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| Coming for the 2009 NAFL season! | |||||||||||
Training camp for Traverse City Wolves will take place in Indian River this monthBy MARK SPENCLEY Tribune Staff Writer INDIAN RIVER - Semi-pro football is coming to Indian River. At least the training camp is. Later this month, 62 football players will gather in Indian River for a training camp, vying to become roster members of the Traverse City Wolves, the newest franchise to join the North American Football League.The camp will run from July 25 - July 27 at the Rowan Athletic Complex, the Inland Lakes High School football teams' home venue. Since day one we have built a great relationship with Jack (Rowan),” said the Wolves Owner Daniel Skibbe. Players will undergo dawn-till-dusk workouts during the three day training camp, according to Head Coach Roger Veliquette. On the final day of camp, 72 hours of training will culminate in an scrimmage, pitting the gold team versus the maroon team. The T.C. Wolves will begin their NAFL schedule during the 2009 season, when they will become one of 113 semi-pro teams in the league, which stretches throughout the U.S. and Canada. Skibbe's vision for the T.C. Wolves budded from a passion for football and understanding of business. After working with an NAFL team in the Flint, Mich. area and seeing the success of the Traverse City Beach Bums baseball team, Skibbe said, he was convinced that a football franchise would mesh with area interests. Being a business major, I saw the potential in the area,” he explained. “The team I was with in Flint was pulling 4,000 to 5,000 fans per night and there were four other teams in the area. Then seeing the Beach Bums' success, I knew this would go well. After convincing his wife, Rachael, of the business venture, he put the wheels in motion, assigning a name and colors to the franchise. After hiring Veliquette as head coach, the two decided to conduct an open tryout in April. The tryout attracted 120 players. The turnout was more than we expected,” said Skibbe. “We kept things pretty quiet and still had 120 turn out. From 120 the staff narrowed the roster down to 62, all of whom will attend the July training camp in Indian River. Of the current Wolves roster, nearly all of them are from the top of the state. I would say 90 to 95 percent are from here in Northern Michigan,” said Skibbe. Playing on a semi-pro football team takes commitment and sacrifice, he noted. These players don't get paid. They all have full-time jobs, said Skibbe. Players' ages range from early-20s to mid-40s, with most falling somewhere between 25 and 31 years-old. Their experience is nearly as diverse. I would say 35 to 40 percent of these players have some college experience,” said Veliquette. “Some of them have one or two years, while others have a complete four year experience. Everyone else played in high school, but a handful at the tryout had no experience at all. Veliquette said, he expects to have compiled his final roster by late January or early February next year. The team is still negotiating a deal with a Traverse City stadium for their 2009 season. The NAFL is a summer football league, starting in early July and running through October. All of the games are played under official National Football League rules. For more information on the up-start franchise, check out the Wolves Web site at www.tcwolves.com. The Cheboygan Daily Tribune TC Wolves Radio Ads: - Short Commercial - Long Announcement Commercial
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