OVC 2016

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Maybe they hit a little harder in the OVC than most people think.

you may be onto something runner, the whole ovc is lined with ornery river rat young'uns.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

injuries have decimated the fighting tigers the last 2 years. and makes you think there is a conditioning issue.

It's that darn turf that wasn't needed. Athletic department traded our kids' health to not have to cut the grass.

I'm sorry brother but I just don't believe that. it's in use all over the world. this is a whole lot different turf that say marshall's stadium in the 70's.and I've seen too many studies about this prescription turf. but I could be completely wrong as well.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

no doubt the ovc is a tough lot of young men. full of country boys n river rats n overachievers, lack of depth. but it's really really hit the fighting tigers the last several years.

[trojandave]

Injuries have always been, and always will be, an unfortunate part of football. In some cases injuries are the result of poor conditioning, which relates to the 3 components of fitness.....strength, flexibility, and endurance. I don't think there's any question that the overall conditioning of athletes, not just in football, but in virtually all sports, is not as good as it was 25-30 years ago. The introduction of the internet, video games, and expanded cable TV has given kids something to do other than working on conditioning. There are kids who want the glory, but not the sweat that comes with it.

[mrwonderful]

I think the conditioning programs are much better than 30 years ago.....Better equipment....Better Trainers...A lot of Schools never really had trainers years ago... Most who only play one sport now concentrates on that year round......All kinds of resources on the net to show lifting programs for different muscles.....We had lazy kids 30 years ago just like there's lazy kids today....The difference is coaches are softer to these kids in todays society.....30 years ago kids didn't play baseball , basketball year round like they do now.. kids condition all summer for football....Granted I give you there's not as many kids playing because of the reasons you stated...However the kids that do play have a tremendous advantage over kids of 30 years ago....I think the kids overall are in better condition than kids of 30 years ago......A teams conditioning comes down to coaches

[trojandave]

mrwonderful: I strongly believe that kids today are not in better shape now than they were 30 years ago.......this generation of kids in the US is the fattest in our nation's history.........diabetes has tripled in the US over the last 30 years, with the great majority of those cases being Type II, which is related to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Having followed high school sports for almost 40 years, I have noticed as an eyewitness how many kids have too much body fat.

I agree that the resources, which includes better scientific training methods, are better, but if the individual is not self-motivated to maximize his potential, then all the science and the people who implement that scientific knowledge in training techniques are fighting an uphill battle. I feel it's up to the individual to get himself/herself in shape. But in this society we want to blame the coach for everything. It is not the coaches job to start a conditioning program from scratch. There should be a good level of conditioning already present, then the coach refines the conditioning that a particular sport requires even further.

As a distance runner for 45 years, having run half marathons, marathons and ultramarathons, I have seen in my sport the decline of the truly dedicated distance runner. In the races that I have run, the depth of outstanding times are not like they used to be. I see more cramping in football today than ever, even with the increased resources and training methods of today.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Injuries have always been, and always will be, an unfortunate part of football. In some cases injuries are the result of poor conditioning, which relates to the 3 components of fitness.....strength, flexibility, and endurance. I don't think there's any question that the overall conditioning of athletes, not just in football, but in virtually all sports, is not as good as it was 25-30 years ago. The introduction of the internet, video games, and expanded cable TV has given kids something to do other than working on conditioning. There are kids who want the glory, but not the sweat that comes with it.

great post dave.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I think the conditioning programs are much better than 30 years ago.....Better equipment....Better Trainers...A lot of Schools never really had trainers years ago... Most who only play one sport now concentrates on that year round......All kinds of resources on the net to show lifting programs for different muscles.....We had lazy kids 30 years ago just like there's lazy kids today....The difference is coaches are softer to these kids in todays society.....30 years ago kids didn't play baseball , basketball year round like they do now.. kids condition all summer for football....Granted I give you there's not as many kids playing because of the reasons you stated...However the kids that do play have a tremendous advantage over kids of 30 years ago....I think the kids overall are in better condition than kids of 30 years ago......A teams conditioning comes down to coaches

another awesome post.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I will say this in the 60's n 70's in my youth. we never stopped. we were always on the go. my family didn't even get a colored tv till 75. my frosh year. we played outside and ran all day, shoveled snow, mowed grass , weedeated, helped our dad build stuff. we rode bikes all over ironton. played football on the flood wall of all things. we called it floodwall football. our practices were gut wrenching. we got very little water. those lil paper Dixie cups. and we never cramped up. ran the bleachers in tanks stadium. pushed the 7 man sled with the staff standing on it.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYBODY TONIGHT.PLAY HARD, BE SAFE !!!!!!!!!!!!

[mrwonderful]

That's a good point with the cramping....I've never seen so much cramping in football games ....Some of the HS games I went to every 10 minutes some one was cramping up.....

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

honestly I rarely ever remember one back in the day. when I got em seemed like it was sometimes in the middle of the night. but we were always walking, skating, riding a bike, running. and stuff like that. and climbing all over the hills behind ironton beside 52.

[Tjhtygeverve]

I will say this in the 60's n 70's in my youth. we never stopped. we were always on the go. my family didn't even get a colored tv till 75. my frosh year. we played outside and ran all day, shoveled snow, mowed grass , weedeated, helped our dad build stuff. we rode bikes all over ironton. played football on the flood wall of all things. we called it floodwall football. our practices were gut wrenching. we got very little water. those lil paper Dixie cups. and we never cramped up. ran the bleachers in tanks stadium. pushed the 7 man sled with the staff standing on it.

This is absolutely the truth!!!
I lived two streets over & about 5 houses up from YTB!
We went all day long in this incredible neighborhood in West Ironton.
My dad would whistle loudly for us to come home & we'd stop doing whatever activity we were playing or something we were taking apart & rebuilding or bring home the critters we had caught!
From baiting & catching snapping turtles to playing kick the can & ending with climbing back down the foothills of the Appalachias that borders 52, when our dad's whistled or blasted a horn we stopped & came home!
I'd have the worst leg aches from going all day!
Incredible neighborhood & families & friends!
Many good memories! Our parents did us good!!!!

Oh, & running the bleachers first day of practice @ tanks memorial was amazing!!! I never gave up & was often one of the last ones standing!!! That paved the way for me to get 4th place in the SEOAL championships in the 400 meter dash in 1981 & 2nd in 1982!
Those were the two times I only lost.
Fast boys with a good kick from Athens & Logan & one other kid from Russell who got me in their annual meet my senior year. He was 6-4" & my little 5-8" legs couldn't turn over fast enough!
HeHe!!
Also the 1981 IHS track team did well @ state & Jimmy Morris won the state long jump! Incredible memories!!!


Good times!!!

[knightruner]

Remember when I said Ironton would run the table in the OVC early this season. Well they just did it. The only teams I thought had a shot at them was Chesseee and the Grovers and Ironton had both of them in the Tank. Great job Tigers...

[bbn77]

In Joe Eitel's updated rankings after Week 10. Ironton and Chesapeake are in the Playoffs with Ironton at 6th in R18 and Peake 3rd in R23. Coal Grove finished 9, Portsmouth and Rock Hill finished at 14th and 15th. Good luck to both Ironton and Chesapeake in representing the OVC