Crimson Tide baseball team to test strength, speed, agility and endurance this week
Jan. 25, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama baseball team opens preseason practice this Friday, but before the Tide breaks out the bats and balls and executes the hit-and-run or swats a three-run home run, one major obstacle must be completed on this week's strength and conditioning schedule.
Beginning today, the Crimson Tide baseball team will compete in the 2010 Omaha Challenge, a three-day event that will test the team's strength, speed, endurance and mental toughness.
The baseball squad was divided into four teams with senior third baseman Jake Smith, senior first baseman Clay Jones, sophomore pitcher Adam Morgan and senior infielder Cal Tinsley serving as team captains. The four captains then selected their teams based on speed and strength.
"For the Omaha Challenge, the people that do the best are the people that are strong and fast," Jones said revealing his strategy for picking his team. "So your first picks are someone like Brock Bennett, (Taylor) Dugas, (Ross) Wilson or (Josh) Rutledge, somebody with that body type that also has good speed.
"You need your big guys too for some of the team events like tug-of-war and the obstacle course because some of the bigger guys do better there because we have to flip that tire at the end. I tried to get a balance. I tried to pick speed first and then fill in at the end with the bigger guys to help you out."
Each day consists of four individual and one team event for 15 total events. Each player earns 100 points for completing an event in the number of reps or time specified by head strength and conditioning coach Rocky Colburn. Some of the individual events include slide board, 60-yard dash, sit ups, back squat, push-ups, vertical jump, chin-ups and the obstacle course. The three team events are fireman's carry relay, speed ball and tug-of-war.
"The obstacle course is pretty draining," Jones added. "It takes a little more than two minutes to complete and you're booking it, whether it's pushing a sled or box full of weights or flipping a tire. It's the longest and most grueling event. The others are shorter time spans. The bench press and squats are my two best events."
Freshman outfielder Andrew Miller will be competing in his first Omaha Challenge this season, but feels he is prepared after talking to Smith, who is the captain of Miller's team.
"I heard it's very tiring and very much a team effort," Miller said. "I'm really anxious to see what it's about. Everyone has told me about the obstacle course. It's very difficult and tiring. I'm on Jake Smith's team, so I have asked him a lot about it. I've also talked to Rutledge and Dugas. They said it's very tiring."
Miller also sees the event as a morale booster and the three-day event should help the Crimson Tide prepare for its three-game weekend series this season.
"I think it's a mental drill to get us ready for the season and never quit and play a full nine innings," Miller added. "I think this is what this is about. There will be three day series' and we can't quit on any day, you have to keep playing. I think it will help us mentally."
So who is the favorite to win this year's challenge? Jones believes it will be someone with strength and speed.
"Brock Bennett, Cal Tinsley, Dugas, Wilson or Rutledge has a really good chance to win," Jones said. "Another thing is, each team event everybody on the winning team gets 100 points. So usually the overall winner is on a good team. It helps to be on a good team because that boosts your overall score too."
"This is more of winding down of the past two weeks we've had that has prepared us for the season. It's tough. It's grueling, but you get enough time in between events to catch your breath and go on to the next event. I think it's kind of a morale booster. We go out and compete with and against one another and the winning team gets to have some bragging rights. It pushes you to do whatever it takes to win for your team and for yourself."
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
Jan. 25, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama baseball team opens preseason practice this Friday, but before the Tide breaks out the bats and balls and executes the hit-and-run or swats a three-run home run, one major obstacle must be completed on this week's strength and conditioning schedule.
Beginning today, the Crimson Tide baseball team will compete in the 2010 Omaha Challenge, a three-day event that will test the team's strength, speed, endurance and mental toughness.
The baseball squad was divided into four teams with senior third baseman Jake Smith, senior first baseman Clay Jones, sophomore pitcher Adam Morgan and senior infielder Cal Tinsley serving as team captains. The four captains then selected their teams based on speed and strength.
"For the Omaha Challenge, the people that do the best are the people that are strong and fast," Jones said revealing his strategy for picking his team. "So your first picks are someone like Brock Bennett, (Taylor) Dugas, (Ross) Wilson or (Josh) Rutledge, somebody with that body type that also has good speed.
"You need your big guys too for some of the team events like tug-of-war and the obstacle course because some of the bigger guys do better there because we have to flip that tire at the end. I tried to get a balance. I tried to pick speed first and then fill in at the end with the bigger guys to help you out."
Each day consists of four individual and one team event for 15 total events. Each player earns 100 points for completing an event in the number of reps or time specified by head strength and conditioning coach Rocky Colburn. Some of the individual events include slide board, 60-yard dash, sit ups, back squat, push-ups, vertical jump, chin-ups and the obstacle course. The three team events are fireman's carry relay, speed ball and tug-of-war.
"The obstacle course is pretty draining," Jones added. "It takes a little more than two minutes to complete and you're booking it, whether it's pushing a sled or box full of weights or flipping a tire. It's the longest and most grueling event. The others are shorter time spans. The bench press and squats are my two best events."
Freshman outfielder Andrew Miller will be competing in his first Omaha Challenge this season, but feels he is prepared after talking to Smith, who is the captain of Miller's team.
"I heard it's very tiring and very much a team effort," Miller said. "I'm really anxious to see what it's about. Everyone has told me about the obstacle course. It's very difficult and tiring. I'm on Jake Smith's team, so I have asked him a lot about it. I've also talked to Rutledge and Dugas. They said it's very tiring."
Miller also sees the event as a morale booster and the three-day event should help the Crimson Tide prepare for its three-game weekend series this season.
"I think it's a mental drill to get us ready for the season and never quit and play a full nine innings," Miller added. "I think this is what this is about. There will be three day series' and we can't quit on any day, you have to keep playing. I think it will help us mentally."
So who is the favorite to win this year's challenge? Jones believes it will be someone with strength and speed.
"Brock Bennett, Cal Tinsley, Dugas, Wilson or Rutledge has a really good chance to win," Jones said. "Another thing is, each team event everybody on the winning team gets 100 points. So usually the overall winner is on a good team. It helps to be on a good team because that boosts your overall score too."
"This is more of winding down of the past two weeks we've had that has prepared us for the season. It's tough. It's grueling, but you get enough time in between events to catch your breath and go on to the next event. I think it's kind of a morale booster. We go out and compete with and against one another and the winning team gets to have some bragging rights. It pushes you to do whatever it takes to win for your team and for yourself."
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
