ever ask for credit or want recognition. She just wants to do a really good job and then fly under the radar.”
When you take your kids (or just yourself!) to play mini golf, they might want to grab some popcorn or maybe a snow cone. When you visit the 2nd Story Gift Shop, you will see all the artfully arranged home décor items, shirts, and many other neat things. And when you eat that tasty snow cone or purchase that trendy tumbler, you can smile, knowing that everything is made possible thanks to a wonderful team of 4RKids clients and their phenomenal team leader, Jessica Soles. And that’s truly what makes her this month’s Local Legend.
INTEGRIS Health Medical Group welcomes Idayat Moyeni Brimah, M.D., MPH, a new pulmonologist specializing in pulmonology, critical care medicine and internal medicine, to INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Pulmonology in Enid, Oklahoma.
Her areas of interest include pulmonary sarcoidosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and lung cancer.
Brimah earned her degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Ilorin, College of Health and Sciences in Nigeria. She completed her internal medicine residency at Harlem Hospital in New York City and her pulmonary critical care fellowship at Mount Sinai Morningside/West in New York City.
Brimah brings to Oklahoma her dedication to pulmonary critical care and her commitment to providing compassionate and comprehensive care to patients with pulmonary diseases. She offices at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Pulmonology, located at 620 S. Madison, Suite 209 in Enid, Oklahoma. For more information, call 580-213-9741.
And just like that, summer is coming to an end! Forgive me if I seem a bit excited, I’m eagerly anticipating the cooler days… However, with August comes back to school, back to work, and back to life. Whether you’re preparing your kids for school, yourself for work, or whatever else that life demands of you, it’s safe to say that none of us are a stranger to failure, especially around this busy time of the year. National Failures Day is August 15th, so for this month’s cover story, we chose to discuss failures and what that may look like right here in Enid and in our day to day lives. We’ve all heard the phrase “April showers bring May flowers,” and most of us have had our own interpretations and feelings about that phrase. However, the fact of the matter is that without lows, there would be no highs, and without failures, there would be no success. As Jeremy Hise stated in the cover story, “Failure is not a stop sign!” No matter how defeating failing may feel, everything happens for a reason. When failing, the important thing to remember is don’t repeat the same mistakes – learning from your failures is what will amount to success. Failure is a part of life. Even the people you look up to in this world have failed, so the next time you’re feeling down and like a failure, keep in mind the only way to go from a low place is up.
It was Thomas Edison who famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Edison’s pithy quote reflects a quintessentially American perspective—that at its most basic, failure can be nothing more than a steppingstone on the road to success. In more modern times, American business leaders, such as the late Steve Jobs, speak openly about failures and how they ultimately lead to success. In the United States, we celebrate National Failures Day on August 15. It is a little-known holiday but a fascinating one because who among us hasn’t experienced failure at one point or another?
Here in Enid, most of us are not famous inventors or business leaders. But one thing is clear: like the Edisons and Jobs of the world, we can learn from our mistakes and setbacks. And we can use what we learn to move forward and get one step closer to success. Whatever “success” might look like—baking a cake, taking a test, starting a business, or recovering from a mistake at work—the simple truth is that people want to succeed. But it is not always an easy process, so to learn more, we recently sat down with several professionals right here in Enid to get their insights on using setbacks as tools to achieve success.
Overcoming Organizational Setbacks
Local business owner Kristin Campbell knows a thing or two about overcoming hardships. When she opened Connected Wellness in 2017, there were no guarantees on whether the Enid community would embrace holistic healing and natural paths to wellness. “There were a lot of fears that I had to overcome in my own mindset—like, is this really going to work?” said Kristin. The gamble paid off, and since then, she and a dedicated team of practitioners have served Enid residents with a variety of therapies such as reiki and acupressure.
One of Kristin’s favorite ways to help clients is through life coaching. No two clients are the same, and the coaching process is completely customizable. Kristin explained, “What you may come in here for and what you may need is different than the four other clients that I worked with today. So, that’s really the beauty of it, meeting people exactly where they are. There’s no cookie cutter approach.”
When Covid hit, Kristin had to adjust. Like businesses everywhere, she found herself asking, “Are we going to be able to keep going?” In the turbulence of 2020, Kristin had to dig deep and “just kind of buckle down and make it happen.” She credits two things with making this possible. One was the tangible, critical financial planning that allowed her to keep the business afloat. But equally critical was the intangible sense of purpose and mission that drove her to open Connected Wellness in the first place. For Kristin, finding a way forward was a matter of both hard work and mindset.
Another individual who knows about finding a way forward is Kelli Osburn, Executive Director at Making a Difference (MAD). Nestled in the shadow of the majestic Bivins Chapel on the campus of Northern Oklahoma College, MAD is a dedicated group of professional counselors who are making a big difference in Enid. They help people through several different avenues: private counseling, programs for children and youth, and services for college students. It is “a pretty well-rounded organization at this point,” said MAD Executive Director Kelli Osburn, who said that the client base ranges in age from young children to senior citizens.
Back in 2012, MAD was struggling to find a permanent home. The road was not an easy one: deals fell through, and finances were challenging. Looking back, Kelli said, “It was heartbreaking. I was done, and [former director] Justin—there were periods when he was done. I kept pushing us forward, and there were times that he kept pushing us forward.” Eventually MAD secured their current location at NOC, and they officially opened their doors in the new space in November 2023. It was a win for MAD, but it has also been a win for NOC. Students at the college can see MAD staff, and counselor Brittany Juliano does campus presentations on topics such as dating violence.
It Takes a Village
If you have ever been a student in a classroom, you know that it’s not always a walk in the park. From middle school math to college English, there are going to be times when things just don’t work as planned. For students at Northern Oklahoma College, located at the east end of Enid, bumps in the road do not mean the end of the road, thanks to NOC’s robust support system. Vice President of NOC Enid, Jeremy Hise, shared how the college helps students who are encountering difficulties, saying that “First of all, we need to identify what’s the challenge. You know, are you going to class? If the answer to that is ‘No,’ then I’ve got a good idea of where to start. We try to look at the situation and analyze what is the challenge because until you can identify the challenge, it’s difficult to come up with a successful path forward.”
NOC has a whole team of staff and faculty who are ready to help the struggling student, and one thing that Jeremy and his colleagues try to do is ensure that students actually know that help exists. Hise described their approach to incoming first-year students as “You have a team of people here who are willing to help you, and if you don’t know, you have to be willing to ask. And that’s what we try to instill in them. Hopefully…they will take away that there are people here that care about you and want you to be successful and are willing to help you.”
A core theme throughout our conversation is that learning and overcoming challenges is not just about the classroom. Jeremy stressed that for students, instructors want to instill the message that “This is about lifelong learning….in the process of learning college algebra, which you may or may not ever use again in your life, we’re still developing critical thinking skills that are going to be transferrable to other aspects of your life.”
One story that Jeremy proudly related was that of Hector Ramirez. “One of the first young men that I ever coached…he had his baseball cleats held together with duct tape,” recalled Jeremy. “He was the first person in his family to have ever gone to college, and now he has his doctorate and is a superintendent—I mean, I’ve got goosebumps telling you about it!” Hector went from duct tape to a doctorate, a living testament to his own hard work and the support of professors and coaches at NOC.
Staff at MAD also work hard to help clients develop their own systems of support, whether it is through improving interpersonal relationships or connecting with community-based resources. “When I was down, Justin picked me up…and we are constantly trying to link up clients to some type of social support system, because really, that support is just invaluable,” explained Kelli.
One way that MAD accomplishes this goal is through its signature program, the Micro Learning Center. The Learning Center supports students who are engaged in home-based learning through Epic Charter Schools, Enid Public Schools, or the curriculum of their choice. The program is intentionally kept small and cultivates a personalized learning environment, serving students who can benefit from a bit of extra guidance. Not only does MAD offer a structured, sensory-friendly environment for students to do their schoolwork, they also strive to equip youth with the tools of resilience. “We do field trips. We have music lessons and will have art lessons starting in the fall….it is an atmosphere where these students are able to develop friends and interact. These kids are able to develop that social support system in a very small environment with just a small number of kids, and I think it’s been hugely beneficial,” said Kelli. Helping kids and others forge their social support network is one of the core goals at MAD, and the supportive environment has been successful. Kelli reported that “I think every single student passed all their classes for this last full semester that we did…and we got three of them to graduation, two of which were not planning to graduate at all.”
Teaching People to Fish
You have probably heard the saying, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” In their own unique ways, everyone we spoke with integrated that theme through their work. The idea is that by equipping people with the tools to work through setbacks and learn from mistakes, they are being set up for success down the road.
Regardless of whether they are working with children, senior citizens, or college students, the overall goal at MAD is empowering people with the tools to overcome whatever challenges they might encounter. “It’s not like resilience is something we’re just born with,” said Brittany. “I don’t know how many times I’ve sat across from people that have just been knocked down in their lives, and we just say, ‘Okay, and what were your successes in that? You got knocked down a lot, but man, look what you’re doing today.’ And we just keep pushing that forward.”
This sentiment was echoed by Jeremy, who works in administration but also has a background in baseball coaching and classroom teaching. He has always worked to instill resilience in his students, saying that “Learning how to deal with failure and learning how to overcome and persevere and have some resilience—that’s an important part of this whole process…it goes beyond a classroom. It goes beyond just a playing field.” You can fail at something—indeed, at some point in their lives, everyone on earth has probably failed at one thing or another—but it’s what you do with that failure that counts. To that end, one thing that Jeremy has always tried to make clear to his student-athletes is that “Failure is not a stop sign!”
Like Brittany at MAD, Kristin also strives to give clients the tools to help themselves. She emphasizes that one of her favorite strategies to teach clients is something she calls the “Six Points of Power.” Essentially, it is a series of cognitive steps a person can take that equips them to reframe their struggles into manageable chunks. Starting with how a person thinks about themselves and expanding to their relationships with other people, Kristin said that it is a good process that “gives people different ideas, different ways to think about something, different ways to communicate in their key relationships in life, and different ways to promote work-life balance.”
Community
If you are reading this and are left wondering how you can apply some of this to your own life, start small. Explore some of the many ways to get involved in the Enid community; there is something for almost every interest. Enid has performing arts organizations (Enid Symphony Orchestra, Gaslight Theatre); community service groups (AMBUCS, Loaves & Fishes, Enid Street Outreach Services); regional heritage (Cherokee Strip Heritage Museum, Main Street Enid); rescue organizations (ESPCA, Animal Welfare); and educational (Enid Public Library, Leonardo’s Children’s Museum). These and many other opportunities exist right here in town, and they all accept volunteers. Not only do these organizations strengthen the community as a whole, but for those who volunteer with them, they offer a great way to forge interpersonal relationships and strengthen social ties.
Finally, if you are reading this and thinking that you or someone you know might benefit from a little supportive boost in life, please do not be afraid to reach out. Mistakes and setbacks are a fundamental part of life, but fortunately for Enid residents, there are many resources available to help them navigate turbulent waters. According to Google, there are over 20 businesses and organizations right here in Enid that offer some kind of counseling services. To this end, Kelli explained that sometimes there is a bit of misapprehension surrounding the idea of professional counseling. “Don’t let the stigma of mental health stop you from reaching out to a counselor. Therapy does not [mean that] you’re crazy,” she wanted to reassure readers. “You don’t have to be in therapy for your whole life but have [therapy for] those seasons where it’s just a little more difficult… you can move through it with a healthy perspective rather than getting stuck.”
While I know this July marks the beginning of the Olympics, if you’re a cycling fan like me, July also means the Tour de France. I watch as many stages as I can every year, and it is a bucket list item of mine to ride the route at least once in my life. I don’t foresee a last-minute trip happening this summer, so I picked up Lonely Planet’s Epic Bike Rides of the World as a good alternative for now.
This book features 200 routes in total: 50 main ones from all different regions of the world, and then for each one of those, three more routes that follow a similar theme, like lake rides, river rides – even literary rides! The routes range from Vermont to Scotland to New Zealand, and they include different styles, like road riding, mountain biking, city circuits, bikepacking, and more. You can dream of a Bavarian beer ride through Germany, a ride from Cairo to Cape Town in Africa, or perhaps a family-friendly ride around Cape Breton Island in Canada.
Epic Bike Rides of the World was first released in 2016, and while there are some details like expected weather and lodging suggestions, this feels more like an exciting overview, not a true guide book for an actual trip. The hardback version of this book would make a superb coffee table book though, whether for yourself or as a gift to someone else. I think the maps could have been presented better, but overall, the pictures are fantastic, the snippets of writing are interesting, and you’ll certainly be inspired to dream some dreams, whatever route that looks like for you.
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of Epic Bike Rides of the World today!
This time last year, Sports Performance Coach Lane Hendricks was just getting his feet under him having barely been hired, then being partly responsible for the summer training of several hundred Enid High Student Athletes. The good news was that he had an experienced partner in Coach Jana Robertson, who had a year under her belt. “The first year was interesting,” said Hendricks, “but I knew this was a dream job for me. Coach Robertson was really helpful, and we have great kids, so I just jumped right in.”
The same goes for this year – with some slight modifications. “This year we split all the sports into three sessions, instead of two, which has given us smaller groups,” said Robertson. “The kids seem to like the smaller groups, and we can get them more reps. Our first session starts at 7 am, so it’s pretty early, then we stagger after that getting done about 11:30.” With time divided between the weight room (strength) and the track and football field (conditioning and agility), Hendricks and Robertson are able to focus on the sports and areas they think will best help them succeed. Athletic Director Scott Mansfield states, “Our strength coaches are among the most talented in the state. Their expertise in knowledge, teaching, and motivation fosters an environment of growth that balances competition with individuality. They are an integral part of our success in building athletes and achieving excellence on the field.” And Robertson continues with, “Our goal is to avoid injuries and keep our kids healthy, first, and then to work on their mobility, stability, core strength, and all the things that will make our athletes perform better on the court or field.”
With three to four hundred kids every day, these two coaches could not do it on their own. “All of the head coaches (and a few assistant coaches) participate in helping Summer Pride, and we have 75-80% of our student-athletes that show up every week. Our coaches do a really good job encouraging their kids to come out and get better in the summer. Since it can’t be required, some teams have incentives for showing up every day. Football players get their names on their jerseys if they come every day, for instance.” Robertson said. Team bonding is also a draw for the kids, “They really like to see their teammates, and we try to vary the workouts and keep them engaged,” said Hendricks, “we relate the workouts to real life and how they can get better.” Mansfield says, “Two weeks into Summer Pride, we have seen strong and consistent participation from our athletes. They approach each workout with a positive mindset, maximizing every rep… While we are pleased with our current progress, we are committed to raising the bar each day.”
While they are proud of all their teams, Robertson has been very impressed with the Boys Soccer players recently, saying they have really “bought in” and the “upperclassmen have set high expectations for the team to get stronger and faster and do what needs to be done to get better.”
One thing both coaches know is that champions are built during the summer, and they are doing their best to get the Plainsmen and Pacers ready for the upcoming seasons.
