FOOTBALL AND CHEER SIGN-UPS TO CONTINUE TILL END OF AUGUST

Football practice is scheduled to kick-off Monday July 26th at Kate Bond Elementary School. Start time is 6 O'Clock.

Remember the first full week of practice is shorts, shirt, cleats, helmut. There will be no contact the first week of practice.

Sign-ups will continue Monday through Friday from 6 till 8 through-out the months of July and August. For more information contact Tony Miller at 647-6942.

REPARING FOR BATTLE:Tips on What Your Child Needs on the Field

Football Helmet.

There are two types of football helmets: the "air helmet" and the "suspension helmet". Both helmets provide adequate protection for the head and are required at all times during practice and games. The air helmet utilizes an inflatable device that adjusts specifically to the shape and size of the player's head. The fit can be adjusted by inflating or deflating the helmet with a pump and/or by the chinstrap. The suspension helmet is made with a thick padded material that makes up the inner lining of the helmet. The chinstrap adjusts the fit of this helmet. Whichever helmet you choose, make sure that it fits snuggly on the player's head..

Face Mask.

A facemask is used to protect the player's face from injury caused by contact from another player. Facemasks resemble cages on the front of the helmet, and are made of steel covered in plastic. The kind of facemask used is generally determined by position. The "box cag" is a basic two-bar facemask. Quarterbacks, defensive backs and wide receivers usually choose this style of facemask. The "four bar" facemask has a "closed cage," giving the player more protection for hitting and blocking. Running backs, tight ends and linebackers prefer the four bar. The "full mask" has six bars, giving the face maximum protection, but also limiting vision to a certain extent. However, offensive and defensive linemen like the six bar because of the close, hard contact they encounter on almost every play..

Shoulder Pads.

Shoulder pads vary in size and style to accommodate the size and position of the player. When choosing shoulder pads, make sure that they are both comfortable and non-restrictive. It is essential that they are fitted correctly, and strapped on properly every time - all straps and buckles must be fastened. If there are any additions such as neck rolls, cowboy collars or shock pads, they too must be worn properly to prevent injury. If these additional pads are not properly secured to the shoulder pads they could in fact lead to serious injury.

Mouth Guard

There are 3 kinds of mouth guards. All levels of play require that a mouth guard is worn, but the style is up to the individual player. The "basic mouth guard" protects the teeth and is attached to the facemask by a strap. The "boxer style mouth guard" is strapless and fits into the mouth to protect the teeth. Kids prefer this style so that they can wedge their mouth guard between the facemask and helmet (like the pros do) when they are not using it. The "lip guard" provides protection for the teeth as well as the lips, and is also attached by a strap to the facemask.

Football Cleats

The style of football shoe worn should be comfortable, sturdy and appropriate for the level of football being played. There are basically three types of football shoes: high tops, mid highs and low tops. All three styles of shoes are available with molded bottoms, or screw-in cleat bottoms. All Age Groups in SYS require molded cleat bottoms. Mid high and high tops provide support to the ankles, preventing the chance of injury. Low top cleats, while providing greater mobility, are not recommended for younger athletes due to the lack of stability in the ankle area.

ELMORE PARK TO HOST NFL SANCTIONED PUNT PASS AND KICK CONTEST

Elmore Park Packers Youth Football will be hosting an NFL sanctioned Punt, Pass and Kick Contest Saturday August 14th from 9 A.M. till 12 Noon.

It will be held at Freeman Park in Bartlett.

The event is free and open to both boys and girls ages 8 through 15. We are opening the event to kids 5, 6 and & 7 but they will not be eligible to advance to sectionals.

If you are not a registered Elmore Park participant, you will need to bring a copy of your birth certificate or Baptismal Record in order to participate. You can registar online and find out more information by checking us out on the web at www.elmoreparkpackers.com.

All American Sporting Goods Offering $10 Discount Coupons

All-American Sporting Goods is offering a $10 off discount coupon on all purchases of $70 or more. For those of you out there who need new equipment this could be a good deal for you.

Tony Miller or Patty Bachelor will have the discount coupons on hand the first week of practice at the sign-up table.

Make sure you tell your salesman your're with Elmore Park and Elmore Park will get an addtional 5% credit to benefit of our program. A great deal for our membership and our program what could be better.

ELMORE PARK IS THE PROUD OWNER OF 9 SETS OF BLEACHERS

The last week of June, Elmore Park became the proud owners of 9 sets of bleachers (enough to seat 350). The bleachers were the result of the efforts of Patty Bachelor contacting St. Annes Catholic School as well as her organizing the move of the bleachers to their new home at Elmore Park.

St. Annes is renovating their church grounds and with plans to purchase new bleachers in the works, they no longer had need for the old ones. Patty made the call and put together a team of former Elmore Park participants and parent volunteers to organize the move.

Work on the bleachers is continuing, replacing old boards, scraping and painting.

If anyone would care to help support our fundraising efforts in support of renovating the bleachers or would like to volunteer their time, please feel free to contact Patty at 372-6700. All support is greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!

UPGRADES TO THE WEBSITE

If you get the chance, and haven't done so lately, check out our website. We have made some recent upgrades and are trying to make it a single point of contact for all your Elmore Park questions, news and updates.

Some of the recent additions include information concerning our fundraising efforts, a page that recognizes our volunteers an archive of past issues of the newsletter, player of the week and football stats page and don't forget to check out the Elmore Park Calendar of Events.