LAKE FOREST SPARTAN FOOTBALL

1. LAKE FOREST SPARTAN FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON PARENTS MEETING

2. 2011 Varsity Football Team

3. 2011 JV Football Team

4. 2011 Freshman Football Team

5. Spartans FOOTBALL This presentation is to clarify the Lake Forest High School Football Program. It is an aid to eliminate any misunderstanding that might occur. It is not meant to eliminate communication between players and coaches, but to make certain the lines are open and there are as few “gray” areas as possible. If you happen to be on one of these gray areas, we urge you to come see the coaching staff so there will be no doubt in either the letter or the intention. Together we can do great things for you.

6. PHILOSOPHY OF OUR FOOTBALL PROGRAM • It is essential to establish and put in writing the philosophy of any football program. A philosophy states the guidelines; gives the program its direction. This does not infer that our philosophy is the only philosophy, but it is what we believe in and hope all coaches and players believe in.

7. OBJECTIVES OF THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM • Each player will receive a diploma and an education. These are not essentially the same. The diploma will come if you follow the plan set forth by the counselors and coaches. Education is the learning to pour yourself out, learning how to make a commitment to something higher and more rewarding that your own desires. It is the learning to give, the more you will receive; to learn to give all you have and not be concerned with what others may think. • Establish an excellence in Football. You must want to play football at a level that our opponents cannot endure for the 48 minutes of play. Demand a higher level of intensity, aggression, and perseverance than our opponents. Our opponents must pay a price for scheduling us. • Through the football experience, become better people. It is the intent of the program to teach more than fundamentals. Become good citizens.

8. OBJECTIVES cont’d • The players will have fun. Football is a game to be enjoyed. To be enjoyed it must be done correctly. • Learn the physical nature of football. Between the white lines, we expect the most intense, physically aggressive people. Off the field, we expect perfect gentlemen.

9. WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU • To get an education • To give your total effort, to make the most of what you have • To give unselfish love towards your teammates and to respect them • To practice to the best of your ability • To be prompt • To be courteous • To always encourage • To be emotional and enthusiastic “We expect you to do something worthwhile with your life.” “We expect you to have great expectations and anticipate having a great day, a great practice, a great season, a great life.”

10. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR COACHES • To provide the leadership and training necessary to achieve our goals • To work you harder than you have ever worked before • To assist you in any way possible now and after you graduate • To treat you as a man and to love and respect you • To make all decisions predicated on what is best for the team, and then what is best for the individual To do everything within our power to improve our facilities and make this the best place in Delaware to go to school and to play football • To help you mature and grow as a man • To help you reach your goals

11. WHAT WE EXPECT FROM PARENTS • Keep athletics in perspective • Emphasize the right priorities: Family, Academics, andAthletics • Remember, you, as a parent at Lake Forest represent the school, the staff, and the alumni. Be involved, be vocal, but do your best to be positive. • Do not publicly demean participants in an athletic contest. (Players, officials, coaches, other parents or spectators) 2. Support your student-athlete 3. Support the program

12. RESPECT • Respect is an extension of a positive, optimistic attitude. • Respect begins with a person having respect for himself. • Respect for team members breeds togetherness. • Respect has no ethnic, racial, or social barriers. • A team must have respect for one another. • Respect is a two-way street between players and coaches. • Make no mistake – football is a team sport. • Signs of disrespect have negative influences on a team.

13. DISCIPLINE Discipline defined in football terms is doing what is necessary or right in any and all circumstances. • Saying no to drugs, the alcohol, the steroids is real discipline. When all of those around you will not, it is real discipline. • Discipline techniques can increase enough to make the difference. Spartans Football Technique, no matter the weather, no matter the opponent, no matter the score, no matter the officials, is discipline. Discipline is not an inherited trait; it must be learned. • Your outer appearance and language give the first impression of your degree of discipline.

14. ACADEMICS & ATHLETICS • Two types of education: one teaches us how to make a living, the other teaches us how to live. • Keep your priorities in the proper order. You must pass all of your classes in order to play. • A competitor wants to succeed in both areas. If you are able to do this, you will bring honor to yourself, your parents, your teachers, and your coaches. “Where there’s a will, there’s an A.” Academics and athletics can and will be a positive influence on each other in the program.

15. ACADEMICS & ATHLETICS cont’d • Athletics is “Extra-Curricular” Our athletic program is designed to supplement education, physically, mentally, and emotionally. • Athletics is not to take the place of becoming educated. This is being an intellectually fulfilled person – a communicator – a giver to society. This is the key to happiness – if a person is not educated, he cannot give much back to society. • Pep rallies and the excitement of an upcoming game must not take away focus from conjugating verbs and studying literature in fifth period class. • Less than 1% of Americans make their living in sports, TV, or rock music. • Winning a state championship or district championship is something a player will remember and cherish the rest of his life, But education is the key to success and the fulfillment of life. • Turn off the TV and read • We do not want you to be the first generation of Americans that do not progress and improve the quality of life.

16. SUMMER PROGRAM Mental age and maturity have been mentioned previously, but this is the definitive test, the proof of the pudding. “Boys” will not work out without constant supervision. The correct term for this is baby-sitting. “Men” work out from a sense of self-pride and responsibility. Players look around and see the investment their teammates have made during the unsupervised summer.

17. SUMMER PROGRAMcont’d Players must understand the coaches have one of two choices when the players report in the fall. They can either get the players in shape, or they can teach them football. Once a player is fatigued, he will not learn, he is simply trying to survive, If a player comes in out of shape, his chances of injury increase dramatically. If he becomes injured, he stays in poor shape while recuperating. When the injury heals and he is able to return to the practice field, he is more likely to be re-injured due to his poor physical conditioning. It is a vicious cycle, and when the season is over, everyone blames the “bad luck” of injuries, when actually it was simply a matter of the player not being mature enough to handle the summer. A detailed, specific strength and conditioning program is given to each player and it is expected that each player will follow the plan. The program is designed to get young people ready for the football season. Do not be mislead; hauling hay will prepare you for the heat, but it will not prepare you for playing football. Each player will make workout decisions that will affect every teammate.

18. PERSONNELDECISIONS Team Placement – Players are placed on a team and in positions where they will help make the most positive contribution. • Talent is the major factor in placement of players. The most talented players will play at the highest level of play. • Maturity is the second factor. Maturity is defined as the ability to sacrifice a short-term pleasure, such as sleeping in during the summer, for a long-range goal – a conference championship.

19. GAME DAY EXPECTATIONS • Mentally Prepare - Visualize the game. See yourself being successful. Respect teammates as they prepare. • Be Result Oriented – Each player must realize he is responsible to get results. Coaches will spend time preparing a game plan to give the best chance of winning, but you must perform. • Be Physical – Football is a physical game; it is not a debate. • Never Criticize; Always Encourage – Your teammate needs you when he makes a mistake; be there to pick up a teammate. • Begin with Pre-game – A football game begins long before the coin toss. Get Focused. • Conclude with Respect – At the conclusion of each game, we will shake the hands of our opponents and show our respect for our school and appreciation for our fans.

20. SUBSTANCE ABUSE Abuse of alcohol and drugs is not a new problem. It has been here since the Biblical days. There are things you should think about before you use alcohol and drugs! • The greatest killer of people in your age group is drunk driving. If you use alcohol or drugs to crutch a lack of courage, alcohol or drugs cannot fix your weakness. • If you use alcohol or drugs to run away from a problem – you do not solve the problem – you create a second problem. • The minute you put alcohol or drugs into your body, you lose any chance of our coaches being able to defend you. We only know a substance free person. Coaches cannot testify for you once you use any mind-altering agent. • You must understand that you represent some great entities; school, your family, a football family, coaches, etc. You risk hurting every one of these by the use of alcohol or drugs. This is a very selfish act. The world around you will tell you it is okay. The ordinary will do it…. Choose not to be an ordinary, selfish person. We can assure you – it takes an extra-ordinary person to abstain.

21. SCHOLARSHIPS The primary responsibility of our coaching staff is NOT to get scholarships for players. Our coaching staff will assist our players in playing at the collegiate level if they so desire. However, it is important for players and parents to understand that high school coaches have no power in deciding who receives scholarships. That is entirely at the discretion of the college coaches. We will put great effort into “marketing” our players to the colleges. We create highlight videos, player information sheets, and other helpful tools to provide to the recruiters in order to promote our players.

22. SCHOLARSHIPS cont’d There are many more good football players than there are Division I scholarships. It is important to understand that a “FULL” scholarship is very difficult to receive. However, many colleges will offer “partial” scholarships with the opportunity for more assistance based on need, academics, etc. Players and parents should also understand that you can dramatically increase your chances of receiving a scholarship by having outstanding grades and good ACT/SAT scores. Given the limited number of scholarships available to the colleges, they are becoming less likely to take a chance on someone who may not make it academically.

23. COLLEGE RECRUITING COLLEGE RECRUITING SIMPLIFIEDLEARN THE 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW AND THE 5THINGS YOU NEED TO DO • NCSA® ATHLETIC RECRUITING • PHONE: 866.579.6272 • WEB SITE: NCSASPORTS.ORG

24. April 1st – August 14th Physicals: All athletes must have a physical before the first day of practice April 28th Envelopes Fundraiser Due May- Bowling Night Team Bar-B- Que June- Kids Festival Fundraising event: Athletes needed to assist with the activities June- Team Camp Payment Due (TBA) June 1 thru 12- 7 on 7 Practices (TBA) June 16– Kids Festival 9-4pm Important Dates to Remember • June 23rd • Blue/Gold All-Stars Football Game @7pm • Transportation will be provided • June 12th – July 10th • 7 on 7 passing league games • July 15th – July 17th • Wesley College Football Team Camp • August 15th • Two-a-Days Begin • August 21st • Scrimmage vs St. Georges 5:00 pm, Tuesday • August 25th - Scrimmage vs. Pencader 10 am- Saturday

25. Lake Forest High SchoolSPARTAN FOOTBALL Head Coach Fred Johnson 302-399-5390 Fjjohnson@lf.k12.de.us Football Web Site: www.lakeforestfootball.com Responsibility, Pride, Determination make Lake Forest different Be Positive, Enjoy Yourself, Make It Fun For Everyone!