Fort Drum Fosters Togetherness
8/13/2013 7:54:00 PM | Football
Coach Shafer Press Conference | Players Reaction to Lunch with Soldiers |Â Purchase Tickets Online
The SU football team held its first day of preseason camp at Fort Drum today. Due to the rain the Orange did not participate in the Military Physical Training with the soldiers this morning but had a sunny afternoon of practice.
The team made the most of the morning, taking a long lunch to interact with soldiers and bond as a team before gearing up for practice later in the day. Fans of SU and personnel on post came out to watch the Orange practice at Sligh Field.
"The best thing about the day was having 30 military personnel come join us at lunch," Shafer said. "It was great to see our kids and their kids immerse themselves together and share some time together."
Coach Shafer was also excited about the time the team is able to spend together. Without the distractions of cell phones and the internet, the players are better able to bond with each other.
"At breakfast, Charley Loeb and I took the most opposite guys on the team and made them sit across from each other. I made Ivan Foy sit with Austin Wilson, a freshman quarterback, and Charley had them stand up and tell the team what they learned about each other. We finished up with Hernz Laguerre, who I don't know very well. My wife told me Hernz is an exceptional poet. I had him stand up and speak a poem and it ended with an eruption by his teammates and all of a sudden we know who Hernz is."
Yesterday the team was greeted by Drill Sergeants and given a taste of boot camp, much like the welcome a new soldier gets upon entering the Army.
Tomorrow the Orange will start the day off with small group teamwork and leadership activities, working together to complete exercises with the guidance of the soldiers.
"We broke our kids up in a group of about ten each and there is a commander of the group," Shafer said. "We broke up all the kids, not by position, so there will be an offensive lineman, a defensive lineman, a defensive back and a kicker in the group. You have kids from all over the team and they have to come together and be accountable for one another."
Follow along with daily practice updates on Facebook (Syracuse Orange & Syracuse Football) and Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseFootball) and find exclusive video content on Orange All-Access including today's interview with Coach Shafer.The 2013 regular season kicks off at MetLife Stadium on August 31 against Penn State (3:30 p.m., ESPN 2, ABC). Season and single-game tickets can be purchased at Fanfest, online, in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B), or by calling 1-888-DOMETIX.
