Team Philosophy - Sabres Football

Your Parents/Guardians
It all starts here. These are the people that make it possible for you to play the game of football. They are the ones who provide the food you eat, moral support and not to mention the cheque that allows you to wear Salisbury colours. Respect what they do for you. Discipline yourself to never let them down in anything you do in life. They will never expect anything more from you than what you can give with 100% effort. If you can demonstrate that kind of effort in everything you do in life, you will always be a Champion to them.

Your School
There are over 1000 other students that share Salisbury with you. By being an elite school athlete you must assume the role as someone your classmates will look up to. To earn this reputation you must have the self confidence to be part of an exclusive club, while demonstrating modesty around your peers. The reputation of the whole team rides on every move you make and everything you say. An image of being a dumb jock or being egotistical can only damage the whole team's image as well as the image of the sport of football. Be kind to your classmates and encourage their attendance at the games. A key to school spirit is athletes supporting athletes. Try to attend other Sabre sports events as a demonstration of your dedication to the school. The more we watch other sports the more other athletes will watch football. Discipline yourself to treat your peers as equals to earn their respect you deserve as a Salisbury Sabre. In this way, your peers will come and see you become a Champion.

Your School Work
The only way that football will be your life long career is if you make it to the NFL. If you make it that far, the more power to you. However, if you do not make it to the NFL you must have something else to fall back on. A good career, one that you will enjoy for your entire life begins with a successful education. This whole process starts NOW in high school. Sports and education can go hand in hand and help you get a successful education. Both universities and Junior Football teams have scholarships, and Canadian universities can now offer full scholarships to pay for your post-secondary education. The only hitch is that you must first get into a post-secondary institution, and this means good marks in high school. Respect your teachers and their knowledge. They are trying to help you obtain the marks you need to succeed. Discipline yourself to listen and study what they say and then demonstrate to them that you are not a dumb jock. If the teachers like and respect you they will not have problems letting you out early for games. They may even show up to the games to support the team. Success in school means that you will be the Champion of your own life.

The Referees
Unfortunately for minor football, some referees are not trained as well as they should be. Therefore, they will make mistakes. They will miss obvious calls or award what may seem to be unfair penalties in favour of the other teams. Expect it and you will not be surprised by it. The idea is to persevere and play your game. Salisbury has managed to develop a good clean reputation with referees, DO NOT BLOW THIS as this can only work in our favour. Respect the referees, as they are there to provide control over the game which protects you as a player. Discipline yourself to never get mad and/or swear at a referee. One unsportsman-like penalty can be enough to pull our team out of field goal range, disallow a field goal or touchdown, or help our opposition get into field goal range. All of these factors can lead to the loss of a game. Class can help bring us success and success will make us Champions.

Your Opponents
Know thine enemy. Never underestimate your opponent. They practice as hard if not harder than you. You can probably count on them watching video tape just to find out how to beat you. It's up to you to be prepared to meet them. Practice hard, envisioning what your opponent may try against you. Watch as much film on your next opponent as possible, find out how to beat them. When you engage your opponent, respect them not only has a worthy opponent but as a fellow athlete as well. Never be a dirty player. Not only does it say something about your character ( weak minded with no self control ), but there is a very good chance someone will get their revenge resulting in an injury. There is no place for any of this to happen in football. Discipline yourself to be a clean, hard hitting player. There are many ways of getting revenge in ways that the rules allow. Demonstrate your good sportsmanship by helping your opponent off the ground. Lead by example, show everyone participating and watching what Sabre class is all about. The goal is reached when we accept the Championship trophy and all agree that no other nicer bunch of guys deserved it more.

The Coaches
Remember all of your coaches are volunteers. They are there because they love the game of football and have a strong desire to teach it to others like you. A championship team needs excellent relationships and communication between its players and coaches. If you as a Sabre do as the coaches ask, you will develop into a stronger player and possibly come away from the game of football a better person. If you communicate well to the coaches, coaching errors can be reduced, practices can be more productive and games will end with more desirable results. Respect your coaches as they DO know more about the game of football than you, and they are willing to share this knowledge if treated with respect. Discipline yourself to never shout or swear at a coach, and do what is ask of you to the best of your ability. As coaches, it is all we can ask for, and it is always what is required to become Champions.

Sabre Football
Players on our teams become great friends sharing the common bond of being a football player. A strong team image begins with the respect of what it means to be a Sabre Football player. You chose to try out for the team and the coaches agreed that you deserve to participate. Now it is up to you to have the discipline to uphold the image that comes from being part of the team. Wear your school colours with pride, but never tarnish the Sabre image by being seen drinking alcohol and/or smoking while wearing your colours. Take it upon yourself as a member of a TEAM not to let anyone else down by tarnishing the Sabre image. The only image the Sabres should have is that of Champions.

Yourself
As a member of a team, it is important to make a good example of yourself for the sake of the team, although, the most important reason is for your own sake. It is extremely important to enjoy your high school years as much as possible. You only get three years, and they are over way too quickly. Optimize the fun you can have at your age because you only get one chance. However, respect yourself. There is no reason to go overboard to the point of damaging your body or participating in illegal activity. Use football as a source of discipline to help stop temptation. Use football to focus your energy away from activities that will do more harm than good. Football can and will take you places if you want it to. Train hard, eat properly and always be in a state of mind that allows you to focus on the game. Those who choose the wrong path will only slip to the way side on the great highway of life, as those who choose to stay focussed on football, school and a straight and narrow lifestyle become the true Champions. Think about it.

Jason Duxbury
Assistant Coach
Written July 20, 1996
Updated 2004