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Sharks rookie trials
Do you have what it
takes to be a Shark?
The
Cornish Sharks American football team, still riding high after another highly
successful season, is already planning its campaign for the divisional
championship next year by holding a series of “Rookie Trials” to encourage
potential players to attend and “strut their stuff”.
The trials are also an opportunity for
existing players to “audition” for different positions for which they feel they
might be suited.
Brian
Smallworth, Head Coach of the Sharks explains why he runs annual trials, “The
first thing to understand is that you don’t have to have had any playing experience
to start to play American football.
We
have a very experienced coaching staff that has a great track record of teaching
players from scratch the basic techniques at every position in order to get
players up to the standard required to play.
The trials are also a great way to give newcomers an insight not just
into the game itself but also into what it takes to play Sharks football. We
are looking for all types of people to help the team, both players from a
variety of sports backgrounds and non players to assist with refereeing,
gathering statistics and ground crew.
Over the last two years the team has been made up of 70% rookies who
have been taught from scratch and having won 16 games in two years against well
established teams, this proves the Sharks formula works.
Many of these players have come from rugby
backgrounds and at first were very sceptical about American football as it is
sometimes perceived by rugby people that we are a load of sissies who wear
shoulder pads and helmets!
But having played
a full season of American football they actually enjoy the benefits of playing
both sports and of course, the two seasons don’t clash which means they
maintain all year round fitness.
At
present we have 14 players playing rugby in Cornwall and Devon. Players of
different sports bring with them a variety of skills that add to the strength
and depth of the team.
For example,
rugby players bring with them their skills in tackling and ball handling;
basketball players are skilled at catching the ball are physical and many are
very fast; soccer players bring speed and an ability to kick the football;
wrestlers and martial artists have the desired toughness and tackling skills;
cricketers the ability to catch the football with some speed; surfers and skate
boarders have the ability to run with good balance and eye co-ordination.
We even have a table tennis player on the team
who has good eye-coordination and the aggressive explosion at the point of
attack – all these skills are required to pl
ay American football. We are hoping
to hear from anyone who is generally interested in helping the Sharks progress
towards their desired goal of winning the Divisional Championship.
The trials are open to youth and junior
players too aged from 14-16 years and 16-18 years.”
Anyone
interested should attend the Newquay Sports Centre on Sundays the 9th
,
16th
and 23rd
of November from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, ready to be
out on the field for 2:00pm. You need to
bring rugby or soccer boots, sweats and dry clothing. Check out the website www.cornishsharks.co.uk
for email and
contact telephone numbers should you have any further queries.
