Shrine Camp

By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES SPORTS EDITOR
CASTLETON, VT—The Eagle Times is pleased to publish this exclusive material, obtained from Vermont assistant coach Jamie Richardson and several players who are on-site at Castleton University for the 70th annual Shriner’s Maple Sugar Bowl, which will be played this Saturday, August 5 at Castleton. We thank him, and others who have spoken with us, for the opportunity to share this inside look into this storied game.

Day 1-

All 76 players reported in happy and healthy. Checked into their rooms and hit the field for practice on the first day.

Vermont team’s daily schedule:

Breakfast at 7:30.

Classroom at 9:00

Practice from 9:30-11:30.

Lunch at 12:30

Practice from 2:30 until 4:30

Dinner at 5:30

Practice from 7-8:45

Assistant VT Coach Jamie Richardson

“Sounds grueling but when you’re working with the best athletes in the state, time flies by.”

Day 2-

Assistant VT Coach Jamie Ricardson

“Everything is going great: guys are picking things up well and are working really hard. This is one of the best experiences. These players are men. Their maturity level and mental toughness of these guys is nothing like high school programs. They are all competing for playing time so the intensity is here in every practice.”

Windsor’s Logan Worrell

“It’s going well. A lot of practices.”

Stevens’ Colby Shepard

“I feel as though camp is going very well for the short amount of time that we have been here. Everyone has picked everything up very quick and has a good understanding of it. The entire team has already started to act like we played together for a lifetime, joking around and hanging out together.

“We started off the morning with breakfast as a team and then we had some time in a classroom learning new plays and schemes. Then we will have our first practice. We get some down time and then go to lunch. Depending on the day, we could have a second classroom time after lunch or we go straight into the second practice. Then we get more downtime, then have dinner, then go to our third and final practice of the day. And then we have the rest of the night to hangout and, depending on the day, we get the pool.”

Bellows Falls’ Jamison Nystrom

“It’s going well. The guys are having a blast and stuffs coming together. It’s a lot of practices but it’s gonna be good for us.”

Fall Mountain’s Danny Farnham

“It’s only the second day but we have had 5 practices and everyone so far is learning plays quick and hitting hard, both defensively and on offensively. I’m really looking forward to the next few days and the game on Saturday and everyone is ready to show Vermont what New Hampshire is made of.”

Day 3

Today was media day and the players all found out the meaning of this game as they met with the patient ambassadors. Rutland Shriner Bruce Kendall came to speak with players and coaches in the morning. Mr. Kendall thanked everyone for volunteering their time and for raising so much money for this great game and what it stands for.

Corn-hole was on the agenda for a few players later in the day, finals to be played on Wednesday.

VT Assistant Coach Jamie Richardson

“Today we had the chance to meet the ambassadors and hear their stories. It really put life and this game into perspective. I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in preparing for the game, we lose track of what this game is all about. Today was an eye opener for sure” –

Windsor’s Logan Worrell

“Coaches are running us quite a bit. I’m fitting in great. It’s been a lot of fun but exhausting as well.’

Bellows Falls’ Jake Moore

“Like Jamo said, camp is good. It is awesome being surrounded by experienced and very talented players because we are a team full of leaders, who had to lead their individual teams at their home school. We all make each other better and, despite our differences in the regular season, we all are coming together nicely for two goals: #1-raise money for the Shriner’s Hospital and #2- beat the crap out of New Hampshire…Oh yeah, food is good. We’ve been going three practices a day. Literally eat, sleep and football this week.”

Bellows Falls’ Caden Haskell

“My favorite part of Shrine is definitely meeting all these new kids and becoming friends with them, and all meshing as a team. What’s impressed me the most is that we all have learned so much and can effectively use it so fast.

“I’m super happy to be here because I’ve been dreaming of this since I was 5 years old. My mom was talking about it with me and she said when we went to my first Shrine game, for my great uncle Grump Haskell, I told her that I wanted to play and I finally made it. All of the guys here are awesome, too. North/South doesn’t matter we’re now all just Vermont.”

Newport’s Karter Pollari

“Camp has been a blast so far. We have been able to form some really great relationships and we have grown a lot together as a group. We’ve had a ton of practices getting ready for the game.”

Stevens’ Colby Shepard

“We got to meet the shrine patients that are being represented at the game and both of them were amazing people and very nice.”

Captains for both teams are expected to be named on day 4.

The Shriner’s Maple Sugar Bowl will be played Saturday, August 5, 2023 at Castleton University in Vermont. Kickoff is set for 11:30 AM. To buy tickets or donate to the cause, which supports Shriner’s hospitals in Springfield, MA, Montreal, Quebec and the Boston Burns Institute, visit www.shrinemaplesugarbowl.com