Post by fwp on Nov 13, 2009 13:43:17 GMT -5
www.lacrossetribune.com/sports/article_2e8e8194-d013-11de-a925-001cc4c03286.html
Tom Stark doesn't expect any favors when he walks into the first training camp hosted by the La Crosse Spartans indoor football team in February.
The field will be filled with players who believe they can play at a higher level because that's the expectation.
Stark, a personal trainer and substitute teacher who lives in West Salem, will fit in perfectly when the first whistle blows.
Instead of worrying about how many running backs the Spartans bring to camp, Stark instead marvels at the length to which the team is going to put the best possible roster on the La Crosse Center field next spring.
The Spartans are holding tryouts throughout the Midwest to piece together the best possible team to compete in the Indoor Football League.
"They want to have a championship team," Stark said of the Spartans, who are coached by Gilbert Brown. "They want this to be a stepping stone to bigger things."
One thing to know is that Brown, a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers, has plenty of football contacts.
One thing to remember is that he won't likely use those contacts unless he's absolutely sold on a player's potential.
"He isn't going to risk his reputation just to get us a tryout at a higher level," said Stark, who rushed for 3,179 yards at West Salem before playing at UW-La Crosse. "We have 24 teams in the IFL, and he said one or two guys from each team could get a look from someone.
"He wants six to 10 guys from our team to get a chance, but how we play on the field will determine whether we get that opportunity or not."
Stark spent last season with the Rock River Raptors, a Rockford, Ill.-based team in the Continental Indoor Football League.
After an elbow injury ended his season early, Stark, a 2003 West Salem graduate, returned home.
He played running back and defensive back for the Raptors, and he said running back and linebacker - along with special teams - are possibilities for him if he makes the La Crosse roster.
While his first professional football experience was over quicker than he'd hoped, Stark was waiting for his second chance.
There were regular rumors of indoor teams potentially coming to La Crosse, but Stark thought a hockey team might what eventually landed at the La Crosse Center.
He's happy he was wrong.
"I was hoping and wishing for something like this," Stark said of the formation of the Spartans. "I played one season in Rockford, and now I'm living at my parents' house (in West Salem) and the Indoor Football League starts a team here.
"Sometimes, things fall into place."
Tom Stark doesn't expect any favors when he walks into the first training camp hosted by the La Crosse Spartans indoor football team in February.
The field will be filled with players who believe they can play at a higher level because that's the expectation.
Stark, a personal trainer and substitute teacher who lives in West Salem, will fit in perfectly when the first whistle blows.
Instead of worrying about how many running backs the Spartans bring to camp, Stark instead marvels at the length to which the team is going to put the best possible roster on the La Crosse Center field next spring.
The Spartans are holding tryouts throughout the Midwest to piece together the best possible team to compete in the Indoor Football League.
"They want to have a championship team," Stark said of the Spartans, who are coached by Gilbert Brown. "They want this to be a stepping stone to bigger things."
One thing to know is that Brown, a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers, has plenty of football contacts.
One thing to remember is that he won't likely use those contacts unless he's absolutely sold on a player's potential.
"He isn't going to risk his reputation just to get us a tryout at a higher level," said Stark, who rushed for 3,179 yards at West Salem before playing at UW-La Crosse. "We have 24 teams in the IFL, and he said one or two guys from each team could get a look from someone.
"He wants six to 10 guys from our team to get a chance, but how we play on the field will determine whether we get that opportunity or not."
Stark spent last season with the Rock River Raptors, a Rockford, Ill.-based team in the Continental Indoor Football League.
After an elbow injury ended his season early, Stark, a 2003 West Salem graduate, returned home.
He played running back and defensive back for the Raptors, and he said running back and linebacker - along with special teams - are possibilities for him if he makes the La Crosse roster.
While his first professional football experience was over quicker than he'd hoped, Stark was waiting for his second chance.
There were regular rumors of indoor teams potentially coming to La Crosse, but Stark thought a hockey team might what eventually landed at the La Crosse Center.
He's happy he was wrong.
"I was hoping and wishing for something like this," Stark said of the formation of the Spartans. "I played one season in Rockford, and now I'm living at my parents' house (in West Salem) and the Indoor Football League starts a team here.
"Sometimes, things fall into place."