Training camp begins

When March comes around that means only one thing to an IFL player, training camp has begun. It’s when a veteran has to start all over again to prove that he should be a starter. If there is snow on the ground, camp is held indoors; but once the snow is gone, camp is moved outdoors on an athletic field of a teams choosing.  If a player comes into camp slow and out of shape, he’s likely to lose his job to a young and hungry rookie regardless if that player has started at the position for years.

Training camp in the Ironman Football League is the league without its makeup. You won’t find any cheerleaders or 2,000 fans cheering you on here. There is no danger of being blinded by the glitz and glitter of game day.  No one to hear the grunts, moans and expletives that are made in training camp except by fellow teammates. This is when players suffer for all the times they didn’t make it to the gym, or had one too many slices of grandma’s cheesecake for dessert.  Pains, both muscular and respiratory, are common effects a player must fight through daily.

Even though the players don’t get paid to play, they still have to pay their dues through blood, sweat and tears to prepare their team for the challenges of the difficult regular season ahead. They hit blocking sleds until their shoulders pop, run for miles, and do agility grills until they can’t lift their legs anymore.  Then after that, they go home and spend what little time they can with their family, go to their real jobs the next day and continue the whole process all over again. These are the warriors of the Ironman Football League.

Spectators and fans will notice while watching these grueling practice sessions that at the end of practice players will run wind sprints till they are gasping for air.  Once that’s completed, some players collapse to the ground while in a state of extreme exhaustion, while some vomit and others are trying desperately to catch their breath. While this is happening the players are getting a stern talk from their head coach. This might sound gruesome but this is all necessary in building a championship team. Teammates form special bonds in camp and learn how important unity can be. Here, they lose all sense of individualism and are molded into an elite group. Offensive plays and schemes are perfected as everyone is sacrificing and working hard to achieve a common goal.

There is tremendous pressure on last year’s starters to perform well in training camp. This is the Ironman Football League where competition is fierce and starting jobs are never guaranteed. In most cases 100 players are scrambling for 22 starting positions on a single team. If players don’t crack the starting lineup they better know how to play special teams or face the possibility of not even making the roster which by league rules can only hold up to 70 players. That means 30 players will be scrambling to get on another team before the season starts and the rosters are locked.

As the season draws closer, every phone call made by the general manager, every page torn off the desk calendar is like a light at the end of the tunnel. Lungs get stronger, and plays get crisper. All the hard work and sacrifices made here are rewarded ten fold during the season. Every team and every player is doing what is necessary five months ahead to win an Ironbowl Championship and the chance to bring home the leagues biggest prize.