Photos: It’s all about building team chemistry for Warrior football team during Catalina trip

Woodbridge players pose for a team picture after the weekend camp, holding a picture of a puzzle designed by a Warrior parent. (Photos courtesy Woodbridge football)

Woodbridge High’s football players geared up for the start of the season last weekend with a team-building weekend in Catalina.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

About 35 players, seven coaches and parents made the trip to Little Harbors Campground Friday through Sunday in what Coach Rick Gibson said was one of the best summer excursions the program has had. Gibson estimates the team has been to Catalina more than 20 times.

“Great trip overall,” Gibson said. “I think it can have an impact on kids. Yes, it’s only two and a half days but we get to do stuff together and talk about things other than just football things.

“I had seven coaches go with me and they all spoke at one time or another about life kind of stuff. With somebody who has lived into their fifties or sometimes in their 60’s, they have good perspective. We had a couple younger coaches too.

“I’m very proud of this mechanism that we put in. It might have been one of the better ones as far as what I thought we accomplished and overall buy-in as far as kids talking and being involved.”

Players do fund-raising and families are also asked to make a donation for the trip, Gibson said.

“We have three dads who went with us who did most of the cooking so most of the food was pre-prepared,” Gibson said. “They got everything ready. We had an overabundance of football and water and Gatorade. “

Parents helped with donations of food and beverages, Gibson said.

“It’s pretty special that it all comes together,” he said.

Each day begins with a rigorous workout.

“We do some really hard work, like the military you really try and get them to bond through the fact that they’re going through some very difficult things, ” Gibson said. “We did probably half the time there was spent on that kind of an activity ranging from sand workouts to running up pretty steep hills and roads.

“The other 25 percent of the time we did games, like blanket volleyball, where they use a tarp. It’s played like volleyball, but you have to work in unison to get the ball over. And we played kind of a off-shoot of kickball.”

There were also relay races which included running and swimming.

“The other 25 percent is campfire talks. There were themes that each coach had, but at the campfire it was kind of the kids’ turn to spell out their aspirations, maybe they have issues with things.”

“We end the competition with team skits, and the coaches judge those skits,” Gibson said.

Each player had a free 30 minute period where they could go swimming or enjoy another activity on their own during the weekend.

“It’s pretty packed,” Gibson said of the weekend.

The players sleep on tarps next to each other in one area.

“They sleep literally next to every teammate that’s there,” Gibson said. “It’s a tight fit and that’s exactly what we wanted it to be.”

Each player can have a sleeping bag and a pillow.

“Nobody has an advantage over someone else, everybody has the same,” Gibson said.

Gibson said he has heard positive response about the trip.

“Time will tell, but from the early returns it seems like some good things are happening. When the season rolls around the promises and the things that we did, we will see if it continues on,” Gibson said. “The true winners and champions are the ones who follow through.”

The camp ended with a team photo which includes a picture of a theme puzzle put together by one of the mothers of the football team.

“Each kid was given a puzzle piece and they had to commit to being the best teammate they could be and helping each other out,” Gibson said. “They did that by signing that puzzle piece.”

All the puzzle pieces were the same size.

“One of the moms made a nice representation of what we wanted,” Gibson said. “We will bring that to the games and tap on it to remember those promises.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com