After a short Christmas break the Coventry Jets get back to work with
the business of preparing for their 2014 Premiership North campaign.
The 2008 National Champions will be looking to make their first
post-season appearance since being defeated in the 2010 National
Championship game. Head Coach, Paul Rickhuss, has seen his team make tremendous strides over his two year reign as they looked to rebuild from a winless 2011 season.
The Jets return to the Alan Higgs Centre on Sunday (the 19th of
January) at 11:00 and will hold a weekly two-hour session through to
the end of February. Apart from welcoming back last season’s veterans, the sessions will also be open to rookie participants that are looking to take up the sport. Academy Manager and Head Coach Sean Martin was keen to point out that, apart from the seniors, he's also looking to recruit.
"We have a number of players returning to our Youth (Under 17) and
Junior (Under 19) teams but we're still looking to boost our squad. We
had very young squads last year so we're not losing too many graduates but, we still desperately need to unearth the next generation of Jets players."
Rickhuss agreed "now's the time to get involved. It's very difficult
to give special attention to new players once the season's in full
swing. We've had a great deal of success with rookie players over the
past few years and we want to continue to bring new players to the
sport and help them achieve their aims." One of the most successful
rookies of recent years is linebacker Adam Gibson who joined in 2012.
"Adam arrived as a fan of the sport and thought he'd give it a go."
revealed Coach Rickhuss "He wasn't up to much in those early sessions and I remember telling him, as we wound down for a Christmas break, to watch as much video as he could find in order to work on his fundamental skills. He came back in January transformed, and took off from there. By the time the season came around he was starting for us, which is really difficult to do as a rookie."
Gibson, whose sporting background was primarily in ice hockey,
recalled his first experiences "I'd watched the game on television
and, after hearing about the Jets rookie sessions, decided to give it
a try. There were about 30 other rookies there, though some of them
had played at University or in the juniors. The coaches introduced
everyone and took some time to explain what was expected of us and
what we could gain in return for our effort and commitment.
"They made us feel welcome from the off and we got to work. I had no
idea which position I'd be suited to but after evaluating my skill set
Coach Rickhuss told me I'd play linebacker. Getting to this stage has
been hard work" Gibson recently won Player of the Year, in just his
second season "but it's definitely been worth it. There's a real
feeling of family throughout the club, we were all watching NFL
coverage together from that first session and I've made some friends
for life."
One of his fellow rookies was 2013 Defensive MVP, Oli Campbell. The
young outside linebacker had played for the juniors but stepped up to
the senior level a year early and recently became the first Coventrian
to represent Great Britain in American Football. If you'd like to join
the Jets then come along to the Alan Higgs Centre on Sunday at 11:00.
The session will be outdoors on a 3G pitch, so wear appropriate
training kit and boots and bring a drink. There is a £2 charge to
participate but it's free for first timers. For further details on how
to become a part of the Coventry Jets visit their website
www.covjets.com or follow them on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/CoventryJets.