Meeting with Andy Ewald- St Louis Park Football Coach and AD

I admit Zach and I were both a little nervous about this meeting - didn't know what to expect and didn't know what we would hear. All said and done it was a great meeting and Coach Ewald is very knowledgeable about kids playing at the next level because he has done so himself.

Last night Zach and another junior teammate with their respective families met in the weight room at the high school with the coach. The coach talked to us because he believes that these two kids have the ability to play college at scholarship level. I learned "scholarship level" is a big scary place - there are a lot of schools and they fall in different divisions. After this season the coach will evaluate their individual performance and provide his honest feedback on ability to play - and at what level. These boys have not plateaued - not with their knowledge of the game, their developed skill nor their bodies. Coach Ewald spoke to the boys about the next year and half and what to expect, what to plan for and what to work on. He provided a broad calendar of events with to-dos but really went into detail about the events - to be shared on an ongoing basis.

Zach knows what he has to do (academics, football and his body) to be eligible to play college ball- he needs to set his goal of what level he wants to reach. Is it 1a or 2 - I don't think it is D3 but who knows - this is his dream. I know at what level Zach has talked about playing and wants to play; i just need him to be vocal about it so we can all share in his dream and support him.

While we have the next year and a half before college ball - his junior year begins on Monday. The day Zach hits the field for 2 a days. He knows he has a lot of pressure on him to perform well, be a leader and lay it on the line for every game. Sure there will be disappointments but success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm(have to give credit to Sir Winston Churchill for that one). Will they will every game this season? I hope so but may be not - this is where the determination comes in. To make every move, play and game that much better. Zach doesn't want to settle for an OK season; like all of the guys they want to play in the Metrodome this year. Are you ready for some football????

Thursday is the mandatory football meeting for players and parents - can't wait to see the enthusiasm from the boys.

One more change - Zach has decided to be Xaq for the football program. I will begin to reference him as Xaq from now on. Alter ego? Could be...


GO PARK!

SLPfootballmom