FORESTER FOOTBALL

FORESTER FOOTBALL

Monday, August 22, 2016

Camp Week 2!

While many people are just focusing on one thing, our players continue to be renaissance men who are both focused on Football, Academic Development, Community Service/Engagement, and growing in general. We have been VERY busy during the first 10 days of camp!


Here are some updates:


On Monday of last week, for the second year in a row, the guys trained with the HEROES of Ruck Endure. Being lead in physical training, team building, and other activities by Navy Seals continues to help the brotherhood of our program grow. Here is a short video displaying some of the activities!



Lake Forest College Football from Derek H. & David M. on Vimeo.



On Thursday, the guys participated in the annual Twitter Scavenger Hunt (#TheHunt) after dinner at local restaurants (no chains) the boys navigated Lake County to fulfill the requirements for the event. Here are some of the highlights:











It was a great evening out and about for out guys-- their creativity was spectacular.



On Monday evening last week, the boys did a great shift at Feed My Starving Children, a charitable organization in Libertyville that has a strong connection with the LFC Community.

Here is a brief video and some pictures:











On Friday, despite the threat (and eventual arrival) of Thunder and Lightning, the Foresters helped with Freshman move-in day. This assistance helped get all incoming students into their dorms with a helping and caring friend. Proud of our guys, they definitely made a great first impression!





Just in case you forgot what it was like when you moved your son in-- here is a video to remind you!





Most guys had the true highlight of their camp this morning when Ruben returned to the cafeteria and opened his world famous "Omelette station."



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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

2016 Football Camp-- First 5 Days-- the Difference is on Display!

What makes the football program at Lake Forest College different than many others around the country?

Look at the first five days of our training camp. At many institutions the football takes the 100% priority and nothing else matters during training camp.

At Lake Forest, we take a balanced approach, and it is not just lip service. By no means does this mean we take football less serious, it just means that we understand the need for our players to be able to balance all parts of their life together. Why should we discourage this for the duration of our preseason training camp.

Beyond the easing into the team on the first day with a family Pig Roast, we spent time just getting to know each other the first day. No playbooks were issued, we focused on the "Jimmy's and Joe's" not the "X's and O's."

Once we got into the first day of work, we jumped in with both feet, but not until after we made sure that we took precautions to be able to best evaluate the health of our players. Concussion screenings, orthopedic screenings, etc. these are just the baselines, we make sure that the protocols for injuries, treatment, and therapy are completely understood. We practiced for the first time, conditioned, and got ourselves ready.

During the first five days, we saw our team work with the Navy Seals in the early mornings for some team building, have a community service packing food at Feed My Starving Children, have a Yoga and a Mobility Session to recover from the training, had a Cookout with several of our Gridiron Gang Parents, and have our first Life Skill Development Sessions.

In the LSD Sessions, a new program this year that replaced our Winners Manual Series, we have invited experts in different fields to meet with our players about topics specific to their class in school. We are fortunate to be associated with so many great people. Without giving away our secrets, here are the topics that were covered on the first Tuesday this year.

Senior Program: Financial Literacy and Preparedness- Rod Pompey, Primerica Inc, and Parent of RJ Pompey '17
Junior Program: Career Networking Skills- Joe Chmura, Career Advancement Center, Former VP of HR for Baxter Pharm.
Sophomore Program: Self Reliance vs. Selfishness in Performance- Dr. Jennifer Fast, Director of the LFC Counseling Center
Freshman Program: 1st Steps of Academic Success at LFC- Dr. Dawn Abt-Perkins and Julia Berkowitz. Directors of the Writing Center and Quantitative Resource Center


We will be having several more classed during camp and throughout the school year. The response to these programs has been outstanding.



Most importantly, we get to play football, but we make sure that we keep our commitment to the Liberal Arts, and total growth at the center of our approach to the "development of college football players."

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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

5 More Tips For First Time Forester Families!

Five More Tips For First Time Forester Parents:

1. Can my son have a microwave/refrigerator/ other appliances?

Your son can have a refrigerator. However, no other appliances are allowed in the dormitories. The only acceptable "microwave" appliance must be a micro fridge which can be found on our school website. You may want to check over the "what to bring/what not to bring" list that the College provides here: WHAT TO BRING TO LFC

The Coach Cat Top 5 Items to Bring:
1. A Door Stop-- lots of dorm life happens in the hallways, breezeways, etc. Have a "clean way" to keep your door open so people don't knock over the awkwardly placed garbage can.

2. Hand Sanitizer/Disinfectant wipes-- have in your dorm room. College campuses are breeding grounds for "sick" things. Wiping off video game controllers, etc are important.

3. A planner. If you aren't good about putting appointments into your phone yet, you will be. Until then, have a planner you can write on. Sometimes the "visual" of how busy your week or day is, or isn't, will help you with time management.

4. Paper Towels -- spills will happen!

5. Tech equipment-- bare minimums-- have your phone in a safe case. College students drop, knock off, and find other ways to destroy phones no matter how careful they are. Bring extra charging cords, and PLEASE back up your phone on your laptop, or on the cloud. If you don't know how to, learn. (you can youtube this!)


2. Teach your son how to access Google Drive, or Dropbox. They need to have a file "backup" for their computer. Too many students don't back up their work and then lose it!



3. Never underestimate the value of a care package from Mom. Send it in the mail, even if you saw your son on Saturday.


4.Encourage your son to join a club on campus that is not "athletic based."


5. Don't stress out about "one bad grade." There is a major adjustment going on. There is time to recover. Encourage your son to meet with their professors and use the academic resources on campus. It is important to be supportive adn not compund the stress that your son is "feeling."
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