G’day Tigers new and old and welcome to the 2015 footy season!
I hope everyone has enjoyed their winter hibernation, I know a 2014 Nationals premiership medal sure helped!
The Tigers board of director’s are very excited about the upcoming season as we look to build upon the success of last year. This is not only a very exciting year for our club, but also a very important one as we look to use our Division 4 National title as a stepping stone to continue building our club.
Our Australia Day party at Patrick Jane’s last weekend was a huge success and big thank-you to all those who were able to attend and enjoy some great Aussie food and drink, with a fun time had by all. Special thanks to Shane Bradley for all his time, hard work, and effort in organizing this event for us once again. It has become a highlight of the Tigers’ calendar and would not be possible without Shane’s tireless efforts. The club looks forward to continuing this annual tradition into the future, as well as continuing to build our great relationship with Patrick Jane’s in Cary.
The board is continuing to work diligently with other clubs to put the finishing touches on our game schedule for the season, which will be released as soon as it is finalized so we can all add the dates to our calendars. For now, please add these important dates:
Saturday March 14: First official Tigers practice of the season
October 17-18: USAFL NATIONALS IN AUSTIN, TX
Starting on 3/14, Tigers practice will be held every Saturday morning that we do not have a game scheduled. Training sessions will be held on Saturday mornings at 10am at Brier Creek Elementary School beginning on March 14. Please note that all practices are a 9:45am arrival time to warm up and prepare for a 10am sharp start to practice. There will be some weekends where time and location may change but we will be sure to let you know about this in advance. It is critical that we all make every effort to attend as many practices as possible. Not only do larger attendances make training sessions a lot more fun and help to create a good team atmosphere, but good numbers at practice also allow us to run better drills, practice real game situations, and play practice matches, which is the best way for new guys to learn the game and the rest of us to improve our skills. Additionally, having as many players as possible at training helps the coaching staff make informed decisions about positions and team line-ups leading up to games, and lets us work on game plans that are critical to our success on game day.
It’s great to see people starting to get back into shape and preparing for the season with Tigers In The Park preseason sessions. For new players and those who aren’t aware, Tigers In The Park is a relaxed, informal session held every Saturday at noon in Umstead Park until official practice begins on March 14. We meet at the visitor’s center parking lot off the Glenwood Ave entrance for a slow, group jog of around 3 miles, before getting out some footballs for a bit of a kick around to knock the rust off and work on some skills. The sessions are really relaxed, with a great family atmosphere, and we encourage everyone to bring along spouses, kids, pets, and friends to join the fun. Remember that fitness is a key component to playing good footy, so regardless of your availability for Tigers in The Park, the more time you commit on your own to improving your fitness now, the better off you will be when the season begins. A good way to keep yourself accountable is by downloading the RunKeeper app to your phone to help track your training and fitness. It is easy to use and there are a number of Tigers already on the app helping to keep each other accountable and encouraging each other to reach our goals.
Be sure to check out the club’s website at nctigers.com for details and to stay up to date with what’s going on around the footy club, and always be sure to share the website with family and friends to help spread the word about Aussie Rules footy in the triangle. If you’re new to footy or the club, the website is also a great place to check out some of the proud history of the Tigers, as well as finding some great info and videos on the basics of our great game.
We look forward to seeing everyone out on the footy field shortly.
Carn The Tigers!
NC Tigers Board of Directors
