Spartans start training on right foot

Andrea Roberts
Times Intern

 

To celebrate the ending of spring camp, the Strathmore Spartans high school football team took on Chestermere in a scrimmage on June 7.
About 40 players from Grades 9, 10 and 11 partook in the camp. The game was planned to test new skills and allow players who have haven’t played before to get a taste of a real game before the new season starts in the fall.
“A lot of learning has taken place over the last couple of days so it has been a very successful camp for us,” said head coach Travis Gorski. “We focused on the new way of tackling that Football Canada has actually introduced, which is more focused on rugby tackle. We are really trying to change the game of football and how it is played but still keep the integrity of the game.”
The new way of tackling is called safe tackling, a technique where tacklers keep their head up and uses the hips and hands to generate power through the tackle.
Along with this new style of tackling, the camp helped to hone the skills of the new and returning players.
“This game is really good for the young guys to get a feeling about how a game actually feels like,” said Isaiah Simwamu, a Grade 11 student who plays as a receiver. “Some of them it may be their first game but most of them it will be their first game as a player.”