As the Carleton Ravens football team opens its training camp, their coaching staff has set clear goals for success on the field.
Established programs may use victory on the field as a measure of accomplishment, but the Ravens defensive co-ordinator Ryan Bechmanis said they are looking to set a strong foundation for the future of the program.
Bechmanis said the most important part of camp is to find out which players are ready to play and start teaching fundamentally sound football.
“We are focusing on the basics to get the guys ready to compete at the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) level,” he said. “[The CIS] is high-level football. We expect our guys to compete and get better every week.”
This approach has led to an intense training camp schedule with four hours of on-field practice each day, building skills in preparation for the team’s opening game on the road against the University of Western Ontario on Sept. 2.
“Camp has been pretty intense with two practices a day for a week straight,” wide receiver Dexter Brown said. “The level of talent is much higher than any other level of football that I’ve played.”
While there are some challenges that come with starting a program from the ground up, Brown said the Ravens have an advantage because there are no entrenched veterans on the roster.
“We’re all on the same level and we’re getting a lot done as a team. We started from scratch and we’re working together,” he said.
Most of the team is living together in residence, and Brown said this allows the players to get to know each other better and is good for team building, so much so that they are even playing practical jokes on the coaching staff.
According to Bechmanis, the team is coming together as a group but no outspoken leaders have come forward.
“It’s too early to tell. There’s a lot of good things but it’s too early to single guys out,” he said.
J.P. Asselin, Carleton’s offensive co-ordinator, said the offence will play an aggressive style of football and will focus on protecting the football and being turnover-free.
A 35-3 loss to the Université de Sherbrooke gave Ravens players and coaches a clear demonstration of just how difficult CIS competition could be.
“It feels like the game is a lot faster, things are amped up,” Brown said.
But as much as training camp is about developing players and being a teaching experience it still is very much a competition for playing time.
Through training camp and in-game experience, Bechmanis said the coaching staff can find out which players are ready to perform come the start of the regular season.
He added that winning is a process that takes time and it’s up to the players to decide when the only measure of success is wins and losses.
Brown said he is focused on this year and excited for what the team can accomplish, but is also excited for the future of the program he will be a part of.
“Every team is looking to go 8-0. We’re going to work for it but at the end of the day we’re just trying to compete,” Brown said. “For a successful year, we want to do our job and make ourselves successful for the years to come.”
