The Drake University football took a brief break from fall camp over the weekend after a week of intense practices. However, the Bulldogs didn't stop working on building team unity and striving to live their theme of 'No Matter What.'
Following Saturday's practice the team loaded up to spend the evening and most of Sunday at Camp Dodge performing various leadership and team-building exercises with members of the United States Marine Corps.
“It was a great weekend,” Drake head coach Chris Creighton said. “The Marines out at Camp Dodge, led by Major Stansberry, really took care of us. They spoke to us about what 'No Matter What' means. I don't think there's a better group in the world to talk about that than the Marines. There were some pretty powerful words and message.”
However, the lessons extended far beyond strong words from battle-tested veterans. On Sunday morning the team awoke in the barracks and immediately took to the grounds of Camp Dodge to perform various tasks on the leadership reaction course and build team chemistry through land navigation drills.
“LRC's [leadership reaction courses] work your mind with various obstacles,” said Naser Hannoon, a fifth-year senior.
While each player was pushed and tested individually, the opportunity to work with one another outside of football was the coaching staff's ultimate goal.
“Weekends like this are about getting to know each other better,” Creighton said. “There's 30 new guys on our football team. Getting to know each other outside of team meeting and practices is important.”
Hannoon echoed that thought and relished the opportunity the courses and exercises brought to discover his teammates' character.
“There's guys who are always quiet and then they start giving ideas,” Hannoon added. “I've never heard them talk before. It's a good thing, they're trying. It's camp, it's a grind, but for them to come out and start expressing themselves and showing their real self is a good thing.”
That process of building a bond off the field, beyond football, is one of the key components to any team that Creighton feels is necessary to pursue championships.
“You play differently when you know the guys you're playing with and you play even more differently when you care about the guys you're playing with,” Creighton said. “If you can get to the point where you love the guys you're playing with and you're literally playing for each other, it doesn't get any more powerful than that.”
As those bonds were being forged, the Marines used the exercises to drive home the team's theme of 'No Matter What,' with examples of that attitude applied in military situations.
“When the marines are talking about 'No Matter What,' they're literally talking about life and death,” Creighton said. “When they're giving us 'No Matter What' scenarios, you can hear a pin drop. Because of the passion in their voice, you know they're thinking about situations they've been in where that is real.”
Those lessons and bonds will continue to be forged throughout the remainder of camp practices leading up to the Bulldogs' 2013 season opener against Grand View on Aug. 29. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Drake Stadium. To purchase season or individual game tickets for the upcoming season, click here.
