SEATTLE — For the Port Townsend football program, summer conditioning isn’t solely limited to lifting weights, running sprints and memorizing plays and formations in preparation for the upcoming high school football season.
Redhawks second-year head coach Alex Heilig wanted to expand his players’ horizons by showcasing the world of higher education and NCAA Division I athletics.
Heilig reached out to the University of Washington Athletic and Admissions departments, setting up a facility tour of the Huskies’ sparkling sports facilities on June 21, as well as a campus tour and sit-down session with a university admissions counselor who detailed what it takes to become a Washington student.
“I met some people with the athletic department and have been to UW’s football coaches clinics, and what coach [Chris] Petersen has done there has really opened the door for all high school programs in the state,” Heilig said.
“So we put together an athletic facility tour wrapped in a campus tour like any potential high school senior would go on as a way to get a complete look at the university and higher education in general.
“We want to foster a culture that values learning and have all of our kids continue their education, whether it’s at a four-year university, a two-year school, technical training or in the military.”
The team met their tour guide, former Husky defensive back Justin Glenn who now serves as the football program’s director of high school relations.
“He walked us through Husky Stadium and all the athletic facilities and department offices,” Heilig said.
“We got to see all the awards players have earned, saw the display that shows all the UW players currently in the NFL. We sat down in the football team room and watched some recruiting film, poked our head into the team’s new locker room and got a sneak peek which was cool.”
While in the Husky weight room, head football coach Petersen stopped in and said hello to the Redhawks.
“He visited with us, shook some hands and wished us good luck,” Heilig said.
The team, many of whom play multiple sports, also saw UW’s basketball arena and visited Conibear Shellhouse, home of the Huskies’ perennial national championship winning rowing teams.
Players viewed the shell used by “The Boys in the Boat,” nine UW rowers, including Sequim’s Joe Rantz, who triumphed and won gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany.
Many on the team had read The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown’s historical account of the team in Port Townsend High School teacher Chris Peterson’s English classes.
After lunch at the Husky Union Building, UW’s student center, and some throwing/kicking off the football around the lawn, the Redhawks met with an admissions counselor.
“We sat down and the team learned how to apply for admission, the GPA required, the SAT score needed and how to seek out scholarship assistance. The kids got to do a question and answer session and really learn about it what takes to make it into such a well-regarded academic institution,” Heilig said.
“Then we had a campus tour through the Quad and some of the liberal arts buildings, Suzzalo Library and learned about the Four Columns [four pillars on the campus which represent the four columns found on the university’s first building].”
Heilig said he plans to visit a different university each year to continue to show his team what the future may hold for them.
“They loved it, I think everybody who went on the trip was saying they wanted to go to UW,” Heilig said. Our upcoming seniors and juniors were able to see what it takes to make it to the next level athletically by witnessing a national-championship caliber program and get a glimpse of what is required to be successful students.”
Summer camp
Port Townsend players continued their summer adventures by wrapping a four-day camp at Linfield University in Oregon Thursday.
“I saw a lot of unity,” Heilig said. “These camps are great for team bonding. You come to camp trying to see what you’ve got and how you stack up. We faced 10 different teams from Oregon and Washington, and we are one of the smallest teams here and we stacked up really well, we know the pieces we have coming back and we know the work we will need to put in to maintain our level of play.”
The Redhawks have made consecutive trips to the Class 1A state playoffs.
Donations sought
Port Townsend also is conducting a unique online fundraiser, seeking donations from the public to replace, refurbish and purchase team equipment, coaching technology and provide financial assistance to attend team camp and training sessions.
Heiling wanted his players to focus on scholarship and athletics, so he chose the donation route.
These kids aren’t salespeople, they are students and athletes,”Heilig said.
“We are trying to get it so they don’t need to fundraise during the fall, taking them away from their homework or practice, and get us away from hounding them about how many coffee cards they’ve sold.
“And most of the businesses you partner with in these team fundraisers collect most of the money you raise. This way, all the proceeds go to the team.”
For more information, or to make a donation to the program, visit www.porttownsendfootball.com.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
Port Townsend Football Port Townsend football players walk in Red Square at the University of Washington while taking a campus tour.
