The Sundre Bison have since the beginning of last month been getting ready for the upcoming start of the Mountain View 9 Man Football Conference’s season.
The team’s first game is scheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 8 against Innisfail to be played on home turf starting at about 1 p.m., said Logan Dichrow, the team’s head coach and manager.
Since Aug. 1, the Bison have — following a couple of earlier spring and summer training camps — attended more than a dozen practices, she said, adding the players have been developing their ability to tackle as well as take a hit as safely as possible to reduce the risk of injury.
“This year, we’re really focusing on the safe contact tackling.”
Safe contact tackling was just a few years ago introduced to the conference, and Dichrow said she’s been trying to ensure each practice includes tackling and blocking drills.
“The boys are doing phenomenally,” she said.
“Every drill I give them, they master it.”
The goal is to teach the players not to use their head or shoulders when tackling, and to go with a fall when being tackled as opposed to bracing against the inevitable, which can cause strain or even potentially break injuries, she said.
Players are being taught to keep their eyes on the target and to avoid being blindsided to protect their neck and head. Ramming with one’s head or shoulders when tackling can also result in injuries, so instead the coach is drilling the boys on using their chest and arms when making a tackle.
Dichrow, who had previously hoped to find a full-time coach and would still welcome a hand, said she must now make sure to have some plays properly organized and taught to the team so “we’re all on the same page.”
There are more than a dozen players this year, but the coach said the squad is always receptive to potential new teammates.
The 23-year-old, who lives in Calgary and is taking a semester off from her post-secondary studies in history and education for work as well as for the Bison, praised the help of two former players who returned to lend a hand as assistant coaches. Andrew Cottrell and Bryce Mclean have offered “unbelievable support,” she said, adding, “the team would not be doing as well if it was not for them.”
The community’s ongoing support also contributes significantly towards ensuring the Bison can play, which the team appreciates, she said.
Additionally, the coach expressed her gratitude “for the level of dedication and respect that the players have shown me as the new coach.”
The season continues until the end of October, when playoffs get underway.
