Ah Summer...the time for team building. Many programs, especially those fortunate enough to have strong leadership and buy-in from the players, parents and administration, have their coaches and players get together in a camp like setting for a couple of days. Some of that time is focused on planning for the season; but much of this time is focused on team building.
At Redmond High School (WA), head coach Jason Rimkus recently gathered his troops for their team camp. Rimkus told FootballScoop that during the day they would work out, talk ball and philosophy, vote on and announce captains for the upcoming season and decide upon their motto for the season; but each night he gathered up his group of 100+ guys and spent a few hours on teambuilding exercies...culminating in their last night in which they go "game night". "X-boxes all around, a lot of fun competition, everybody enjoys themselves."
Well, here's where the story gets a little different. For background, Redmond's defensive backs coach Morio Mongomery, aka Coach Mo, is a former rapper. After serving in the Navy, Coach Mo lived in L.A. for the better part of a decade and had a pretty good run at the rap thing, before deciding he wanted to devote his life to improving the lives of young men through coaching and teaching.
Well, to close out camp, one of the players challenged Coach Mo to a rap battle and, well, this is just something you have to see. Props to coach Coach Mo and to the young man Riley Brown, aka "Lobe Thunder".
Coaches hope camps like this will bring the team together. There is no doubt in my mind that every player will remember this night for a long, long time.