July 15, 2008
Washington, D.C. - For the fifth edition of the Georgetown Summer Football Journal, senior offensive lineman Collin Meador (Lyndhurst, Ohio/St. Ignatius Prep) provides an inside look at one portion of the workouts being coordinated by the strength and conditioning staff. Meador is among a group of more than 60 players who have been on campus since the second summer session began on July 5 as the Hoyas prepare for the 2008 season. "There are about three weeks left and the smell of summer football camp is in the air. The humidity is increasing and the sun is beating down on the District. This is perfect timing for the influx of student-athletes Georgetown Football has seen in the recent week. These men have decided to cut their summer early and dedicate what is left of it to moving iron and conditioning. "With the leadership of the men that have been here this summer, we were able to take workouts to the next level this past week. We specifically placed an emphasis on keeping a keen attention to detail as we went through our workouts. We realize that as we get tired, we have a tendency to lose focus. As a result, we must dial in our focus and perform every repetition to perfection. "The Square of Death," led by Coach (Michael) Ungar, exemplifies this necessity to stay focused. The drill is set up with the athlete in the middle and four different colored cones five yards apart at each corner of the square. Coach Ungar tenaciously instructs the athlete to "pat-pat" your feet and "get `em movin'." Upon command, the athlete must swiftly sprint to and touch the correct cone color directed by Ungar. If the athlete does not touch the correct color cone and sprint back to the center of the square in less than one second, or if the athlete does not go to the correct cone, the team is penalized with one up-down at the end of the workout. "This drill challenges us to stay focused and perform when tired. Senior defensive end Ataefiok Etukeren expressed his respect for the "Square of Death:" `I cannot sleep on Wednesday night because all I can think about is touching the right cone the next day. I try to put the fatigue behind me and focus on the red, green, blue, or white cone and do the best that I can.'
"Being here in the summer is all about working hard and developing a strict attention to detail while fatigued. As the men who have been here know, days are long and nights are short. There is barely enough time for me to talk to my brother Corey when I get home. However, I know that all of these men here and I would not have it any other way. As camp rapidly approaches, we will continue to work hard and take our training to the next level." Georgetown opens the 2008 season on Saturday, September 6 at Howard, the first-ever meeting between the only schools in the Nation's Capitol that play football. The Hoyas' home opener is Saturday, September 27 against Patriot League rival Holy Cross. |
 
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