Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 28, 2016, edition 1 / Page 12
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m Media Day from page tt I serve them well next sea son. "We do everything together. We work out together, we eat together, so our offensive line should be the most dominant group on the field. The offensive line is like the heart of the team." As one of the leaders on the defense, Chavis brings experience and physicality to the team's secondary. His ability to cover and play the run makes him a player to watch in the defensive backfield. He stated he worked on his speed and flexibility this off season to improve his tackling and man-to-man coverage in the slot. He feels his defense will be better than with the experi ence they gained last year. Many teams in the CIAA look to improve upon last season and possi bly take the championship home. With WSSU pre dicted to win the southern division once again, they have a few teams nipping at their heels. Fayetteville State, now coached by for mer WSSU assistant Richard Hayes, is picked to finish second in the south em division. Coach Hayes stated he is looking for ward to the match-up against WSSU on November S, but doesnt want his team to overlook anyone on their schedule. He said, "I have no more red in my closet; I wear Bronco Blue now." WSSU has a bullseye on them horn most teams in the CIAA. Livingstone College head coach Daiyl Williams stated he wants to "claim the championship on Winston-Salem State University's football field" next season. With five new head coaches in the confer ence and teams coveting the championship, WSSU has a tough road ahead of them. Coach Boulware bol stered his coaching staff this off season as well by bringing in former Shaw University head coach Robert Massey to coach defensive backs and former Wake Forest quarterback Ryan McManus to coach quarterbacks. Boulware said they will add another element to his staff but will not change his philosophy in game planning. If the Rams can survive the tough early schedule and pull out much needed victories during conference play, they have a chance to capture another title and return to the Division II playoffs for the first time since 2013. Pboto by Timothy Ramaey Senior defensive back Kailan Chavis looks to have a major impact on the Rams defense this season with his ability to cover and play the run. "TuEmSSTpKoto With the 2018 Winter games only two years away, Speas looks to make his mark on the Chinese speed skating Olympic team. Grad from page BI what he wanted to teach them; he was part of a state championship during his first year. He said that his goal was never to be the best locally but wanted to be known worldwide. In 2004, he started his own business and was training young people on how to become faster. After training young people for years, the word spread about the skills Speas had. He trained Anthony La vine, who was attending Tennessee State University at the time. After training with Speas, Lavine was able to go to the NFL draft combine and perform at a very high level and leave with some of the best times at the combine. Lavine is a cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens. Following Lavine's per formance at the combine, Speas was able to meet many individuals from agents and other represen tatives in hopes he would have similar results with their athletes. This expand ed his brand exponentially. He said that he wanted his athletes to feel like they were part of a family and educate them not only on the track but on the finances as well so they will be financially inde pendent well into old age. After years of perfecting his craft, he was invited to join the U.S. Olympic team. In 2015 while in Salt Lake City, Utah coaching the U.S. Speed skating team, he was approached by Li Yan of the Chinese team. She told him that she liked what he was doing with his team. "She asked me if I had ever been to Beijing and I told her I hadn't. I wasn't turned off or scared to take my show overseas. I was intrigued by someone who took notice and could see that I had talent. She took the time out to get to know me as a person and as a coach," Speas continued. He stated he saw some similarities in coach Yan that he saw in himself. After taking her up on her offer to visit Beijing he was shown the facilities and to see if he liked the situation. Speas liked what he saw and will now coach the Chinese speed skating team through the 2018 Olympic games. He stated the biggest difference thus far is that many of the athletes in China have so much pas sion about their country. Many of his athletes are motivated by the love of their country, not any out side influences. The food and. language barriers have been the toughest things to adjust to but he says with time that will not be an issue. He says his desire to push young people forward is what makes him as good as he is in coaching. His expectations for Team China in 2018 are very high and he just wants to do his part to make sure he leaves these Olympic games as not only a coach but an Olympic medalist winning coach. Coaches from page D1 she volunteered and has done so ever since. "The reason why I vol unteer is because I believe in the product and I believe in the brand itself," said Rice. "We believe in scholars and I saw how the league helped a lot of kids that were up against the odds. Football was an escape and made life easier for them." The coaches and the league administrators are all volunteers. They all donate their time because of their love for working with the youth. League president Brandon Negron, who is entering his fourth year, says he took over as president because he has sons and daughters who have come through the pro gram and wanted it run the right way. After many teams in the league switched to AYF, some felt as though the league was struggling so he stepped in to help out. "Pop Warner is the standard for youth football and cheer, so I made it my personal mission to revive the league and we have done that," Negron said. "I Od it because I believe in it. The reason why I have this clinic is really for the rookie coaches. I need them to understand this is about making an impact in the lives of the kids." During the clinic, new rule changes for the year were discussed with the coaches. Rule books were passed out to ensure each association knows what is and is not allowed on the field for each division in the league. Mt. Tabor Head Coach Layman- Marshall spoke to the coaches about the importance of hydra tion and how they should approach practicing on the field with their kids. He also touched on the topic of concussions which has been a hot topic at every level of the sprat. Christopher Key of the Winston-Salem Vikings has been coaching in the league for over 30 years. This will be his final year coaching as he will retire at the season's end. "When I was coming up as a young man, my coach made a difference in my life; that's the reason I have coached this long," Key said. "Seeing the kids mature and become viable citizens is the greatest sat isfaction I have received. And the biggest (hing I hope the kids have taken from me is the sense of family and teamwork because those things trans late to the real world. Dione Summers of the Greensboro Ravens said he remembers the impact his coaches had on him as a youth playing football and wanted to have that same impact on the young people he coaches now. He says the most important thing is that the kids are out there having fun and learning the game of football. Summers feels that even though the game is under attack due to the attention placed on concussions, Pop Warner places player safety at the top of the list and gives their coaches the proper training techniques t^teach the game correctly. Vice President of the Ragsdale Youth Tigers, Ariel Ojeda, says he got into coaching because there were so many coaches who have had an impact on his life. He loves teaching the youth the game and wants to emphasize safety and fun for the kids. Negron and Rice feel as though Pop Warner is the best youth-football league in the nation because of clinics such as these and the safety measures they take to ensure the safety of the childrenthey also equip their coaches with the best1 training techniques avail-1 able They will kick off the season August 20 with a* Jamboree. The season starts with league play a week later q| August 27. Photo by Timothy (Umtcy The coaches from the eight associations in the Northwest Pop Warner football league attended the coach's clinic last Saturday, July 23.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 28, 2016, edition 1
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