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ISSUE 5 Contents SPRING 2008 FEATURES 8 USA Football Leads Coast to Coast Youth commissioners attend 4 Continuing State Leadership Forums Football’s Legacy By Ed Passino Former players honor football’s legacy of 11 World Sharing teaching as youth and America’s passion high school coaches By Mike Preston By Tim Polzer 6 Helping Youth Leagues, High Schools Score USA Football Earmarks Equipment Grants By Jenny Hofler DEPARTMENTS 2 Kickoff with 29 What Football Has Scott Hallenbeck Taught My Sons 3 Football Facts, 30 USA Football Stats & Figures Regional Managers 10 Meet a USA Football 32 What Football Taught Me Staffer: Bonnie with Jack Kemp Downing COACHING CENTER LEAGUE ENHANCEMENT OFFICIATING CENTER 12 Spread Offense: Spread It On Thick 18 Gold-Standard Background Check 26 Officiating Trends: By Bucky Brooks Program Strengthens Youth As the Umpire Turns Football By Steve Alic 14 4-4 Stack: Double-Trouble for By Dave McMahon Offenses 27 Me? A Football Official? By Larry Canard 23 Value Added to Equipment By Dave McMahon 16 Meet a USA Football Board HEALTH & SAFETY CENTER Member: Jason Belser 24 Putting the “Wow” in Registration By Dave McMahon 18 USA Football Runs 40 Coaching 24 Preventing Infectious Disease Schools in 2008 25 Fun with Fundraising By John Reynolds By Ed Passino By Nathan Boudreaux Front Cover JOHN ELWAY: SPORTING NEWS/ICON SMI, JOHN ELWAY COACHING: ASSOCIATED PRESS, TYRONE WHEATLEY: ASSOCIATED PRESS, TYRONE WHEATLEY COACHING: SARAH WELLIVER/DETROIT FREE PRESS 1 Meet a USa Football StaFF MeMber: Bonnie Downing Position: USA Football Marketing Director Football Passion: Youth Flag Team Assistant Team: Redskins Division: Mighty Mites (6-8 year olds) League: Northern Virginia Flag WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A TEAM ASSISTANT? Downing: Our Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck and Assistant Executive Director Damon Phillips encouraged me to become involved with youth football in some way to develop my knowledge of the sport at the youth level. and the other coaches and parents were warm and welcoming. The kids were WHAT WERE YOUR PRIMARY DUTIES? just so funny and rambunctious. I Downing: I attended practices and games. During practice, I would assist our head remember during one of our first coach in running drills and help keep the team organized. During games I kept our practices when one of our players was stats: scoring, pulls, first downs … I also bought post-game snacks, which made me a hit explaining to me that he had ‘anger with my players! management’ issues – this from a seven-year-old! I watched these kids learn and grow right before my eyes. Jamie was such a great head coach and taught not only football, but life lessons. It was a wonderful and rewarding experience. WHAT DOES FOOTBALL MEAN TO YOU? Downing: I’m a football fanatic. I was brought up a Baltimore Colts fan and now my team is the Baltimore Ravens! Football is what brought my family together COURTESY OF JAMIE CASAMENTO on Sunday afternoons and still consumes me on Sundays when my WHAT DID YOU ENJOY ABOUT YOUR SEASON? Ravens are playing. My college social Downing: I enjoyed practically everything about our season. The list just seems scene was dictated by University of endless. Because I was new to Northern Virginia and hadn’t met many people outside Maryland Terrapin football games and of the office, volunteering gave me the opportunity to meet new people who share parties! I’m still learning and growing my passion for football. The players’ families were so wonderful to me. I was a little as a student of the game and have really frightened when I first showed up for practice. I didn’t have kids of my own on the come to learn so much about football at team and I wasn’t exactly dressed for practice. Our head coach, Jamie Casamento, the youth level. 10 USA Football Magazine WORLD SHARING AMERICa’S PASSION By Mike Preston or 12 teenagers who grew up New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ding and immediately recognized his thousands of miles from the home of Pennsylvania this past fall. The program potential. Originally positioned as a kicker, the gridiron, “fantasy football” was is funded by USA Football, but students the 6-1, 220-pound Qingdao native was Ftheir dream of playing football soon excelling on both the offensive and in America. But international defensive lines despite having to adapt to a student-athletes from three foreign language. continents are realizing their “He’s a really good athlete, he can run goal of playing their favorite and he is tough,” said New Hampton head sport at U.S. prep schools. coach David Perfield. “If he doesn’t know a Through the USA Football call at the line of scrimmage, his teammates International Student Program give him simple words of help.” (ISP), which selects students The ISP contingent certainly made aged 16 to 19 an impact on the field this season. Five each spring for a student athletes won a New England Prep unique three-year or a post-graduate program, the overseas athletes have savored the chance to play the game they love. “At home in Germany, people always told me I would Long Ding never be able to play football in America, but now I can tell them they were wrong,” said Timm may also qualify for merit Kaminski from Kiel, Germany, a second- scholarships from their year ISP student in 2007 at Kimball Union host school. Academy in New Hampshire. He now hopes “The passion for to earn a college scholarship. “I love this American football extends far past domestic School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) game and I am the happiest I have ever been borders,” said USA Football Executive championship with Kimball Union Academy, in my life. Football is my passion and I want Director Scott Hallenbeck. “We’re proud of as they notched a perfect 9-0 season. to play for as many these youngsters in how they Sophomore defensive end Bjoern Werner years as I can.” are excelling in the classroom (Berlin, Germany) was dominant for the Timm Kaminski The ISP, which as well as embracing this life Salisbury (Conn.) School with 59 tackles and accepts applications experience and new friends 12 sacks for a loss of 105 yards and is already online and helps despite being so far from attracting interest from major colleges. students find home. The International Junior Mexican kicker Danny Agee was schools that suit Student Program is another named All-State and All-Conference at the their academic and example of how this great Christ School in North Carolina, while center athletic abilities, sport further develops Paul Mehling (Berlin, Germany) captained also welcomed people.” the Kent School (Conn.), in his senior year. players from Mexico The New Hampton Applications for the 2008 USA and China, who (N.H.) School welcomed Football International Student Program enrolled at schools the ISP’s first Chinese are being accepted online now at in Connecticut, student-athlete in Long USAFootball.com. 11 Spread It On thIck Spread Offense makes its way into the high school game By Bucky Brooks field with multiple receivers, but do it in different ways. WR CB As it relates to high school football, most teams are successfully combining elements from both philosophies to balance their spread offense. One coach DE having success blending the differing COACHING CENTER COACHING CENTER philosophies of the spread is Kevin T OLB RB A modern version of the single wing G DT LB offense of the 1940s, “the spread” utilizes the shotgun formation with QB C one or two backs and multiple LB receivers. It is named the spread G DT because its base formations spread RB a defense horizontally to create Bucky Brooks mismatches in space. T OLB DE Rooney of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Rooney’s squad WR went to the spread offense in 2005 FS after watching Urban Meyer craft an explosive offensive attack around the talents of Alex Smith at Utah. Rooney had a blue chip quarterback prospect WR CB –USC’s Garrett Green – at the time and wanted to incorporate some of the quarterback running game used in the spread to take advantage of his he overwhelming success of the spread offense on the collegiate level in the athleticism. past decade has led many high school coaches to investigate and incorporate its “We liked the possibility of the principles into their programs. quarterback being a part of the running TCollege programs such as Florida, Oregon, Texas and West Virginia are annual game,” said Rooney. The ability of the national title contenders using this offense. In addition, lower level collegiate quarterback to run the option series programs benefit from implementing the spread as it helps level the playing field. from the spread forces defenses to play For instance, the surprising upset of Michigan by Appalachian State last September assignment football, which creates big illustrates how the spread can help small schools to compete. play opportunities for the offense. Rooney A modern version of the single wing offense of the 1940s, “the spread” utilizes also speaks of being able to “throw from the shotgun formation with one or two backs and multiple receivers. It is named the shotgun” as part of the reason for the “spread” because its base formations spread a defense horizontally to create using the spread in his game plan. The mismatches in space. spread employs high-percentage short There are two philosophies behind the implementation of the spread. The first is throws to get the ball to playmakers in to spread the field to effectively pass. For years Texas Tech, Hawaii and Purdue have space.